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UKIP hopes for historic by-election win in Clacton | UKIP hopes for historic by-election win in Clacton |
(about 1 hour later) | |
Counting is under way in by-elections in Essex and Greater Manchester, which will be seen as key tests of public opinion ahead of the general election. | |
In Clacton, the UK Independence Party (UKIP) is hoping the former Conservative Douglas Carswell will be voted back in, as UKIP's first MP. | |
The Eurosceptic party also hopes for gains in Heywood and Middleton to show it can challenge Labour in the North. | The Eurosceptic party also hopes for gains in Heywood and Middleton to show it can challenge Labour in the North. |
The results are expected in the early hours of Friday morning. | The results are expected in the early hours of Friday morning. |
UKIP deputy leader Paul Nuttall told the BBC his party was demanding a recount in Heywood and Middleton because the gap between it and Labour, which has held the seat since 1983, was only "around 600 votes". Voter turnout was 36%. | |
'Optimistic' | |
Conservative Communities Secretary Eric Pickles appeared to admit UKIP was likely to beat his party in Clacton, saying on BBC One's Question Time: "I live in optimistic hope that a Conservative will be returned tonight, but I fear I will be disappointed." | Conservative Communities Secretary Eric Pickles appeared to admit UKIP was likely to beat his party in Clacton, saying on BBC One's Question Time: "I live in optimistic hope that a Conservative will be returned tonight, but I fear I will be disappointed." |
Mr Carswell, a Conservative MP since 2005, defected to UKIP in August. He also resigned as an MP, triggering the by-election. | |
UKIP leader Nigel Farage is hoping the surprise defection will deliver his party a historic first Westminster victory - although the former Conservative MP Bob Spink briefly represented the party in 2008 before standing as an independent in 2010. | |
Mr Carswell won Clacton for the Conservatives in 2010 with 53% of the vote and Labour on 25%. | |
Polls suggest Mr Carswell will keep the seat - in which turnout was 51%. | |
Five candidates are vying for Heywood and Middleton, which had been held by Labour MP Jim Dobbin until his death last month. | |
It has been a Labour seat since its creation, with Mr Dobbin representing it from 1997. At the 2010 general election, he took the seat with a majority of 5,971 and just over 40% of the vote. The Conservatives were second, followed by the Lib Dems, BNP, UKIP and an independent. | |
Full details of the results as they come in - and the reaction - will be on the BBC News website and the BBC News Channel throughout the night. | |