Will the Tories change their campaign tactics in Batley and Spen after their Blue Wall defeat?
Sign up to FREE email alerts from the Northern Agenda Invalid Email Something went wrong, please try again later. Sign Up Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice  Boris Johnson has been in Batley today, but after the Tories' crushing defeat in the Chesham and Amersham by election, it probably wasn't quite the victory lap he had in mind. Chesham and Amersham in Buckinghamshire has been solid Tory blue since 1974, but last night the Liberal Democrats pulled off a major upset and overturned the late Dame Cheryl Gillian's 16,223 majority to win the seat by just over 8,000 votes. Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey was predictably buoyant, saying the constituency had "sent a shock wave through British politics". READ MORE: Yorkshire dad facing prison in Singapore after being secretly filmed on train without a facemask  There was of course the opposite reaction from Tory candidate Peter Fleet, who didn't hide his disappointment but gave credit to a Lib Dem campaign that "didnt just throw the kitchen sink at this constituency, it was the microwave, the table, the oven, the dishwasher, the dog, the cat and anything else that was lying around as well". His implication was that the Tories did the opposite. The defeat now raises questions about the Tories' chances in the Batley and Spen by election, a contest they were feeling confident about, perhaps until now. There have been rumblings of discontent from Tory activists that the campaign on the ground has been too quiet and that the candidate, Ryan Stephenson, is not local enough. He is currently a councillor for Harewood in Leeds and chair of the West Yorkshire Conservatives. To get the latest email updates from Yorkshire Live, click here . In a recent Newsnight documentary on the July 1 contest, Mr Stephenson was the only candidate not to make himself available for interview with Labour, the Lib Dems, the Yorkshire Party and George Galloway of the Workers party all obliging. (Image: Conservative party)  One activist, who interviewed for the Tory candidacy, complained that the party had far fewer canvassing teams than Labour and had been quiet on social media. "There has been a real reluctance to get the message out," they told YorskshireLive. The campaigner also claimed they had been told to be "less vocal" on social media. "It really does seem that the plan is to be purposely quiet while all the other parties take votes off each other - this feels like a lack of integrity." And while members of the shadow cabinet - including leader Sir Keir Starmer, deputy leader Angela Rayner, shadow chancellor Rachel Reeves and shadow foreign secretary Lisa Nandy to name a few - have been to visit Batley almost every week, until the Prime Minister's visit today, there has not been much of a high-powered Conservative presence. A Labour source pointed to the fact that neither education secretary Gavin Williamson nor chancellor Rishi Sunak, when they were visiting Bradford and Leeds respectively, made public visits to Batley. A Tory MP dismissed the suggestion of a "quiet" campaign and pointed to the fact that the Tories effectively had two by elections on their hands while Labour and the Lib Dems had only one each. "There is a split in terms of the numbers because we have been defending one and trying to get another," they said. "Ultimately, you've got activists split between north and south and you can't be in two places at once. "Labour might say we've had more activists out - of course you have, because you've only got one by election you've been defending. They lost their deposit [in Chesham and Amersham] and it was an embarrassing result for them as well. "Posters don't win elections. You'll see an awful lot more activity over the next week and a half." "He's out every day, and there is at least six to 10 people out with him. We've covered practically every corner of the constituency and we still have two weeks to go. Enter your postcode for the latest Covid-19 data for your area  "Quiet as far as social media I would tend to agree, but then there is a lot of blustering on social media." When it comes to winning elections - whether that be Mr Johnson's quest for the Tory leadership or the 2019 general election - the Tories have a taste for Napoleon's mantra, "never interrupt your enemy when he is making a mistake". Given the troubles the Labour party is facing with its leader and following its drubbing in Hartlepool, it is easy to see why they are following that rule. The bigger test is to interrupt yourself when you are making a mistake. The result in Chesham and Amersham should have the effect of shocking the Tories out of the complacency that even their own candidate hinted was the cause of their defeat. It serves as a timely reminder to never take the electorate for granted.