- Labour clings on in the Peterborough by-election against a strong challenge from the Brexit Party.
- Nigel Farage's anti-EU party had been widely expected to claim the seat.
- However, Labour's Lisa Forbes wins the seat on a much-reduced majority for her party.
- The Brexit Party had been strong favourites to claim their first seat in the UK parliament.
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LONDON — The Labour party has won the Peterborough by-election, despite widespread predictions that Nigel Farage's Brexit party would claim the seat.
Lisa Forbes won the seat by a majority of just 683 votes in the strongly Leave-voting area after a bitterly fought campaign. She said her victory showed that "the politics of division will not win."
Bookies had the Brexit Party as clear favourites to claim the Cambridgeshire seat as their first in the UK parliament, after their victory in the European elections.
However, Labour had a more effective ground campaign, managing to cling on despite a large fall in their majority.
The Conservatives, who held the seat until 2017, lost 25% of their vote with most seemingly switching to the Brexit Party.
Peterborough by-election result
Labour: 30.9% (-17.2)
Brexit: 28.9% (+28.9)
Conservative: 21.4% (-25.5)
Liberal Democrats: 12.3% (+8.9)
Greens: 3.1% (+1.3)
UKIP: 1.2% (+1.2)
*changes on 2017 general election
The by-election was called after the incumbent Fiona Onasanya was convicted for perverting the course of justice.
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