Labour loses Copeland in historic defeat, holds Stoke-on-Trent

The Labour Party suffered a humiliating defeat in its heartland seat of Copeland on Thursday night, losing it to the ruling Conservatives for the first time in 80 years and heaping pressure on Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn despite narrowly winning a second by-election in Stoke-on-Trent Central.

Trudy Harrison from the Conservatives won the Cumbrian seat, held by Labour since 1935, by 13,748 votes to Labour's 11,601 on a turnout of 51%. The Liberal Democrats came third with 2,252 votes. It was the first time the ruling party had taken a seat in a by-election since 1982.

The swing to the Conservatives in Copeland was seen as being down to voter concerns about Corbyn's anti-nuclear stance. The seat is home to the Sellafield nuclear power plant, the area's biggest employer. Labour officials maintained that the party leader supported nuclear power for civil use.

In Stoke-on-Trent Central, a Brexit-supporting Labour heartland seat, Gareth Snell narrowly beat UKIP leader Paul Nuttall by 7,853 votes to 5,233. The Tories came third with 5,154 votes. Turnout was 37%.

The defeat will be a blow to UKIP, which has targeted Labour seats that supported the decision to exit the European Union in last June’s referendum. Stoke-on-Trent Central, which was vacated by Tristram Hunt in order to head the V&A museum, voted to leave by 69%.

Corbyn admitted that Labour's "message was not enough to win through in Copeland" and that he had to "go further to reconnect with voters and break with the failed political consensus".

However, questions will be raised about the direction the party is headed and whether or not it can present itself as a credible alternative government at the next General Election, which must take place by 2020.