Why Tories' worst-ever result cost them £500

The Conservative Party's showing in the Gorton and Denton by-election was so small that it will not have the cash it had to pay to stand returned.

In parliamentary elections, candidates must put down a £500 deposit, which is returned as long as they poll more than 5% of the vote.

Tory candidate Charlotte Ann Cadden managed to poll just 2% of the vote, coming in fourth place behind the winning Greens, Reform in second and Labour in third.

Elections expert Sir John Curtice said the Conservatives' performance was their worst ever in a parliamentary by-election.

Green Party candidate Hannah Spencer was the clear winner in the contest, taking 14,908 votes in a 21.8% swing.

She beat Reform's Matt Goodwin by 4,402 votes.

While Labour's negative swing of 25% was the worst for any party standing in the election, the Conservatives managed only to poll 706 votes in total.

They would have needed over 1,700 votes to be given their deposit back.

A deposit must be lodged before a candidate can stand as outlined in the Representation of the People Act 1983.

It states that "a person shall not be validly nominated unless the sum of £500 is deposited by him or on his behalf with the returning officer at the place and during the time for delivery of nomination papers".

Curtice said: "The Conservatives are struggling to fend off the challenge from Reform, and now, at the other end of the spectrum, Labour's traditional position of the principal party of the left of British politics is evidently under threat from the Greens."

Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch is yet to comment on her party's performance in the election.

The next lowest-polling candidate after Cadden was Liberal Democrat Jackie Pearcey, who received 653 votes.

She was followed by The Official Monster Raving Looney Party candidate Sir Oink-a-lot, who polled 159, beating Advance UK's Nick Buckley MBE by four votes.

Hugo Wils, of the Communist League, polled last with just 29 votes.

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