Chesham and Amersham by-election: Poll defeat has profound implications for Boris Johnson

The Conservative defeat in Chesham & Amersham has just as profound implications for the future of Boris Johnson and his party as their victory in Hartlepool did last month.

Hartlepool showed that the Conservatives’ incursions into totally new terrain, winning the votes of communities which previously reviled the party did not conclude at the 2019 general election.

Chesham & Amersham shows that political realignment works both ways: Johnson can pelt as fast as he likes towards new voters, but his party’s old voters might have something to say about that.

Like all by-elections, there were local factors in the Liberal Democrats’ dramatic victory. Many in the affluent Buckinghamshire seat do not want the disruption of HS2. They fear that planning reforms will make it much