Dilemma for Tories over planning after by-election defeat

By Tom Lowe2021-06-21T05:00:00

The government is under growing pressure from voters as well as Conservative backbenchers to water down its proposed reforms, writes Tom Lowe

The Liberal Democrats’ shock victory in last Thursday’s Chesham and Amersham by-election has left the Conservative party reeling. It has also left the construction industry questioning whether the government’s proposed planning reforms, which have been widely blamed for the result, can now survive in their current form.

The poll saw Sarah Green overturn a Tory majority of 16,000 to become the Buckinghamshire constituency’s new MP with a 25% swing - the 14th largest in by-election history. Although there had been jitters among Tory campaigners over the past week, few saw the scale of the defeat coming. The Lib Dems closed the campaign at odds of 4/1 at betting site ladbrokes.com.

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