The Lib Dems burst ‘lying’ Boris Johnson’s bubble today in a triumphant victory rally after the North Shropshire by-election.
The party stuck a giant novelty pin in a big blue balloon after overturning the Tories’ 22,949 majority in the ultra-safe seat.
It’s par for the course for the Lib Dems, who destroyed an actual blue wall made out of plastic bricks after their last by-election victory in Chesham and Amersham.
It’s also a far cry from the Hartlepool by-election just seven months ago, when the Tories triumphed and Boris Johnson met an inflatable version of himself for a victory speech.
Lib Dem leader Ed Davey was denied a victory lap in person due to being in Covid isolation.
So the honour was left to former leader Tim Farron, who appeared backed by about two dozen activists in a coach park next to an Aldi in Oswestry.
He declared: “Millions of people have woken up this morning feeling that a bit of light has broken in to the darkness.
“It turns out if you are incompetent, if you tell lies, if you take the people for granted, there is a price to pay.
“Democracy and justice is alive and well in Britain and the people of North Shropshire have spoken for the whole of Britain last night.”
Ms Morgan was accompanied by deputy leader Daisy Cooper, and Mr Farron who joked he was the only other Lib Dem whose constituency had large numbers of sheep and cows.
Cars honked their horns as jubilant activists walked through the town holding placards followed by a scrum of journalists.
In a square outside Oswestry indoor market, Ms Morgan told reporters that the win was not just a protest vote - but a turning of the tide.
"I think we've seen a change, it's something different," she said.
Asked if the Tories should be scared, she said: "If we can win in North Shropshire, we can win anywhere."
She added: "We've had two sensational wins: I think in Chesham and Amersham it was, what 24%?
"This has been 34%. We're proving that we can make those things happen on the ground."
Ms Morgan said the party had been emboldened by gains in the local elections in May but the so-called "Partygate" allegations about rule-breaking festive dos in Westminster had played a role.
But the new MP has no plans for a victory party herself, saying she would be celebrating "just with my family".
Deputy Lib Dem leader Daisy Cooper hailed the result as a "watershed moment in British politics".
She told the Mirror: "We have seen from true blue Buckinghamshire to true blue Shropshire, voters are telling this Government enough is enough."
She said it was far more than a protest vote, pointing to huge discontent about local health services and farm payments.
"Of course Partygate and the Government's handling of the pandemic has been a huge factor and it has created a real sense of anger.
"We felt as though we were already winning on the ground before all of those revelations broke but there's absolutely no doubt whatsoever that as those revelations did start to come through, it did create a real sense of anger and a much greater motivation for some voters, particularly life long Conservative voters to switch and come our way."
She said the Lib Dems were "grateful that Labour and Green voters lent us their vote" to help smash the Tory majority.
And Ms Cooper said the PM and Tory MPs would have "shivers down their spine this morning".
The beleaguered PM has already been warned it is “last orders time” after the Liberal Democrats snatched a sensational victory.
In a stunning humiliation, the Tories lost the ultra-safe constituency they have held for decades as fed-up voters abandoned the party.
Lib Dem candidate Helen Morgan overturned a massive 22,949 Conservative majority in the ballot triggered by the resignation of shamed Tory Owen Paterson.
Ms Morgan won 17,957 votes, securing a Lib Dem majority of 5,925. Tory candidate Neil Shastri-Hurst took 12,032 votes and Labour's Ben Wood secured 3,686 votes.
The 46-year-old trailed behind the Tories in third place in the 2019 election but two years later was the face of one of the most dramatic political upsets in recent times.
The news dealt a hammer blow to Boris Johnson's battered leadership, with veteran Tory saying on Friday morning “one more strike and he’s out.”.
True blue North Shropshire has only elected Conservatives since the modern constituency was created in 1983.
And it sparked recriminations for the under-fire Prime Minister after weeks of Downing Street chaos, public anger over rule-breaking Christmas parties and allegations of Tory sleaze.
In her victory speech, Ms Morgan said: "Tonight, the people of North Shropshire have spoken on behalf of the British people.
“They have said loudly and clearly: 'Boris Johnson, the party is over'. Your government, run on lies and bluster, will be held accountable. It will be scrutinised, it will be challenged and it can and will be defeated."
She said fed-up Tory voters had united with the PM's opponents to send a message to Mr Johnson.
"Thousands of lifelong Conservative voters, dismayed by Boris Johnson’s lack of decency and fed up with being taken for granted," she said.
But Conservative Party chairman Oliver Dowden tried to play down the result, saying he does not think the North Shropshire by-election result amounts to a “sea change” in British politics.
He told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “I would… note that this was a unique by-election caused by the resignation of an incumbent MP over sleaze.
“I would also note that if there was some massive sea change in the way that you describe in British politics, you would have expected the Labour Party, who were in a strong second place, to be surging ahead and winning. In fact, their vote sank.
“So, whilst I do very much hear voters’ frustrations, I don’t think it amounts to a sea change.”
