Summary

  • UKIP's Mark Reckless won Rochester and Strood by-election, beating the Conservative Party by 2,920 votes

  • Breakdown: UKIP - 16,867; Conservatives - 13,947; Labour - 6,713; Greens - 1,692; Lib Dems - 349

  • Voters in Rochester and Strood voted on Thursday to choose a new Member of Parliament

  • The vote came less than six months before the next general election

  • Reckless visited Westminster on Friday morning and was sworn in as Rochester and Strood's MP

Live Reporting

Mario Cacciottolo, Lauren Turner, Esther Webber and Megan Bramall

  1. Mark Reckless arriving at count

    Mark Reckless has arrived at the count in the glare of the photographers' flashes, saying: "I'm looking forward to the counting and hearing the result. The people of Rochester and Strood will have their say."

  2. Get involved

    Chris Latimer tweets: To be honest mark reckless winning by 3 thousand has the same impact as if he would have won by 12 thousand a win is a win #bbctw

  3. Turnout was 50.67% (40,113 votes), acting returning officer Neil Davies said.

  4. Nick Robinson
    Political editor

    "No-one in the Tory side is predicting that they are going to win, everyone on the UKIP side are predicting that they will."

  5. Votes are being counted in the Rochester and Strood by-election where the UK Independence Party is hoping to gain its second elected Westminster MP. The contest was triggered by MP Mark Reckless's defection from the Conservatives to UKIP. Polls suggest he is on course to win the seat for the party.