Keetch delighted by local election results

12.00.00am BST (GMT +0100) Thu 1st May 2003

Hereford's Liberal Democrat MP Paul Keetch says he is delighted by the recent local election results.

Nationally the Liberal Democrats won their highest ever share of the votes, and in Herefordshire with compulsory postal voting, the Conservatives were pushed into third place in the Hereford Constituency.

Overall, 60.82% of electors voted yesterday across Herefordshire. In the 2001 General Election the turnout in Hereford was 63.5%.

In the Hereford Constituency the votes cast yesterday were:

Liberal Democrat 22,948

Conservative 16,905

Labour 4,733

Independent 21,377

(This includes the Backbury Ward which is partly in the Leominster Parliamentary constituency)

"This was a very successful night for the Liberal Democrats, nationally and locally", said Mr Keetch.

"With a very high turnout we polled more votes that the Conservatives in my seat, even though they had a few more candidates. I am delighted that Terry James has been returned to continue to run the Council."

"We did not oppose some Independent Councillors who have been part of the Lib Dem run administration, many of whom also support us nationally."

"Postal voting increased the number of people participating and I hope it will be extended to the next General Election too."

"The continued infighting in the Conservative Party is still causing the Tories embarrassment locally.

"Nationally we saw our highest ever share of the vote winning more councils in England and holding our own in Scotland & Wales."

"Conservative leader Iain Duncan Smith's local election poll success was soured by the resignation of shadow front-bencher Crispin Blunt."

"Mr Blunt resigned at close of polling last night claiming that the Conservatives had no future under Mr Duncan Smith."

"Had yesterday been a General Election, the Liberal Democrats would have won fourteen seats off the Tories and twelve off Labour.

"Last week in Hereford Iain Duncan Smith said that yesterday's poll would be the start of the Tories winning back the Hereford Parliamentary Seat - this morning he must be eating his words."

ENDS

Notes to Editors:

The Conservatives have not done any better under IDS than they did under William Hague.

Liberal Democrats are set for significant gains at the next General Election from the Conservatives and from Labour.

The BBC estimate for the Lib Dem vote share in the local elections is 30% - our highest ever.

Top Tories set to lose their seats to the Liberal Democrats include Theresa May (Maidenhead) and Michael Howard (Folkestone & Hythe).

The results of the Scottish Parliament and Welsh Assembly elections certainly point to us making gains in Scotland and Wales at the Westminster General Election.

At a general election, uniform swings of the size seen in the local elections would see the Liberal Democrats winning the following:

14 Conservative seats

Taunton, Orpington, Surrey South West, Dorset West, Haltemprice and Howden, Isle of Wight, Eastbourne, Wells, Westmorland and Lonsdale, Totnes, Wiltshire North, Maidenhead, Dorset North, New Forest East.

12 Labour seats

Cardiff Central, Oldham East and Saddleworth, Bristol West, Birmingham Yardley, Aberdeen South, Rochdale, Inverness East Nairn and Lochaber, Edinburgh South, Leeds North West, Colne Valley, Cambridge, Blaydon.