Naomi...(23:30) ...in bed ! At my age, I need as much beauty sleep as I can muster. As soon as Dan Cruickshank finished his wonderful new program on the Royal Palaces, I was up the wooden stairs to Bedfordshire !
There has been a lot of hot air on the radio this morning but in reality, not much has changed. Heywood retained its Labour MP, and it could be argued that Clacton retained its Tory MP, albeit with a sheep in wolves clothing.
By-Elections don't behave like General Elections and never have. In Clacton and Heywood, nobody was voting to see who ends up in Number 10. people traditionally us by-elections as protest votes. This morning Labour have the same number of seats, the Tories have one less, and UKIP have one borrowed seat.
Even if this upward trend with UKIP continues until next May, we still won't end up with a UKIP majority in Westminster, but, as every Tory spokesman will say, and Grant Shapps has said this morning to John Humphrys, it just makes a Labour victory more certain. That is what even dave is saying.
So my message to Tory voters that are tempted to vote for UKIP, all that they will achieve is a Labour administration from next May onwards. Of course, as a Labour supporter, I would want this to happen
Last night could have been better for Labour, it has to be admitted but it was an unmitigated disaster for the Tories. Their own candidate turned traitor and won for Farage.