PM Johnson Secures First Part Of Electoral 'Hat Trick' As Results Trickle In

Prime Minister Boris Johnson and his Conservative Party have secured the first part of their sought-after electoral 'hat trick' by winning the Hartlepool by-election with a comfortable majority.

• Hartlepool, parliamentary by-election result: Conservative: 51.9% (+23.0), Labour: 28.7% (-9.0), Independent: 9.7% (+7.5), ReformUK: 1.2% (-24.6), Green: 1.2% (+1.2), Liberal Democrat: 1.2% (-3.0), Oth: 6.1% (+4.9). Con GAIN from Lab.
• The 23% increase in the Conservative vote share is the largest increase in support for a sitting government party in a by-election since the end of the Second World War (previous largest was 12% gain for Labour in Bournemouth in 1945).
• The two other closely watched contests in England - the Tees Valley and West Midlands mayoralties - are not expected to declare until this evening UK time and Saturday afternoon UK time respectively. For full details of expected declaration times for the Scottish and Welsh parliament and English local and mayoral elections please follow this link.
• Other early declarations in the English council elections also paint an attractive picture for the centre-right Conservatives and a difficult one for the centre-left Labour Party and its leader Sir Keir Starmer.
  • Lab lose Harlow council, Conservatives gain Northumberland from No Overall Control (NOC) (1st time since the council was formed in 1970s), Conservatives gain Nuneaton from NOC, Labour hold Oldham but lose 6 seats (4 to Conservatives), Labour hold Sunderland but lose 9 seats (6 to Conservatives).