Tearful Zac Goldsmith gets CRUSHED as Liberal Democrats overturn 23,000 majority in stunning Richmond Park by-election win
Tory-turned-independent Brexiteer triggered the contest over Heathrow expansion but lost out to his pro-Remain rival
THE LIBERAL Democrats are claiming their shock by-election win is a "historic moment for the country" after a tearful Zac Goldsmith was bundled out of Parliament.
The billionaire heir failed to retain his Richmond Park seat after triggering a by-election over plans to expand Heathrow airport.
He watched on as his whopping 23,000-strong majority in the leafy London suburb was wiped out by Sarah Olney, who ended up beating him by almost 2,000 votes.
Her jubilant party leader Tim Farron has claimed the result was a verdict on Theresa May's "Ukip-ish" take on Brexit, and showed that it was possible for moderates to win.
Meanwhile the former Tory-turned independent Mr Goldsmith saw his political career go down in flames this morning.
The Lib Dems threw everything at the by-election as they attempted to shift the focus away from the third runway debate and onto the EU referendum.
The constituency had voted staunchly for Remain on June 23 while Mr Goldsmith had backed Brexit, with Ms Olney running on a platform of blocking the triggering of Article 50.
Her victory was seized on by the European Parliament's lead Brexit negotiator, Guy Verhofstadt, who congratulated Ms Olney and said Europe "is watching".
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Mr Farron said: "Sarah is a reminder that populism does not automatically have to win. Those results, Brexit, Trump, the last general election, there was nothing inevitable about them.
"It is entirely possible for moderate progressive people to win through.
"This is the beginning not just of the British people choosing to own what happens next over Brexit, it's also the beginning of Britain finally having a decent, moderate, tolerant opposition to the Tories that fills the space that Jeremy Corbyn's Labour party have left behind.
"This is the beginning of something special."
He added: "This is a historic moment for the country, let's see what happens next."
But asked whether the Richmond result might influence Mrs May to soften the Government's stance on Brexit, a Downing Street spokesman said: "We had an election and we had a referendum.
"The referendum result was very clear and the majority of the country expressed an opinion for us to leave the EU.
"The message from the British people was loud and clear on June 23 that there is a desire for us to leave the EU.
The Government is getting on with delivering that."
Asked whether the result might make the Prime Minister reconsider her decision not to hold a second EU referendum, the spokesman replied: "No."
And in a typically uncompromising response, Leave.EU branded Mr Farron a "sap", with spokesman Andy Wigmore saying "this changes nothing”.
“If that sap Farron believes one europhile constituency in London changes the wishes of the 63% of constituencies which voted to leave, he needs to be sent for psychiatric evaluation.
"All the public want is for the Government to get on with Brexit."
The result saw Ms Olney poll 20,510 votes to Mr Goldsmith's 18,638, on a turnout of 41,367, or 53.6%.
The 21.74% swing to the Lib Dems from Mr Goldsmith topped the 19.3% swing they achieved from the Tories in the Witney by-election.
Labour had a disastrous evening though, their candidate Christian Wolmar polling just 1,515 votes as the party lost its deposit in a by-election since 2008.
The Lib Dem victor, who took 49.7% of the vote, said the outcome had sent a "shockwave" through Downing Street and paved the way for Parliament to "override" the EU withdrawal referendum result.
"The people of Richmond Park and North Kingston have sent a shockwave through this Conservative Brexit government, and our message is clear: we do not want a hard Brexit”, she said
“We do not want to be pulled out of the single market, and we will not let intolerance, division and fear win."
Speaking after his defeat, Mr Goldsmith said: "This by-election that we just had was not a political calculation, it was a promise that I made and it was a promise that I kept."
It was the second political humiliation of 2016, after losing the London Mayoral contest in May after running a campaign against Sadiq Khan slammed as “divisive”.
His friend and fellow anti-Heathrow campaigner Boris Johnson said he was "sad" that he would no longer be in the House of Commons, where he "made a remarkable contribution".
Speaking at Chatham House, the Foreign Secretary added: "He was heroic and principled in standing up for what he believes in on Heathrow expansion.
"He will be missed but he will certainly be back."
A spokesman for the Conservatives said: " Zac has been a strong and principled champion for the residents of Richmond Park and North Kingston over the past six years as their Member of Parliament, and a popular figure in the Conservative Party.
“We are sorry that he is no longer in the House of Commons.”
But on the impact the vote has on Article 50, they added: “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.
“In addition, we will continue to take decisive action in the national interest to secure the UK’s place the world - supporting a third runway at Heathrow to secure jobs and business opportunities for the next decade and beyond."
Why was there a by-election in Richmond Park?
It was triggered by Goldsmith's decision to stand down as an MP in protest against the government's plans for a new runway at Heathrow Airport.
The MP, who failed to become London mayor in a race against Sadiq Khan, has long-been an opponent of a third runway being built.
After standing down Goldsmith told a school in his constituency: "I promised you if my party won the election, the third runway would be scrapped.
"And I wasn't making it up."
He added: "There was no small print, no expiry date, no ambiguity.
"It was a simple promise. And it mattered.
"I know it mattered because the thought of Heathrow expansion fills most of my constituents with dread."
A Conservative government spokesperson said: "(The government is) taking decisive action in the national interest to secure the UK's place in the global aviation market - securing jobs and businesses opportunities for the next decade and beyond."
Who is Zac Goldsmith? Former Richmond Park MP who quit over Heathrow expansion and one time London Mayoral candidate
Zac Goldsmith resigned after the government gave Heathrow the green-light for expansion. The Richmond Park Tory MP has been a fierce opponent of the airport’s third runway plan. The 41-year-old, the Conservative candidate in the London Mayoral Election 2016, was considered a rising star of the party. Born into the wealthy Goldsmith banking family, he’s the son of financier Sir James and Lady Annabel. Goldsmith’s wealth makes him the second richest MP, according to The Telegraph. The Guardian reported he inherited between £200 and £300 million of his father’s reported £1.2 billion estate. He has two full siblings environmentalist Ben and journalist Jemima Khan. Goldsmith was once expelled from Eton – one of four independent schools he attended – after drugs were found in his room. He travelled extensively around the world following his A-Levels, living in and working in both California and India. The passionate environmental campaigner has debated at Oxford and writes regular columns for UK national newspapers. Under his directorship, The Ecologist magazine’s circulation trebled. He was elected to Richmond Park at the 2010 general election and saw his majority rise from 4,091 to 23,015 votes five years later. The Guardian noted Goldsmith's "environmentalism" but called him a "proper Tory", who supported the 'bedroom tax', VAT increases while opposing high tax rates to the highest earners and the 'mansion tax'. Goldsmith is married to Alice Miranda Rothschild. He has three children with his first wife of ten years Sheherazade Ventura Bentley.