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Lib Dems win Richmond Park by-election defeating Zac Goldsmith in tight race Lib Dems win Richmond Park by-election defeating Zac Goldsmith in tight race
(about 5 hours later)
The Liberal Democrats have taken a shock by-election win in Richmond Park, unseating former Conservative MP Zac Goldsmith. The Liberal Democrats have scored a stunning by-election victory, with the party’s candidate claiming the result means opponents of Brexit can "override the referendum".
Sarah Olney took the win from a high turn out of 53.6%, and won with 20,502 votes, to Mr Goldsmith's 18,638. New MP Sarah Olney said the dramatic win was a rejection of the "Ukip vision" of Britain along with the politics of "anger and division".
Mr Goldsmith triggered the by-election after resigning from the Conservative Party following the announcement by Theresa May’s administration to build a third runway at Heathrow airport. While defeated independent incumbent Zac Goldsmith had quit the Tory party, the result is a hammer blow to Theresa May and casts huge doubt over whether she can hold Tory seats where the electorate opposes Brexit.
He has been a vocal opponent of the plans to expand the airport since his election to the Richmond seat in the 2010 election, and had always promised to resign if the Government backed expansion at the nearby airport. Her party tried to play down the result saying that it "doesn’t change anything", but Lib Dem leader Tim Farron declared his party are now "carrying the torch for all of those who want a real opposition to this Conservative Brexit government".
But despite fiercely opposing the airport, Mr Goldsmith disappointed a swathe of his constituents by publicly backing a Brexit vote in June’s EU referendum. Over 70 per cent of constituents in Richmond voted to Remain. Labour’s already small vote in the seat was completely decimated, with the party’s candidate Christian Wolmar losing his deposit. 
Liberal Democrat candidate Sarah Olney aligned herself with Mr Goldsmith on opposing Heathrow, but fought a fierce campaign on the Government’s plans for leaving the EU, promising to vote against triggering Article 50 in the Commons if elected. Mr Goldsmith triggered the by-election after resigning from the Conservative Party following the announcement by Ms May’s administration to build a third runway at Heathrow airport.
After the results were announced, Ms Olney thanked Mr Goldsmith and said: “I will continue your fight against the expansion of Heathrow.” But while Ms Olney aligned herself with Mr Goldsmith on opposing Heathrow, she fought a fierce campaign on the Government’s plans for leaving the EU, promising to vote against triggering Article 50 in the Commons if elected. Over 70 per cent of constituents in Richmond voted to Remain.
Addressing the audience in Richmond she added: “A year and half ago I wasn’t involved in politics. I’d never been in a political party and I’d never thought of being a politician. The candidate, who joined the Lib Dems after their devastating 2015 election defeat, said after her victory: "It does look now as if we can have a vote in Parliament that might override the referendum.
“But when I saw what happened in the general election last year I had to get involved. “And I will, obviously, be voting to Remain because that is always what I have believed."
“I think that after the result of the referendum, many people here felt the same.” Asked if she would actively resist Brexit as an MP, she said: "Absolutely. Now I've been given this mandate."
“We have sent a shockwave through this Conservative Brexit government. The result saw Ms Olney poll 20,510 votes to Mr Goldsmith's 18,638, on a turnout of 41,367, or 53.6 per cent. The 21.75 per cent swing to the Lib Dems from Mr Goldsmith topped the 19.3 per cent swing they achieved from the Tories in the Witney by-election.
“We do not want a hard Brexit, we will not be pulled out of the single market, and we will not let intolerance, fear and division win.” When all the votes were counted, tellers revealed she had snatched 49.7 per cent in a result she claimed had sent a "shockwave" through Downing Street.
Mr Goldsmith told the audience his resignation from the Conservative Party, and the byelection was "not a political calculation, but a promise".  Mr Farron said: "We are the only party fighting to keep Britain open, tolerant and united, and the only party that has said, loudly and proudly, that we want Britain to remain a member of the single market and that we want the people to be given the final say over the Brexit deal.
Labour's Christian Wolmar lost his deposit, picking up just 1,515 votes.  "That message has been resoundingly backed by the people of Richmond Park."
  He pointed out that if the Lib Dems scored the same swing at a general election it would see his party steal dozens of seats from the Tories. 
As he came to terms with his shocking defeat, an emotional Mr Goldsmith said his decision to call a by-election over Heathrow was "not a political calculation. It was a promise that I made that I kept."
But with Brexit clearly the key driver of the outcome, many were waiting to see if Ms May would respond to the result this morning, having taken the decision not to stand a Conservative candidate in the race.
A Tory spokesperson said today: "This result doesn’t change anything. The Government remains committed to leaving the European Union and triggering Article 50 by the end of March next year."