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| Eastleigh by-election: Liberal Democrats hold on to Hampshire seat | Eastleigh by-election: Liberal Democrats hold on to Hampshire seat |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| The Liberal Democrats have held on to the Hampshire seat of Eastleigh, with their candidate Mike Thornton winning 13,342 votes. | The Liberal Democrats have held on to the Hampshire seat of Eastleigh, with their candidate Mike Thornton winning 13,342 votes. |
| Mr Thornton said there was "no greater honour" than to represent the constituency, and pledged to be a "strong voice for every person" in it. | Mr Thornton said there was "no greater honour" than to represent the constituency, and pledged to be a "strong voice for every person" in it. |
| The Conservatives were beaten by 1,012 votes into third place by UKIP, whose candidate Diane James won 11,571 votes. | The Conservatives were beaten by 1,012 votes into third place by UKIP, whose candidate Diane James won 11,571 votes. |
| The results indicate a 19.3% swing from the Lib Dems to UKIP. | The results indicate a 19.3% swing from the Lib Dems to UKIP. |
| Conservative candidate Maria Hutchings won 10,559 votes, which was a 14% reduction compared with her share of the vote at the 2010 general election, when she came second to Chris Huhne. | |
| UKIP leader Nigel Farage said: "If the Conservatives hadn't split our vote we would have won." | |
| "What happened here in Eastleigh was not a freak result. Something is changing. People are sick and tired of having three social democrat parties that are frankly indistinguishable from each other," he added. | |
| "If you want to have a managed migration policy, you cannot remain a member of the European Union. My prediction is, that over the next year or two, as the European debate gathers pace in this country, the issue of immigration and border controls will become the absolute key to the whole thing." | |
| Mr Thornton, who has been a parish and borough councillor since 2007 and has lived in the local area for 19 years, sealed victory with a majority of 1,771 votes. | Mr Thornton, who has been a parish and borough councillor since 2007 and has lived in the local area for 19 years, sealed victory with a majority of 1,771 votes. |
| He told the BBC he was "proud" that the Lib Dems had, in coalition with the Conservatives, help to instigate "decent tax cuts". | |
| The coalition had also helped the UK "recover from a very serious heart attack", he said. | |
| Asked about his priorities as a new MP, he said: "I do have a business background, so my main focus will be do bring investment, like we have in Eastleigh, and see how we can scale that up to the country." | |
| Labour's candidate, the writer and broadcaster John O'Farrell, came fourth with 4,088 votes. | Labour's candidate, the writer and broadcaster John O'Farrell, came fourth with 4,088 votes. |
| Chris Huhne resigned as Eastleigh's MP earlier this month after pleading guilty to perverting the course of justice over claims his former wife took speeding points for him. | |
| Results in full: | Results in full: |
| Mike Thornton (LD) 13,342 (32.06%, -14.48%) | Mike Thornton (LD) 13,342 (32.06%, -14.48%) |
| Diane James (UKIP) 11,571 (27.80%, +24.20%) | Diane James (UKIP) 11,571 (27.80%, +24.20%) |
| Maria Hutchings (C) 10,559 (25.37%, -13.96%) | Maria Hutchings (C) 10,559 (25.37%, -13.96%) |
| John O'Farrell (Lab) 4,088 (9.82%, +0.22%) | John O'Farrell (Lab) 4,088 (9.82%, +0.22%) |
| Danny Stupple (Ind) 768 (1.85%, +1.56%) | Danny Stupple (Ind) 768 (1.85%, +1.56%) |
| Dr Iain Maclennan (NHA) 392 (0.94%) | Dr Iain Maclennan (NHA) 392 (0.94%) |
| Ray Hall (Beer) 235 (0.56%) | Ray Hall (Beer) 235 (0.56%) |
| Kevin Milburn (Christian) 163 (0.39%) | Kevin Milburn (Christian) 163 (0.39%) |
| Howling Laud Hope (Loony) 136 (0.33%) | Howling Laud Hope (Loony) 136 (0.33%) |
| Jim Duggan (Peace) 128 (0.31%) | Jim Duggan (Peace) 128 (0.31%) |
| David Bishop (Elvis) 72 (0.17%) | David Bishop (Elvis) 72 (0.17%) |
| Michael Walters (Eng Dem) 70 (0.17%, -0.30%) | Michael Walters (Eng Dem) 70 (0.17%, -0.30%) |
| Daz Procter (TUSC) 62 (0.15%) | Daz Procter (TUSC) 62 (0.15%) |
| Colin Bex (Wessex Reg) 30 (0.07%) | Colin Bex (Wessex Reg) 30 (0.07%) |