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| Version 17 | Version 18 |
|---|---|
| Tories hail 'remarkable victory' | |
| (40 minutes later) | |
| The Conservatives have achieved their first by-election gain in 26 years, taking Crewe and Nantwich from Labour. | |
| Tory candidate Edward Timpson won 7,860 more votes than his Labour rival, overturning a 7,000 Labour majority at the general election - a 17.6% swing. | Tory candidate Edward Timpson won 7,860 more votes than his Labour rival, overturning a 7,000 Labour majority at the general election - a 17.6% swing. |
| David Cameron said it was a "remarkable victory" and thousands of people had voted Conservative for the first time. | |
| Labour deputy Harriet Harman said it was a "bad result" but attributed it to voters' concerns about the economy. | |
| Speaking outside his home on Friday, Mr Cameron said: "The Conservatives won a remarkable victory last night in Crewe and Nantwich." | |
| 'Old politics' | |
| But he added: "I know winning a by-election and winning a general election are two very different things." | |
| He said the party had a "huge amount of work to do" but wanted to prove to thousands of voters in Crewe and Nantwich, who had never voted Conservative before, that the party would not let them down. | |
| It was a bad result for Labour last night. Harriet HarmanLabour's deputy leader Analysis: How will Brown react?Nick Robinson's blogIn quotes: Crewe result | |
| The contest followed the death of veteran Labour MP Gwyneth Dunwoody. | The contest followed the death of veteran Labour MP Gwyneth Dunwoody. |
| Mr Timpson said voters had "rejected the old politics and voted for the positive alternative put forward by the Conservative Party". | Mr Timpson said voters had "rejected the old politics and voted for the positive alternative put forward by the Conservative Party". |
| He said the government had paid the price for the decision to scrap the 10p rate of income tax, adding: "Gordon Brown just does not get it and the government needs to change." | He said the government had paid the price for the decision to scrap the 10p rate of income tax, adding: "Gordon Brown just does not get it and the government needs to change." |
| The by-election follows dismal recent local election results for Labour. | The by-election follows dismal recent local election results for Labour. |
| BBC political editor Nick Robinson said if Tory leader David Cameron becomes prime minister at the next election "many will look back at the vote in Crewe and Nantwich as the moment they first believed it was possible". | BBC political editor Nick Robinson said if Tory leader David Cameron becomes prime minister at the next election "many will look back at the vote in Crewe and Nantwich as the moment they first believed it was possible". |
| Mr Timpson, a 34-year-old barrister, took 20,539 votes. The Labour candidate, Mrs Dunwoody's daughter Tamsin Dunwoody, was second on 12,679, with Liberal Democrat Elizabeth Shenton third on 6,040. | Mr Timpson, a 34-year-old barrister, took 20,539 votes. The Labour candidate, Mrs Dunwoody's daughter Tamsin Dunwoody, was second on 12,679, with Liberal Democrat Elizabeth Shenton third on 6,040. |
| Turnout was 58.2%, very high for a by-election, but was down slightly from 60% at the 2005 general election. | |
| Bad to worse | Bad to worse |
| Labour's deputy leader Harriet Harman told the BBC: "It was a bad result for Labour last night. But I think we have to understand what lies behind it and what lies behind it is people's sense of their own prospects and the fact people are feeling the pinch." | |
| She said people wanted "their immediate concerns addressed, that food's going up, fuel prices are going up and they want the government to very strongly focus on what we can do to back them up". | |
| But left-wing Labour backbencher John McDonnell said: "Things are just going from bad to worse for the government. | |
| See more of the candidatesEnlarge Image | See more of the candidatesEnlarge Image |
| "It would be an immense misreading of the situation for New Labour ministers to dismiss this result as simply mid-term blues. The prime minister's re-launch after the disaster of the local election results has proved to be totally ineffective." | "It would be an immense misreading of the situation for New Labour ministers to dismiss this result as simply mid-term blues. The prime minister's re-launch after the disaster of the local election results has proved to be totally ineffective." |
| 'Toff' campaign | 'Toff' campaign |
| The campaign has taken place during a dire few weeks for Prime Minister Gordon Brown, who has followed a poor set of local election results with the row over the abolition of the 10p tax rate. | The campaign has taken place during a dire few weeks for Prime Minister Gordon Brown, who has followed a poor set of local election results with the row over the abolition of the 10p tax rate. |
| Mr Cameron is expected to capitalise on the victory by calling an early by-election in Henley, the Westminster seat due to be vacated by new London Mayor Boris Johnson. | |
| HAVE YOUR SAYAt last the country is becoming wise to this terrible Labour Government.Stuart McGregor, Glasgow Send us your comments | HAVE YOUR SAYAt last the country is becoming wise to this terrible Labour Government.Stuart McGregor, Glasgow Send us your comments |
| The Tories hope to build on their momentum, with 26 June or 3 July being talked of as the likely dates for a contest. | |
| During canvassing in Crewe and Nantwich, Ms Dunwoody criticised Mr Timpson's "Tory toff" background, leading to accusations that Labour was using "class war" tactics. | During canvassing in Crewe and Nantwich, Ms Dunwoody criticised Mr Timpson's "Tory toff" background, leading to accusations that Labour was using "class war" tactics. |
| In her speech following the result declaration, Ms Dunwoody described the campaign as "robust but fun". | In her speech following the result declaration, Ms Dunwoody described the campaign as "robust but fun". |
| She said to Mr Timpson: "It is an honour to serve the people of Crewe and Nantwich. It is an honour I hope you take seriously - I and everyone will be watching you." | She said to Mr Timpson: "It is an honour to serve the people of Crewe and Nantwich. It is an honour I hope you take seriously - I and everyone will be watching you." |
| The Liberal Democrat candidate Ms Shenton told the government: "You need to know that you were very wrong when you supported a budget that taxed people on ordinary incomes more than the rich." | The Liberal Democrat candidate Ms Shenton told the government: "You need to know that you were very wrong when you supported a budget that taxed people on ordinary incomes more than the rich." |
| But she said she had not met anyone on the campaign trail who said they wanted a Conservative government. | But she said she had not met anyone on the campaign trail who said they wanted a Conservative government. |
| The Conservative Party's last by-election gain was in Mitcham and Morden, south-west London, in 1982. | The Conservative Party's last by-election gain was in Mitcham and Morden, south-west London, in 1982. |
| The full results from the Crewe and Nantwich by-election were: | |
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