The North Shropshire by-election was also about being neglected

This was about more than Christmas parties – this Tory stronghold felt undervalued and overlooked, writes Chris Blackhurst

Victorious by-election candidate Helen Morgan celebrates with former Lib Dem leader Tim Farron (Getty)

One of the messages that came out of the shock North Shropshire byelection result was neglect.

On the face of it here was a relatively prosperous area, north of Shrewsbury, south of Chester and Wrexham, a rural, farming community centred on five market towns. But those towns of Oswestry, Market Drayton, Ellesmere, Wem and Whitchurch signalled “enough”.

Sure, there were questions over the Downing Street parties in defiance of lockdown and rumblings about the new Covid restrictions, but the opposition parties were already playing heavily to a sense of people in this hitherto Tory stronghold of feeling undervalued and overlooked.