Conservatives gain Copeland from Labour in by-election
Labour win Stoke Central by-election, fighting off UKIP challenge
Theresa May hails new MP Trudy Harrison's "astounding victory"
Jeremy Corbyn "disappointment" over Copeland, but celebrates Stoke
Labour shadow chancellor John McDonnell says the party will learn from the Copeland result
Though the Copeland result was disappointing, John McDonnell says it "isn't about Jeremy Corbyn".
Labour shadow chancellor John McDonnell says the Copeland result is 'really disappointing'
Read MoreOsborne tears into Corbyn
The shadow chancellor may insist Labour's defeat in Copeland had nothing to do with leader Jeremy Corbyn, but ex-Chancellor George Osborne doesn't hold back.
The Mayor of Copeland, Mike Starkie, who was elected as an Independent, said he was hopeful that Conservative pledges made during the election to increase investment in Copeland would be fulfilled.
Many campaigners visited the county to gather votes for Trudy Harrison, including Prime Minister Theresa May.
Image source, Mike StarkieQuote MessageWe've had any number of high-profile politicians and ministers in the area all making pledges as to what they intend to do. Now they've got to put their money where their mouth is."
Mike Starkie, Mayor of Copeland
One word resounds through the national press reaction to the Copeland by-election result: Humiliation.
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For the Labour-supporting Mirror, external , it was a crushing blow for Jeremy Corbyn, and UKIP's humiliation; most of the other nationals, like the Daily Mail, external and the Daily Telegraph, external , saw the h-word as applying to the Labour leader.
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BBC News Channel
BBC News presenter Simon McCoy wonders what to make of the UKIP leader's response to coming second in Stoke.
Image source, PAPro-Brexit former cabinet minister Michael Gove says:
Quote MessageBoth constituencies voted Leave in the referendum, and both successful candidates have rightly made clear they will respect the decision of their constituents.
Now is not the time to be finding ways to frustrate the Brexit process simply because some people refuse to accept the referendum result.
Over two-thirds of the population want politicians to get on with the job of leaving the EU. I urge people from all parties to now work together to make a success of Brexit.
The Independent's chief political commentator John Rentoul points out that Labour's share of the vote has been on the wane since the EU referendum.
Copeland's former MP wades in
Labour's former MP for Copeland, Jamie Reed - whose resignation triggered the by-election - says support for the party is lower than the official polls suggest.
Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn was following the by-election avidly, taking to social media at 02:31 GMT to congratulate Gareth Snell on winning in Stoke-on-Trent Central.
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Meanwhile Tristram Hunt also shared his congratulations for the man taking over from him, saying representing the Potteries was a "profound privilege".
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Gareth Snell said he was "honoured and humbled" to have been elected.
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BBC Politics
How does the Copeland by-election vote share in 2017 compare to the 2015 general election?
Chris Mason
BBC political correspondent in Stoke
The questions facing Labour in Copeland are tumbling UKIP's way here in Stoke.
A party whose very success in achieving the thing they were set up to achieve, Brexit, brought with it a blunt question - what is the point of them now?
The answer sounded like this: winning traditionally Labour seats from Labour.
And yet here in Stoke-on-Trent, a hubbub of Brexiteer jubilation after the referendum, they failed.
Image source, Getty ImagesMr Snell's UKIP opponent Paul Nuttall casts his vote
UKIP insists this seat was always well down their target list.
But on a night where Labour was sufficiently vulnerable to lose a previously rock-solid seat in Cumbria, UKIP's still the bridesmaid not the bride in the Potteries.
All of which begs two questions: If not here, where? If not now, when?
Norman Smith
Assistant political editor
Theresa May this morning finds her grip on British politics hugely strengthened.
Quote MessageFor a governing party after seven years of austerity to be sweeping aside Labour in a heartland seat and to see their share of the vote increase in another is an extraordinary achievement.
It will be taken by her supporters as a vindication of her hard-edged drive towards Brexit and her break with the more metropolitan politics of David Cameron.
As for Labour, relief that it has at least repulsed the perceived threat of UKIP but its slow painful anguish under Jeremy Corbyn seems set to continue.
In normal times, both by-elections should have raised barely a flicker of concern and while the slide in support may not ignite a further leadership challenge, the convictions of Mr Corbyn’s critics that he is leading the party into the wilderness will only have been strengthened.
Copeland was disappointing, but in Stoke 'we've defeated something dangerous'
BBC One
Image source, PAShadow chancellor John McDonnell said he was "really disappointed" by the Copeland result, but insisted it was not a judgement on Mr Corbyn's leadership.
He also said voters in Stoke had done the nation a service by rejecting the "politics of dishonesty and division" represented by UKIP.
"This isn't about Jeremy Corbyn," said the shadow chancellor. "This is about the position of the Labour Party for the future.
"We are in a difficult period over these last 20 months because of these leadership challenges and the divisions that have been sown within our party.
"The vast majority of our members want us now to unite and to campaign and hold the government to account, and that's what we will do.
"These by-elections were difficult ones. We knew that. We've lost Copeland and we will learn lessons from that, but we've won Stoke and we've defeated something which was really dangerous for politics in this country.
"We've turned back the politics of dishonesty and division. The people of Stoke, by supporting Labour, have done us all a service in that."
Today Programme
BBC Radio 4
Labour backbencher John Woodcock says the party is in trouble
BBC reporter Zoe Conway speaks to former Labour voters who turned to the Tories in Copeland, delivering them a historic victory
Trudy Harrison will be the first Conservative MP for the Copeland constituency.
Chairman backs leader Paul Nuttall
Today Programme
BBC Radio 4
UKIP's chairman, Paul Oakden, says the failure to win a seat via Thursday's by-elections was "disappointing but not desperate", insisting that party was "absolutely behind" its leader, Paul Nuttall.
He said: "Look, something clearly didn't fire yesterday in as much as the fact that we didn't win. But this is - politics is a long game.
"We've been aware of that for quite a long time. You know it took us 23-odd years to win a referendum to get Britain out of the European Union.
"It may take that long for us to get a seat in Westminster via a by-election. But if that's how long it takes, then that's what we will keep doing, because that's what we're here for."
Image source, Getty ImagesBBC Politics
Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn said his party's message was "not enough" to win the Copeland by-election.
Copeland, created in 1983, and its predecessor constituency Whitehaven have returned Labour MPs since 1935.
Mr Corbyn, who saw his party retain the Stoke Central seat, said: "Labour will go further to reconnect with voters and break with the failed political consensus."
Image source, Getty ImagesLabour MP tweets...
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Harrison sweeps away 80 years of Labour dominance
Tom Bateman
BBC political correspondent in Copeland
This victory marked an astonishing political moment for the Conservatives.
The last Tory MP to represent this area was born in 1879. Their newest, Trudy Harrison, swept away 80 years of Labour dominance here, saying hers was the party for working people.
For a governing party to take a seat vacated by the opposition in a by-election is exceptionally rare.
This was the best such performance in half a century when measured by the increase in vote share. It will be hailed in Downing Street.
The result followed a bruising campaign, fought over jobs in the nuclear industry and hospital services. Labour's defeated candidate Gillian Troughton was ushered out of the count venue without speaking to reporters.
This outcome will renew questions over Jeremy Corbyn's leadership. He has promised to reconnect with voters. He may have to try in the face of further opposition from his own MPs.
Image source, Getty