Tactical Lib Dem and Green voting credited in recent by‑election results

So yet again the the anti-Reform majority rallies behind the strongest opposition: that was the Greens, Plaid and now Labour. Tactical voting you beauty

Arbroath and Broughty Ferry (Westminster) by-election result: SNP: 9802 (41.2%, +5.9) Conservative: 4524 (19%, +3.5) Reform UK: 4341 (18.3%, +9.6) Labour: 3651 (15.4%, -18) Lib Dem: 1452 (6.1%, +1) SNP HOLD

Northern Starmer obviously won because of tactical voting against Reform. This is Labour’s ENTIRE electoral strategy for 2029. It might as well be its entire manifesto. The lesser of two evils is still evil.

“Tactical voting has punished Reform again, and now threatens its future” fascinating read by @peterkellner.bsky.social on a rare hopeful morning! Obviously a special circumstances by-election but let’s allow ourselves a moment of joy at Farage getting smashed kellnerp.substack.com/p/four-take-...

It's more than that, because tactical voting might indeed be replicable. But Labour in Makerfield had the "King of the North" running as an insurgent against the leadership of his own party, while the Cons in Aberdeen could run an anti-Net-Zero campaign in an oil constituency. So both quite unusual.

The low votes for Green Party & Lib Dems well below their opinion poll standings suggests a high degree of tactical voting Well done Makerfield!

Yeah, the right's combined share of the vote has gone up slightly from the last election. This is tactical voting on an epic scale

Squeezing then or tactical voting going on? Lib Dem and Green are likely to have a strong antipathy to Reform and Restore and vote accordingly

Anyone got any guesses for Reform Conspiracy Roulette this morning? Too many women voters? "Family voting"? It was too hot? My money's on "lefty tactical vote skulduggery".

Why do you make out he won the green libdem votes rather than it being tactical voting to keep the nasties out? Seems like an odd assumption to me

There was some serious tactical voting here on the progressive side. I hope this does not get missed

There are more of us than them and most of us are astute enough to handle tactical voting. Some times you have to hold your nose and vote to stop the bigger threat

Looks like tactical voting on behalf of LD & Green supporters was very much the order of the day & it has kept one more wingnut out of the action.

Also, interesting that they've now lost byelections to Plaid Cymru, to the Greens and now to Labour. Suggests a strong and consistent tactical voting instinct among progressives. Which can only be a good thing.

Burnham won with a big majority. 54% to Reform's 35%. Restore came third with 7% so looks like he still would have won without a split vote. I suspect tactical voting helped him so well done Green and Lib Dem voters. #makerfield