BRECON and Radnorshire AM Kirsty Williams has said the party’s by-election has sent a clear message on Brexit to new PM Boris Johnson.
Ms Williams said the closer than expected victory, with a 1,425 majority over Conservative Chris Davies, was a rejection of a no-deal Brexit.
PM Mr Johnson visited Brecon 48 hours before polling day but he was unable to deliver a sufficient ’Boris bounce’ to counter the support Ms Dodds received from Plaid Cymru and the Green Party. Their decision to stand aside seemingly secured the Lib Dem victory that has cut the government’s Commons majority to just one only a week after Mr Johnson assumed the premiership.
Asked if her party owed victory to Plaid Cymru leader Adam Price, whose party polled 1,299 votes in the constituency two years ago, Ms Williams replied:"It’s a very pleasing result and I’m delighted that I will now be able to work alongside our new Liberal Democrat MP.
"To overturn such a significant Conservative majority when we were so far behind just two years ago was never going to be easy. We worked incredibly hard and more importantly will continue to work incredibly hard to repay the trust that has been placed in Jane by the people of this constituency."
Ms Williams brushed aside questions regarding the size of the majority. Conservative Mr Davies, who had to face the by-election after a conviction over false expenses, had a 8,038 majority in 2017.
Ms Williams said the local race between the Conservatives and Lib Dems has much tighter in previous years. She said: "I’m old enough to remember when Richard Livsey and Roger Williams used to win this seat with numbers in the hundreds. It is a perfectly satisfactory majority in this constituency."
Asked if the narrow victory, in a contest billed as between leave and remain, meant the constituency in Powys, which voted leave in the 2016 referendum, was just as divided as the country has been since Ms Williams said: "I think what the people of Brecon and Radnorshire have done is returned a candidate who has been very clear about her opposition to a damaging no-deal Brexit that seems to be being pursued at pace and with vigour by the new Prime Minister.
"Such a no-deal will be particularly damaging for this community and the farmers that live here. It sends a very clear message that is not an acceptable course of action."The Conservatives will be angry at the Brexit Party which won 3,331 votes standing against the committed Brexiteer Mr Davies who has supported leave ahead of the referendum and always voted for the withdrawal agreement reached by previous PM Theresa May.