Lib Dems take Birmingham council seat from Labour

Philip Mills finished 485 votes ahead of the Labour candidate

The Liberal Democrats have won a seat previously held by Labour in a Birmingham City Council by-election.

Philip Mills won in Moseley ward by 485 votes, with the Labour candidate Stephen Pihlaja finishing second. Labour remain in overall control of the authority after Thursday's vote.

The election was called following the death of Kerry Jenkins, who had represented Labour in the ward since 2018.

Looking ahead to full council elections next year, the leader of the Liberal Democrats group on the authority Roger Harmer said: "Labour are finished in Birmingham next May, and it's the Lib Dems who are beating them."

Another Liberal Democrat councillor Baber Baz said on social media: "Thank you Moseley - change is coming."

Mr Mills will join fellow Lib Dem Izzy Knowles in representing Moseley.

He won 1,634 votes, with Mr Pihlaja receiving 1,149 and the Your Party-backed independent candidate Carol Williams coming third with 923.

The Green Party came fourth and Reform UK fifth.

The win means Labour have 56 seats on the 101-seat authority, with the Conservatives on 22 and the Liberal Democrats on 13.

Speaking after his win, Mr Mills said: "After the years of incompetence and failures, it is clear that it is the Liberal Democrats who are bringing the fight to an incompetent and worn-out Labour-run council."

He said his party could "deliver the change Birmingham so desperately needs".

Mr Harmer said there was "no ceiling" to his party's ambitions in the city and it was "now clear Labour cannot hold power in Birmingham".

"The Labour vote is collapsing both locally and nationally, and it is the Lib Dems that are beating them," he said.