1 March 2013
Last updated at 15:45 GMT
David Cameron blamed the party's poor showing on protest votes
The
Conservatives can "win people back", David Cameron has insisted after
his party finished third in the Eastleigh by-election behind the Lib
Dems and the UK Independence Party.
The Lib Dems held on to the Hampshire seat with a reduced majority of 1,771.
UKIP's Nigel Farage said the PM was a "problem" for Tories and some Tory MPs said there were lessons for the party.
But Mr Cameron dismissed UKIP's showing as a "protest" by voters and promised to "stay true" to his principles.
The by-election was called after former Lib Dem cabinet
minister Chris Huhne resigned as an MP following an admission he had
perverted the course of justice over driving licence points.
'Disappointing'
The party's candidate, Mike Thornton, won despite a fall in
its share of the vote of more than 14 percentage points since the 2010
general election.
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The top five candidates
- Mike Thornton (Liberal Democrat) 13,342
- Diane James (UKIP) 11,571
- Maria Hutchings (Conservative) 10,559
- John O'Farrell (Labour) 4,088
- Danny Stupple (Independent) 768
But leader Nick Clegg hailed the
win as "stunning" and "against the odds", given the Lib Dems' poor
showings in recent national opinion polls.
UKIP candidate Diane James came second with 11,571 votes, her 28% the party's best-ever showing in a Westminster election.
Conservative Maria Hutchings won 10,559 votes, representing a
14 percentage points reduction the 2010 general election, while
Labour's John O'Farrell came fourth with 4,088 votes.
Speaking in Downing Street, Mr Cameron said: "It is a
disappointing result for the Conservative Party, but it is clear that,
in mid-term by-elections, people want to register a protest.
"But I am confident that at the general election we can win
those people back by demonstrating that we are delivering for everyone
who wants to work hard and wants to get on. That is what we will be
focused on."
Continue reading the main story
Analysis: Reasons for voting
David Cowling
Editor, BBC Political Research Unit
An "on-the-day poll" conducted among people who had voted in
the Eastleigh by-election suggests immigration was the biggest single
issue for people supporting UKIP. Some 55% mentioned it, compared with
15% of all voters.
As for Europe, 9% of all voters mentioned it, compared with 31% of UKIP voters.
Meanwhile, 85% of Lib Dem voters said they had the best candidate, compared with 77% of Conservatives and 46% of UKIP voters.
And 83% of UKIP voters said they wanted to send a message
they were unhappy with the party they usually support nationally,
compared with 35% of all voters.
Mr Cameron insisted the
Conservatives would not move to the right to encourage voters back from
UKIP, saying: "I don't think we should tack this way, tack that way."
He promised to continue cutting the deficit, helping people "who work hard", reforming welfare and cutting immigration.
Mr Cameron said: "That is my agenda. That is their agenda.
This is a by-election. It's mid-term. It's a protest. That's what
happens in by-elections.
"It's disappointing for the Conservative Party but we must
remain true to our principles, true to our course, and that way we can
win people back."
But some Conservative MPs raised questions about the leadership.
Eleanor Laing said people felt "hurt" by the way they were
being treated, telling BBC Radio 4's The World At One: "Ordinary
Conservative voters don't feel that this government is in tune with
them, with their hopes and fears.
"The only way to take forward those issues that people really
care about is to have a truly Conservative government. And to do that
the leadership of my party has to tune in better to the people who want
to support it - who want loyalty and who now feel rather left out."
Living standards
Another Conservative MP, Douglas Carswell, said there were
"policy lessons" to be learned and questioned why the party was on a
"long march of defeat".
He told the BBC: "I would like us to do far more to focus on
the bread-and-butter issue of cost of living. I think living standards
are declining.
"We talk about only a protest vote. One of the reasons why
people feel inclined to protest is because they are hurting in their
pocket."
But Sarah Newton, deputy chairman of the Conservative Party,
told BBC News: "Actually, it's good for the coalition that the coalition
has kept a seat despite all the difficulties facing the Liberal
Democrats and the coalition."
Continue reading the main story
“Start Quote
He's talking about gay marriage, wind turbines, unlimited immigration from India”
Nigel Farage, UKIP
Conservative MEP Daniel Hannan said the Tories and UKIP should start "having conversations" and "stop calling each other names".
But UKIP leader Nigel Farage continued to be critical of the prime minister.
He said: "The Conservatives failed here because traditional
Tory voters look at Cameron and they ask themselves 'Is he a
Conservative?' and they conclude 'No, he's not.'
"He's talking about gay marriage, wind turbines, unlimited immigration from India. He wants Turkey to join the European Union.
"The Conservatives' problems are not because of UKIP; they are because of their leader."
Lib Dem victor Mr Thornton, who has been a parish and borough
councillor since 2007, said: "The people of Eastleigh recognise that
the Liberal Democrats have always had a superb record of delivery, we've
always listened to what people want, and we always make sure that we do
a good job."
Labour leader Ed Miliband said he would have preferred to
have done better but it was "tough" territory for his party because it
had never come close to winning Eastleigh before, even in its 1997
landslide election year.
The result, he added, showed Labour needed to "redouble its
efforts" to increase its appeal to voters, in the south of England and
elsewhere, who were not traditional supporters.
Turnout was 52.7%, down from 69.3% at the 2010 general election.
Results in full:
Mike Thornton (Liberal Democrat) 13,342 (32.06%, -14.48%)
Diane James (UKIP) 11,571 (27.80%, +24.20%)
Maria Hutchings (Conservative) 10,559 (25.37%, -13.96%)
John O'Farrell (Labour) 4,088 (9.82%, +0.22%)
Danny Stupple (Independent) 768 (1.85%, +1.56%)
Dr Iain Maclennan (National Health Action Party) 392 (0.94%)
Ray Hall (Beer, Baccy and Crumpet Party) 235 (0.56%)
Kevin Milburn (Christian Party) 163 (0.39%)
Howling Laud Hope (Monster Raving Loony Party) 136 (0.33%)
Jim Duggan (Peace Party) 128 (0.31%)
David Bishop (Elvis Loves Pets) 72 (0.17%)
Michael Walters (English Democrats) 70 (0.17%, -0.30%)
Daz Procter (Trade Unionists and Socialists Against Cuts) 62 (0.15%)
Colin Bex (Wessex Regionalist) 30 (0.07%)
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