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| Version 4 | Version 5 |
|---|---|
| Labour wins Middleton by-election, but UKIP slashes majority | Labour wins Middleton by-election, but UKIP slashes majority |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| Labour has held the Greater Manchester seat of Heywood and Middleton in a by-election, but with its majority slashed by the UK Independence Party. | Labour has held the Greater Manchester seat of Heywood and Middleton in a by-election, but with its majority slashed by the UK Independence Party. |
| Candidate Liz McInnes won by a 617-vote margin, down from Labour's 5,971 majority at the 2010 general election. | Candidate Liz McInnes won by a 617-vote margin, down from Labour's 5,971 majority at the 2010 general election. |
| The result of the by-election in Clacton, Essex, which UKIP is expected to win, is due later on Friday morning. | The result of the by-election in Clacton, Essex, which UKIP is expected to win, is due later on Friday morning. |
| Its candidate Douglas Carswell, stood down as an MP after defecting from the Conservatives in August. | Its candidate Douglas Carswell, stood down as an MP after defecting from the Conservatives in August. |
| A "bundle check" of votes took place in Heywood and Middleton, because of the closeness of the result in the seat, which has been held by Labour since its creation in 1983. Turnout was 36%. | A "bundle check" of votes took place in Heywood and Middleton, because of the closeness of the result in the seat, which has been held by Labour since its creation in 1983. Turnout was 36%. |
| MP's death | MP's death |
| Ms McInnes won 11,633 votes, with UKIP's John Bickley getting 11,016. Conservative Iain Gartside came third with 3,496 votes and Liberal Democrat Anthony Smith fourth with 1,457. | |
| Ms McInnes told the BBC: "I'm going to work damn hard in this constituency. People here will have an MP who is going to fight for their interests." | Ms McInnes told the BBC: "I'm going to work damn hard in this constituency. People here will have an MP who is going to fight for their interests." |
| But Mr Bickley said Labour were in "big trouble". | |
| "This should have been a safe seat," he said. "They have thrown everything at it and they have only just scraped home." | |
| Earlier, 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." | |
| When Mr Carswell, a Conservative MP since 2005, defected, he also resigned as an MP to trigger the by-election. | When Mr Carswell, a Conservative MP since 2005, defected, he also resigned as an MP to trigger the by-election. |
| Polls suggest he will keep the seat - in which turnout was 51%. Mr Carswell told the BBC: "It's looking pretty encouraging. We have a long way to go, but so far, so good." | Polls suggest he will keep the seat - in which turnout was 51%. Mr Carswell told the BBC: "It's looking pretty encouraging. We have a long way to go, but so far, so good." |
| The Heywood and Middleton poll was prompted by the death of long-serving Labour MP Jim Dobbin last month. | The Heywood and Middleton poll was prompted by the death of long-serving Labour MP Jim Dobbin last month. |