MP sworn in at Commons after by-election win

Chris Webb is the Commons' latest MP

Labour's newest MP has taken his seat in the House of Commons, after the party won the Blackpool South by-election.

Chris Webb swore an oath to the King, something all MPs are required to do, as the Commons returned following the local elections.

The by-election was sparked when former MP Scott Benton resigned.

Blackpool-born Mr Webb is the first locally-born MP for 60 years and the first one for Blackpool South.

Third largest swing

New MP Mr Webb won the Blackpool South seat from the Conservatives with the third largest swing from the Tories to Labour in a by-election since the Second World War.

Mr Webb secured 10,825 votes, a share of nearly 60%, while the Conservatives' David Jones received 3,218 and Reform UK's Mark Butcher 3,101.

The former student of St Mary's Sixth Form is only the second Labour MP for the seat in its 79-year history.

The previous one was Gordon Marsden who was elected in the 1997 Blair landslide and held the seat until 2019.

Mr Webb is only the second Labour MP to represent the seat

Mr Benton was caught up in a sting by the Times newspaper, in which he told reporters posing as gambling investors he could lobby for them in return for payment.

Mr Benton had the Conservative whip withdrawn and, after an investigation by parliamentary authorities, was suspended from the Commons for 35 days.

This triggered a recall petition in his constituency, but Mr Benton resigned before the result of this came in.