The Conservatives have won a council seat in Middlesbrough, usually considered a Labour stronghold, sparking a row among MPs about whether Jeremy Corbyn’s leadership is undermining support in the party’s heartlands.
Conservative candidate Jacob Young took the seat of Coulby Newham, with 38% of the vote, up 8.3% since 2015, while Labour saw its share fall by 8.2%, to 35.5%.
Single council by-elections are rarely scrutinised, but the loss of the seat came after many MPs went out canvassing, and amid fears that Labour is set for a tough night in the council and mayoral elections on May 4.
Tom Blenkinsop, the MP for South Middlesbrough and Cleveland, whose constituency contains Coulby Newhham, suggested Corbyn’s “far left” leadership had been a factor.
But neighbouring MP Andy McDonald, the shadow transport secretary, dismissed Blenkinsop’s claim. “Jeremy was on Teesside to campaign a couple of weeks ago, and he got an absolutely fabulous reaction,” he said.
Asked about the loss of the seat, he said, “I am loth to read too much into that. We know that the Tory party ploughed an awful lot of effort into that. They thought they were in with a chance to win it.”
He said the Conservatives would be unable to replicate such an intense campaign when all the council’s seats are up for grabs in two years’ time. “I would expect us to win it back,” he said.
A Labour source said: “Labour has held or gained more seats in council by-elections this year than it has lost, including gaining a seat from the Tories and another from Ukip. The Middlesbrough by-election was very close – only 33 votes separated Labour and the Conservatives – and the turnout was extremely low, making it difficult to draw any meaningful conclusions. However, voters don’t like divided parties, public attacks and infighting. Unity is essential to delivering effective opposition.”
Corbyn and his shadow cabinet colleagues have announced a blizzard of policies over the past fortnight, with the latest being a pledge to legislate to prevent banks from closing local branches.
McDonald said: “We know that the policies are playing well; but we have still got some cut-through to make in terms of reputation, and confidence, and competence.”
Other MPs report that Corbyn’s leadership is a factor raised by voters on the doorstep. Jess Phillips, the MP for Birmingham Yardley, who has been campaigning for Labour’s candidate in the West Midlands mayoralty, said: “There isn’t a canvassing session where someone doesn’t say, ‘I’ve voted Labour all my life, but I can’t vote for you at the moment because of Jeremy Corbyn’.”