There were 2 by-elections yesterday: Newcomen Ward, Redcar & Cleveland UA. Result to follow. Batchwood Ward, St Albans DC. Lab gain from LD. Lab 1002 (55.1%, +14.2), LD 395 (21.7%, -2.7), Con 347 (19.1%, -7.8), Green 76 (4.2%, +2.5). Swing of 8.5% from LD to Lab since May 2011. This is a fantastic result for Labour in a part of Hertfordshire where we had seemed to be suffer...

Plans to trigger by-elections for MPs who commit serious wrongdoing will not empower the public, it is claimed.

Only one council by-election yesterday: Cinderford West Ward, Forest of Dean DC. Lab hold. Full result to follow.

Week by week local by-election results can fluctuate greatly as the luck of the draw over which seats are up adds to the variations in local circumstances to produce a large spread of results. However, aggregated over longer periods the pattern of local by-elections does say something about the state of the parties, which is

There were four this week, with one held on Tuesday. Turnout was relatively good in all the wards except the Walsall one, despite the timing. Tuesday 19th Worlingham Ward, Waveney DC. Con hold. Con 708 (45.9%, -7.1), Lab 586 (38%, +4.8), Green 137 (8.9%, -5), UKIP 64 (4.1%, +4.1), LD 48 (3.1%, +3.1). Swing of 6% from Con to Lab since May this year. A good result for Labour in a parliamentary margi...

Congratulationsto my friend Seema Malhotra on winning the Feltham & Heston by-electionyesterday. Seema will make a brilliant MP – she is local to the area but anational calibre politician who has worked incredibly hard for the party formany years. Congratulations also to Malcolm Powers who was CampaignCo-ordinator for an extremely well run campaign on a short timetable. The fullresults ...

Ed Miliband MP, Leader of the Opposition and Leader of the Labour Party, said in Feltham and Heston this morning: "Thank you to the people of Feltham and Heston. "You have again put your trust in Labour and we are determined to repay that trust. Seema Malhotra will work everyday to show that they made the right choice and will repay the trust you put in her. "By-elections are not general elections...

Most eyes will be on the Feltham & Heston Parliamentary by-election, but there are also a handful of council by-elections being held including a double-header in near-by Kingston, where the Liberal Democrats are trying to take two seats off the Conservatives. We will update the site in due course with the results and party reaction,

There has, as we all know, always been a fug of doubt about Ed Miliband's leadership. Even when Labour have been winning by-elections (as they're expected to in Feltham and Heston tomorrow), even when even when they have fluttered ten points above the Tories, the question has always been there: would they be better off without him? After all, in terms of poll numbers, the party has gener...

I've had a busy week as my second son, Ben, was born on Wednesday at the Homerton Hospital by emergency caesarian. He's a healthy 9lb12 and he and my partner Linda are both doing well and should be home tomorrow.Only one council by-election to report:Hamilton West and Earnock Ward, South Lanarkshire Council. SNP gain from Ind. First preference  votes: SNP 822 (50%, +24.9), Lab 607 (36.9%, -1....