Conservatives celebtrate 'spectacular' by-election win in UK

David Cameron’s UK Conservatives today won a spectacular victory in the Crewe and Nantwich by-election, seizing the formerly safe Labour seat by a margin of almost 8,000 votes.

The result, overturning the 7,000 majority achieved by the late Gwyneth Dunwoody in the 2005 general election, is another savage blow for prime minister Gordon Brown after Labour’s drubbing at the May 1 local elections.

It is the first Conservative gain in a by-election since 1983 and the double-figure swing to Tories would deliver Mr Cameron a large majority in the House of Commons if repeated in a general election.