The moral and ethical failings of senior Conservatives are among the many reasons why their safest seats are in danger

For the Conservative Party, the facts about the Tiverton and Horniton by-election are ugly: the loss of one of its safest seats, the greatest wipe-out of a majority in history, and the resignation of its chairman from a cabinet that had seemed unaware such an option existed. Psephologists projected that were the result repeated nationally, the Tories would lose 333 of their remaining 357 MPs to the Lib Dems. That won’t happen: but Friday’s result was seismic, and if the party is to be saved its elite will have to exert some leadership.

Tiverton, after the similarly massive defeat in Owen Paterson’s North Shropshire seat last December, and in Chesham and Amersham a year ago, proves the crumbling of the Red Wall is not all the Conservatives must brood about: the Blue Wall, seats that stayed Tory even during the Blair landslide of 1997 and the locust years of the 2000s, is questioning its allegiance. Many factors, notably the moral and personal conduct of senior Conservatives and the negative perception of the party’s competence and fundamental conservatism, have gone to the heart of why people have chosen not to support it.

In his victor’s speech on Friday the new Lib Dem MP, Richard Foord, a decorated Iraq veteran, said “every day Boris Johnson clings to office he brings further shame, chaos and neglect. The only decent course of action would be to resign.” He then repeated the D-word, for it underlines what he and millions in the Blue Wall understand to be lost after the assault on Tory values they feel this Government has conducted. “If you don’t take action to restore decency, respect and British values in Downing Street,” he told the Conservative Party, “you too will face election defeats like the one we have seen tonight. You know in your heart your leader is not the person to lead this great country into the future.”

Sir Ed Davey, the Lib Dem leader, added that “the people of Tiverton and Honiton have spoken for the country. The public is sick of Boris Johnson’s lies and law-breaking and it’s time for Conservative MPs to finally do the right thing and sack him.”  

By his principled resignation – albeit perhaps too late - Mr Dowden has shown character, and probably guaranteed his long-term front bench career under a new leader. If his party is to retain power, others must do the same.