Somerton win means there are 10 Lib Dem women MPs in Commons

Sarah Dyke has go the latest Lib Dem MP, winning the erstwhile Conservative stronghold of Somerton and Frome.

She managed to overturn a 19,213 bulk successful the Somerset spot - a plaything of 29% distant from the Conservatives.

The triumph makes her the tenth pistillate Lib Dem MP, meaning determination are doubly arsenic galore women arsenic men successful the Commons cohort.

It represents a large alteration compared to 2015 erstwhile defeats successful the wide predetermination near the Lib Dems without a azygous pistillate MP.

That predetermination represented a debased successful the party's caller electoral fortunes, arsenic voters punished the enactment for going into conjugation with David Cameron's Conservatives.

Forty-nine Liberal Democrats mislaid their seats including precocious illustration figures specified arsenic Sir Vince Cable and Sir Danny Alexander.

In 2019, the enactment failed to capitalise connected its anti-Brexit stance, peculiarly successful the leave-supporting westbound country, an country erstwhile considered thing of a Liberal Democrat heartland.

However, since past the enactment has made dependable advancement successful regaining seats - presently determination are 15 Liberal Democrat MPs successful Parliament.

Over the past 2 years the Liberal Democrats - led by Sir Ed Davey - person overturned immense majorities to triumph Conservative seats successful North Shropshire, Tiverton and Honiton and Chesham and Amersham.

However, helium adds that the enactment present needs to find a mode of turning by-election successes into a springboard for a wider revival.

By-elections let the Liberal Democrats to determination their resources - wealth and radical - into azygous seats. That volition not beryllium imaginable travel the adjacent wide predetermination erstwhile 650 seats volition beryllium up for grabs.

Liberal Democrats person besides traditionally benefitted from by-elections, which immoderate voters spot arsenic an accidental "send a message" to the authorities of the day, by abandoning their accustomed enactment preferences successful favour of the campaigner astir apt to bushed the campaigner of the ruling party.

Seats won successful by-elections aren't ever casual to support travel the adjacent wide elections - arsenic Sarah Olney recovered to her cost erstwhile she mislaid successful Richmond Park successful 2017 (although she won it backmost 2 years later).

With a steadfast 11,000 bulk Ms Dyke volition consciousness much assured of being capable to clasp connected to Somerton and Frome travel the adjacent wide election.

The caller MP, calved successful 1971, comes from what her enactment calls a "Somerset farming family" with links to the section country going backmost 250 years.

She besides describes herself arsenic a "sheep owner" - thing evident successful photos connected her Instagram page:

In summation to being a Somerset councillor, she besides runs a concern called Vintage Ghetto which sells second-hand goods.

Speaking aft her election, she promised to beryllium an "active, hard-working champion". She besides thanked Labour and Green supporters who "lent" her their votes.

Liberal Democrat person Sir Ed Davey said: "This stunning triumph shows the Liberal Democrats are firmly backmost successful the West Country."

The by-election was triggered aft David Warburton resigned arsenic an MP.

Mr Warburton had been sitting arsenic an autarkic MP aft being suspended from the Conservatives successful April 2022, erstwhile claims of cause usage and intersexual misconduct were made against him.

He admitted drug-taking but denies immoderate intersexual misconduct and an probe into the intersexual misconduct allegations were withdrawn.

Responding to his party's defeat, David Fothergill, person of the Conservative radical connected Somerset Council, said: "Clearly there's a nationalist representation and we recognise what's happening successful the polls but arsenic there's the section worldly arsenic good and we've had an MP present who stood down 15 months agone with immoderate truly superior accusations against him.

"Some of which helium has admitted to since and I deliberation radical are beauteous grumpy astir that.

"The circumstances present are precise antithetic due to the fact that we had that section constituent of an MP truly that went rogue."