If the party shows an open mind in the Chesham and Amersham byelection, it could help form a progressive alliance
Amid the post-election noise of Tory gloating and Labour skirmishing, the writ for another byelection dropped into news silence on Wednesday. Why should anyone care about Chesham and Amersham, a “safe” seat in the “blue wall”, vacant following the death of the well-liked Tory MP, Dame Cheryl Gillan. Move on, nothing to see here, she won 55.4% at the last general election.
Yet this could prove a far more important test of all the parties than it looks. For the Lib Dems, on just 26.3% here in 2019, it road-tests whether they retain their old ability to snatch astonishing byelection victories from Tory heartlands. For Labour, trailing here on 12.9% last time, it tests its common sense: is it willing to work with other parties against the common foe, and stand right back or not stand at all? For the Greens, on just 5.5% last time, this HS2 route feels fertile ground, but if they fight here they risk taking the blame. Can the other parties reach out to them? “They’d better come to us with a cast iron quid pro quo,” says the Green party spokesperson Molly Scott Cato.
