Army town Aldershot is the true blue territory that gave Tories a bloody nose
Local elections famously allow voters to give sitting governments a bloody nose. Here in Aldershot, they went for GBH – grievous ballot-box harm.
The de facto home of the British Army and true blue Tory territory for the past 24 years is now redder than Boris Johnson’s face when he turned up to vote without any photo ID – a measure he introduced as prime minister.
“I voted Conservative in the last election but everything is such a god-awful mess I did a complete U-turn,” said Toni Greenway, 39, who runs a domestic services company in Aldershot.
“The cost of living crisis has really hit me hard; my staff want more money but my customers don’t want to pay more.
“As a business owner, I thought the Tories would be a safe pair of hands but they have mismanaged the economy. I’m no fan of Keir Starmer but we need change.”
As the results were called in the early hours of Friday, there was consternation and, yes, astonishment at Rushmoor borough council, which covers Aldershot Garrison and Farnborough, when it fell to the opposition.
Labour won nine of the 13 seats being contested. The Tories held just three and the Liberal Democrats took the final seat.
“We’re gutted,” admits Michael Hope, who lost his seat as councillor for the Westmeath ward in Rushmoor.
“The national situation didn’t help at all but essentially we were completely outmanoeuvred by Labour.
“We were on the doorsteps talking about fly tipping and traffic and they parachuted in an army of activists, all dressed in red, who projected confidence and talked the language of government.
“It was devastating for us but a very impressive operation. Labour have been getting very good advice.”
The result suggests that Leo Docherty, the local MP, who won by a majority of 17,000 over his Labour rival in 2019, and minister for the Armed Forces, should watch his back for unfriendly fire.
The constituency of Aldershot may have been unassailably Tory since its creation in 1918; but after this barnstorming success, Labour will now have the parliamentary seat in its crosshairs.
Keir’s Starmer Troops may be justifiably celebrating their unexpected victory, but there is no triumphalism here on the shabby streets and rainwashed pedestrian precincts where tanning salons vie with charity shops and betting outlets abound.
“I voted Labour,” said Simon Hannington, 42, who runs the Karuna coffee shop in the town.
“But if I’d been in a different ward, I might well have voted Conservative because I believe it’s the person you’re voting for and it doesn’t matter what party they are from as long as they are dedicated and do a good job.”
Mr Hannington, who voted Conservative “when I was young and didn’t know any better”, said he was “unsurprised” by Labour’s win.
“Given the level of disappointment with the Tory government nationally I think it was inevitable.”
An ambitious multimillion-pound redevelopment plan was instigated by the outgoing Conservative council for Aldershot town centre.
Labour has pledged to continue the work. But some of the electorate are sceptical of all politicians.
“I have voted all my life, but this time I couldn’t bring myself to support any candidate,” said one veteran, his coat lapels studded with enamel poppies.
“They are a load of scheming, hypocritical, untrustworthy b-------, no matter what side they are on.”
He declined to give his name. But other locals were more forthcoming.
“People here are just fed up with the Tories,” was the verdict of Vici Armstrong, 78, a retired healthcare worker, who voted Labour.
“They are tired of seeing the waste and the chaos and the endless blunders of this government. They want something new.”
The turnout for the local election in Rushmoor was just 32 per cent, less than half the 66.4 per cent who voted at the last parliamentary elections in 2019.
Among those who did make it to the polling station, it’s hard to escape the suspicion that it may have been a disillusioned vote against the Conservatives as much as a decisive vote for Labour.
“My husband and I were undecided, although this has always been a Conservative stronghold,” said Jackie Swan, 64, who works in the renewable energy sector.
“But there was a growing sense that the Tories have lost their way and need to get a grip.
“Up until a few days ago we were still um-ing and ah-ing but then the Conservative candidate came to the door and nobody else did, so we voted for him.”
As results trickle in this weekend, the psephologists will pore over the data while broadcasters gleefully seize upon the drama of seismic wins and catastrophic losses.
Channel 4 has drafted Crufts presenter Clare Balding into its team, presumably because the country is going to the dogs.
Local elections rarely generate this much excitement – unlike, for some impenetrable reason, the US primaries that get BBC political reporters so aerated, long (long) before the presidential election.
Rather unfairly, the exercise of local democracy within these shores is rather sniffily deemed to be about potholes rather than personalities, niche as opposed to national interests and therefore (whisper it) a bit inconsequential.
Never mind that far beyond the TV studios and the Westminster bubble, issues such as A&E opening hours, school places and bus services have a tangible impact on the quality of people’s lives; such quotidian concerns are judged to lack the requisite glamour for prime time.
These elections are different, coming so close to a general election. How close, of course, is anyone’s guess and in the Prime Minister’s gift.
On this catastrophic showing, it’s no wonder our No 10 turkey is so markedly reluctant to vote for Christmas – he’s already been stuffed.
But away from number-crunching, it feels important to remember that communities, like this one, are in genuine pain.
“It feels like everything just piles up and up,” said Grace Belmont, 40.
“Our mortgage has gone up and even though my partner and I both work full-time, once we’ve paid the mortgage and the utility bills, we have to scrimp when it comes to everything else: groceries, clothes for the kids, days out.
“When one of my kids has a birthday coming up, instead of feeling happy, I lie awake at night worrying about how we can find the cash for presents.
“I see no reason to expect improvement if the Tories stay in charge.”
Across in the Thames estuary, where the electoral tide has turned from blue to red, Andrew Jeffries, Thurrock council’s outgoing Tory leader, told the media the electorate had deserted the party because they simply had no idea about Rishi Sunak’s vision for the country.
Over the next few days, we can expect ministers to trot out the usual platitudinous assurances that learnings will be made.
Here in Aldershot, the single, most salient takeaway is this: grassroots campaigning is still the most powerful weapon in any party’s election arsenal.
Mobilising boots on the ground, knocking on doors and talking to people refreshes the parts of the electorate that fancy social media can’t reach.
As Aldershot has proven, the days of blind party loyalty are over. When voters are offered no vision, they see red.