Labour romped home to two crucial by-election victories overnight, as Reform UK ate into the Conservative votes in both constituencies.
Keir Starmer’s party built on poll momentum in the early hours with the two victories, in a welcome distraction from the drama in Rochdale which dominated much of the week.
In Kingswood, Labour won 44.9 per cent of the vote, a swing of +11.5 per cent, while the Tories were in second place with 34.9 per cent, a worrying swing of 21.3 per cent down.
The major concern for the Tories however will be Reform UK, whose candidate won 10.4 per cent of the vote, which is smaller still than the Labour swing.
The Greens were in fourth and Lib Dems in fifth.
Labour Party candidate Gen Kitchen celebrates with her family after being declared winner in the Wellingborough by-election at the Kettering Leisure Village, Northamptonshire. Credit: Joe Giddens/PA Wire
In Wellingborough Labour had an even more convincing victory with 45.9 per cent of the vote, a whopping swing of 19.5 per cent, while the Tories won just 24.6 per cent of the vote, a huge negative swing of -37.6 per cent. Reform again ate into the vote 13.0 per cent.
Gen Kitchen, the new MP for Wellingborough, said she was “ecstatic” at the result, while Damien Egan won Kingswood.
Reacting to the victories, Sir Keir said: “These are fantastic results in Kingswood and Wellingborough that show people want change and are ready to put their faith in a changed Labour Party to deliver it.
“By winning in these Tory strongholds, we can confidently say that Labour is back in the service of working people and we will work tirelessly to deliver for them.
“The Tories have failed. Rishi’s recession proves that. That’s why we’ve seen so many former Conservative voters switching directly to this changed Labour Party.
“Those who gave us their trust in Kingswood and Wellingborough, and those considering doing so, can be safe in the knowledge that we will spend every day working to get Britain’s future back.”
On 29 February there is a third by-election in Rochdale, an election which has been marred by candidates’ problematic views. Labour was forced to disown its candidate Azhar Ali after he claimed Israel had allowed the October 7 attacks, in order to launch its offensive in Gaza.
The Greens also had to drop their candidate over Islamophobic comments, while the frontrunner is currently George Galloway, the controversial firebrand former MP.