Zac Goldsmith’s on track to win the Richmond by-election, says first poll of the campaign
The Richmond by-election looks like it's swinging in Zac Goldsmith's favour at the moment.
According to a new BMG poll for the Evening Standard, support for the former Richmond Park MP is holding strong after Goldsmith resigned over the government's decision to give Heathrow expansion the go-ahead.
He currently has 56 per cent of the vote, down just two points from the last general election.
Read more: Zac Goldsmith's Richmond Park by-election has been scheduled
But the Liberal Democrats are on a mission and they've consolidated support since 2015 – up 10 points to 29 per cent. Their candidate for the Richmond seat is Sarah Olney.
Tim Farron's party secured a hefty swing away from the Conservatives in David Cameron's former seat of Witney. Although it was held by Robert Courts, the Lib Dems are hoping they can up the ante and defeat Goldsmith in Richmond.
The by-election, triggered by Goldsmith's resignation, was looking increasingly lonely after the Conservatives said they wouldn't run against their former MP, Labour have discussed withdrawing (to bolster the Lib Dems' chances) and Ukip also announced it wouldn't be contending the seat (to bolster Goldsmith's chances against the pro-EU Lib Dems; Goldsmith is pro-Brexit).
In the poll, Labour was on 10 per cent, down two points on 2015, while other candidates dropped to five per cent (down five on last year).
Goldsmith will fight the by-election on 1 December.
Read more: The biggest winners and losers of Heathrow expansion
Goldsmith had said for a while now he would be handing in his resignation should Theresa May's government decide in favour of a third runway at Heathrow.
Earlier this year, he lost out on becoming London Mayor to Labour's Sadiq Khan in the highest ever turnout for a mayoral election at 45.6 per cent. The previous high was 2008, when turnout was 45.3 per cent.