Labour has overturned huge Conservative majorities to win Thursday's two by-elections in Mid Bedfordshire and Tamworth
"It's history in the making," hails party leader Sir Keir Starmer, saying the results were extraordinary but he won't get carried away
Tories have blamed it on low turnout and their voters staying at home - with Education Secretary Gillian Keegan saying there's "no real love for Labour" on the doorstep
Labour emerged victorious in Mid Beds - Nadine Dorries' former seat - which the Tories have held for more than 90 years and had a majority of more than 24,000
The result shows “nowhere is off limits", said new MP Alistair Strathern, a former maths teacher
The Conservatives were also defeated in Tamworth, where Labour's Sarah Edwards overturned a majority of more than 19,000
Watch moment Labour's Sarah Edwards wins Tamworth by-election
If you're just checking out our live coverage of Thursday's two by-elections - here's the moment Sarah Edwards was confirmed as the winner of the vote in the Staffordshire seat of Tamworth.
Amy Holmes
BBC Three Counties political reporter
Image source, PA MediaLabour's Alistair Strathern has been speaking to the BBC having overturned a Conservative majority of almost 25,000 in Mid Bedfordshire.
He says the closely fought election never "felt comfortable enough to call" but he felt there was a chance for something "historic".
In a nail biting election he took the seat with a majority of just 1,192 - it has been Conservative since 1931.
"I'm just so, so overwhelmed and grateful for the faith that people have placed in me today," he says.
"People right across our towns and villages were turning their backs on the government and an MP that had not shown sufficient respect over the last few years and we were incredibly heartened by the strong positive reaction we were getting right up until today," he adds.
Image source, .
Andrew Sinclair
BBC Look East political editor
This vote confirms what has been evident ever since Nadine Dorries announced her intention to resign: that people in this safe Tory seat were angry.
From the dozens of interviews we did and from the reports coming back from the canvassers , it was clear that voters felt taken for granted. There was real anger that their MP hadn’t made time for her constituency (something she has always denied).
There was also anger in a place with a large proportion of home owners that their mortgages had gone up, there was anger about low level crime and that the party which had promised to protect the green belt had failed to stop development in the countryside some of it built with very little supporting infrastructure.
Labour will be delighted at winning so deep in the so-called blue wall. But it’s worth noting how well the Liberal Democrats did - a sign this was probably first and foremost a protest vote against the Conservatives rather than a surge of Tories going to Labour.
The Conservatives are already saying that come the general election they should be able to take this seat back. But it’s worth noting that close to Mid Bedfordshire are a number of swing seats: places like Bedford, Stevenage, Milton Keynes and Northampton. And Labour are saying if they can tap into Tory anger and win in Mid Bedfordshire - where else could they cause an upset?
Responding to the result in Mid Bedfordshire, Liberal Democrat deputy leader Daisy Cooper says: "We nearly doubled our share of the vote which would see the Lib Dems win dozens of seats off the Conservatives in a general election.
"The Liberal Democrats played a crucial role in defeating the Conservatives in Mid Bedfordshire, and we can play a crucial role in getting rid of this Conservative government at the next election.
"I’m so proud of Emma Holland-Lindsay and her campaign which convinced thousands of lifelong Conservative voters in the villages of Mid Bedfordshire to switch to the Liberal Democrats."
The Lib Dems came third in the by-election, with 9,420 votes.
Ione Wells
Political correspondent, reporting from Tamworth
Image source, Getty ImagesBluntly, this is a very bad result for the Conservatives.
Yes, they will argue by-elections are often a chance for people to "protest" against the serving government. Yes, they will say turnout was low - and perhaps some people didn’t see the point of voting this time if there will be a general election again in the next year or so.
But there is no getting away from the fact this is a huge swing to Labour.
Previously a big Conservative majority, increasingly safe a seat over the last few elections and a seat which voted strongly for Brexit.
Both parties sensed apathy on the doorstep, but the Tories hoped it would - at best - mean their voters just not turning up, rather than switching.
This result will no doubt leave other Tory MPs, with smaller majorities, feeling nervous.
One thing which may give the Tories reason to hope - both the campaigns did suggest throughout while they picked up a significant “anti-Conservative” sentiment, they didn’t pick up a huge amount of enthusiasm for Labour either.
We should remember too these results are based on a low turnout - only 35.9% of the eligible electorate.
In his victory speech, Mid Bedfordshire's new Labour MP Alistair Strathern said his party had sent a "resounding message".
"Tonight residents across Mid Bedfordshire have made history, after decades of being taken for granted, feeling left behind, being under-represented, they made a decision it was time for a change.
"Nowhere is off limits for this Labour Party and tonight's result proves it."
The result in Mid Bedfordshire breaks the record for the largest numerical majority overturned at a by-election - the Conservative majority in 2019 was 24,664.
The record is partly a reflection of the fact that the electorate is unusually large (92,578) - the percentage majority was bigger in Tamworth - but it’s still a striking stat.
The double victory in Mid Bedfordshire and Tamworth is the first time Labour have made two by-election gains on the same day since 1962.
Ben Schofield
BBC Look East political correspondent, reporting from Shefford
As Conservative candidate Festus Akinbusoye rushed out I asked him what went wrong?
He said it was "democracy".
Reacting to Labour's two by-election victories, Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer says: "Winning in these Tory strongholds shows that people overwhelmingly want change and they're ready to put their faith in our changed Labour Party to deliver it.
"Voters across Mid Bedfordshire, Tamworth and Britain want a Labour government determined to deliver for working people, with a proper plan to rebuild our country.
"To those who have given us their trust, and those considering doing so, Labour will spend every day acting in your interests and focused on your priorities. Labour will give Britain its future back."
Polling expert Prof Sir John Curtice says the size of the electoral swings to Labour lately is "extremely bad news" for the Conservatives.
He touches on the result in Selby in the summer as well as the Labour victory in Tamworth earlier this morning - all of which have seen a swing of 20% or more.
"The last time we had that before was the 1992-1997 Parliament," he reiterates.
Sir John adds there are still 12 months or so to go until the next general election.
Image source, .The swing from the Conservatives to Labour in Mid Bedfordshire was 20.5%.
That's slightly lower than the swing in Tamworth and the Selby and Ainsty by-election earlier this year.
But the result in Mid Bedfordshire represents the largest Conservative majority overturned by Labour at a by-election since 1945.
Helen Catt
Political correspondent, reporting from Shefford
There are tears as well as cheers from some Labour supporters in the hall as winning candidate Alistair Strathern gives his speech.
Image source, Getty Images
Sophie Madden
reporting from Tamworth
They're already packing up at The Rawlett School in Tamworth where the Labour Party has over-turned a Conservative majority of more than 19,000 to take the Westminster seat by a margin of more than 1,300 votes.
Helen Catt
Political correspondent, reporting from Shefford
The Conservative candidate Festus Akinbusoye arrived on stage at the last minute.
He left immediately after the Mid Bedfordshire result was announced.
Here are the full results for Mid Bedfordshire:
Labour: 13,872
Conservatives: 12,680
Liberal Democrats: 9,420
Gareth Mackey (independent): 1,865
Reform UK: 1,487
Green: 732
Monster Raving Loony Party: 249
English Democrats: 107
Christian Peoples Alliance: 101
True and Fair Party: 93
Heritage Party: 63
Prince Ankit Love, Emperor of India (independent): 27
Mainstream: 24
Labour have won Mid Bedfordshire from the Conservatives - overturning a majority of nearly 25,000 votes. We’ll bring you the full result in a moment.
The candidates are on stage at the Mid Bedfordshire count and the result is imminent.
Let's get some snap analysis from election expert Prof Sir John Curtice of the University of Strathclyde who has been on the BBC's special by-election programme.
He notes the swing from Conservative to Labour is slightly higher than at the Selby by-election earlier this year.
Sir John says "no government has lost a seat as safe as Tamworth".
"This result also shows a potential risk to Tories they may get caught in a pincer movement with Labour, and others going off to Reform UK," he adds.