AFTER a stunning Liberal Democrat by-election victory in the Devon ward of Tiverton and Honiton last night, Jane Dodds has stated that victory shows the party is surging in their former heartlands and bodes well for elections in Powys.

The result of the election the Lib Dems jump from third place in Tiverton and Honiton to take the seat by more than 6,000 votes, with former Army major Richard Foord becoming the new MP. The seat previously had a Tory majority of over 24,000 or 27,086 over the Lib Dems.

Mr Foord won the Devon seat with more than 22,000 votes after the constituency saw a swing of almost 30 per cent.

The victory, in a leave-voting seat that was held by the Conservatives since its creation, will be seen as a significant blow to both Boris Johnson and the Tory party amid continued scandal and poor economic performance.

The by-election marks the third victory for the Liberal Democrats in a year after they secured two other historic results in Chesham and Amersham and North Shropshire.

“This is yet another massive victory for the Liberal Democrats,” said Ms Dodds, the party’s Welsh leader.

“Our third by-election victory in the space of a year, it is clear the Lib Dems are back as a serious political force.

“The scale of the victory last night demonstrates particularly how left behind rural areas feel by a Conservative party that only ever focuses on the south east of England and shows such little interest in levelling up communities like Devon, Shropshire and Powys.”

The swing of 29.9 per cent seen in Tiverton and Honiton would comfortably see the Lib Dems win former heartland seats in Brecon and Radnorshire and Montgomeryshire in if replicated in a general election.

Devon is considered demographically similar to Powys and, like Powys, has a long history of Liberal politics pre-2015.

“I have no doubt voters in Powys feel just as fed up and taken advantage of by the Conservatives as those in Devon,” added Ms Dodds.

“Just last month, we saw that anger unfold at the ballot box when the Welsh Liberal Democrats became the largest party on Powys County Council.

“Voters in rural areas want tangible plans to improve their lives and are seeing these policies from the Liberal Democrats, whether it is our policy to expand the rural fuel discount to drivers in rural Wales, cut VAT to 17.5 per cent or standing up for our farmers against Conservative and Labour indifference.

“The Liberal Democrats roots are embedded in rural areas and standing up for our communities, small local businesses, farms, towns and villages, and we will continue work hard over the coming years to offer people in Powys a positive vision for the future ahead of the next general election.”

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The Lib Dems instigated a significant shift in Wales’ largest and most rural county in May’s local authority elections, climbing from third to top spot, as they surpassed both the Independents as the largest group on the council, and also the Conservatives, who they took vital seats off. The gargantuan shift included council leader Rosemarie Harris (Independent) losing her seat to Jackie Charlton of the Lib Dems.

The Lib Dems won 11 seats, going from 13 seats to 24, nine short of a majority. The Independents lost a mammoth 13 seats, seeing their numbers drop from 30 to 17, while the Tories lost 5 seats, dropping from 19 to 14.

The Welsh Lib Dems are due to announce their candidate for their top target seat of Brecon and Radnorshire by the end of August. Current Conservative MP Fay Jones, who has continued to back the Prime Minister, has a majority of just over 7,000.

Following May’s local elections, the constituency was left with just one sole Conservative councillor – Iain McIntosh retained the Yscir with Honddu Isaf and Llanddew ward – vs the Lib Dems’ 15 councillors.