Tories gain two seats in Home Secretary's Redditch constituency » Local Government » 24dash.com

Home Secretary Jacqui Smith faces the possibility of becoming the most high profile General Election loser after Tories gained two council seats in her Redditch, Worcestershire, powerbase.

Their candidate Juliet Brunner won in the county's Arrow Valley East division which has more than a quarter of the constituency's electorate.

The swing was 14.2% since the last shire contest which took place on the same day as the 2005 General Election.

A shift of just 3.4% since then would be enough to unseat Ms Smith.

A small boundary change is expected to make her even more vulnerable.

There was slightly better news for her party in a Redditch Borough by-election at Batchley.

Tory Brenda Quinney gained but there was a 4% swing back to Labour from Conservatives' high water result this May when they had won another of the ward's seats.

However Ms Smith would still face defeat even on the basis of this result.

Elsewhere, Tories missed another gain by just 22 votes as Liberal Democrats held on at Uckfield New Town, Wealden District, East Sussex.

Labour easily defended a Townfield seat at West London's Hillingdon Borough where the party candidate's nomination papers were signed by Hayes and Harlington MP John McDonnell.

In a result from last week Labour's Deirdre Campbell, wife of Blyth Valley MP Ronnie Campbell, defended a Croft ward seat on the borough council.

RESULTS:

Derwentside District - Castleside: Ind 297, C 64. (May 2007 - Ind 428, C 81, Lab 69). Ind hold.

Hillingdon London Borough - Townfield: Lab 1031, Lib Dem 506, C 445, BNP 186, National Front 74, Green 33. (May 2006 - Three seats Lab 1503, 1379, 1358, C 743, 657, 637, Lib Dem 352, 324, 323). Lab hold. Swing 10.6% Lab to Lib Dem.

Redditch Borough - Batchley: C 630, Lab 539, BNP 299, Lib Dem 121, Ind 25. (May 2008 - C 968, Lab 709, Lib Dem 205). C gain from Lab. Swing 4% C to Lab.

Wealden District - Uckfield New Town: Lib Dem 311, C 289, Ukip 56. (May 2007 - Lib Dem 410, C 237). Lib Dem hold. Swing 11.7% Lib Dem to C.

Worcestershire County - Arrow Valley East: C 1437, Lab 1041, Lib Dem 455, BNP 367, Ind 103. (May 2005 - Two seats Lab 4584, 4458, C 3185, 2679, Lib Dem 2103, 1853). C gain from Lab. Swing 14.2% Lab to C.

From last week:

Blyth Valley Borough - Croft: Lab 439, Ind 266, Lib Dem 176, C 32. (May 2007 - Three seats Lab 725, 614, 582, Lib Dem 334, C 213). Lab hold.
Swing 1.5% Lib Dem to Lab.