11,220 MAJORITY OVERTURNED

LABOUR overturned a Conservative majority of 11,220 to win the Gloucestershire seat of Kingswood, gaining a seat the party had previously held from 1992 to 2010.

It is the sixth-largest Conservative majority overturned by Labour at a by-election since the Second World War.

The Conservatives’ share of the vote fell from 56% at the 2019 general election to 35%, while Labour jumped from 33% to 45%.

To win Kingswood, Labour needed a swing in the share of the vote of 11.4 percentage points.

In the event, the party achieved a swing of 16.4 percentage points – lower than some of the huge swings the party has enjoyed in recent by-elections, including in Wellingborough, but well above the target needed.

Labour candidate Damien Egan finished with a 2,501 majority over Conservative candidate Sam Bromiley.

The Reform party finished in third place on 10% of the vote, its second-best performance in a by-election in this parliament behind the 13% it managed in Wellingborough.

The constituency of Kingswood is being abolished at the next general election, which by law must take place no later than January 2025, meaning Mr Egan will represent the seat for only a few months.

But he has already been selected as Labour’s candidate at the general election for the new constituency of Bristol North East, incorporating part of Kingswood. The full result was:

Damien Egan (Labour) 11,176 Sam Bromiley (Conservative) 8,675

Rupert Lowe (Reform) 2,578 Lorraine Francis (Green) 1,450 Andrew Brown (Liberal Democrat) 861

Nicholas Wood (Ukip) 129 Turnout was 37.1%.