In Mid Bedfordshire we're being told results are not expected before 02:00 BST.

They are definitely hoping to have a result within the next hour.

Amy Holmes
BBC Three Counties political reporter, at the Mid Beds count

Image source, Ben Scholfield/BBC

Cade Sibley, the Green Party candidate in Mid Bedfordshire took some annual leave today from his day job as a carer.

After that it was a quiet day of DIY and enjoying telling political activists from other parties who knocked on his door he had already voted - for himself.

On his chances he says: "I'm open minded. I feel like the best thing that we can hope for is that the Green message has gone out and people are actually putting the environmental side of things at the forefront of their priorities.

"Hopefully, we're just setting ourselves up for the general election next year. And I think the Green Party is going to be going full steam ahead for that."

Apart from backing himself, he said he thinks Labour's Alistair Strathern "has a good chance of winning" this historically Conservative seat.

Ione Wells
Political correspondent, reporting from Tamworth

"A lot more red than normal", says one local observer who has been at a lot of election counts here at Tamworth in Staffordshire.

We're starting to see the piles of ballots pile up with different coloured clips for different parties.

Amy Holmes
BBC Three Counties political reporter, at the Mid Bedfordshire count

As we reported earlier, the Liberal Democrats think Labour have pipped the Conservatives to the post here in Mid Bedfordshire.

But Labour sources tell me they are not putting much stock in what the Lib Dems have said.

Image source, Amy Holmes/BBC

Liberal Democrat MP Christine Jardine has been speaking to the BBC's by-election programme, where she says voters in Mid Bedfordshire have been "unhappy and wanted a change".

"We think the Labour Party will win this evening," she says, "but the votes we have gained from the Conservatives have helped.

"What we have seen is a collapse in the Conservative vote."

It is worth pointing out, neither Labour or the Conservatives have so far told us how they think things are going for them in the constituency.

Ione Wells
Political correspondent, reporting from Tamworth

Labour are feeling a little more optimistic than they were earlier.

At the start of the night both sides felt it was too close to call.

Now, Labour figures at the count in Tamworth feel pretty confident.

That, in itself, is quite interesting at this stage as parties tend to always want to manage expectations...

Ione Wells
Political correspondent, reporting from Tamworth

North Warwickshire's Conservative MP Craig Tracey has been speaking at the Tamworth count and says "there was always a sense that there might be a little bit of voter apathy out there".

He admitted the turnout was "disappointing", but adds: "We don't know if it's just the Conservatives struggling to get people out voting."

When asked why he thought people had chosen not to vote, he says bad weather and voter fatigue - with a general election due next year - were factors.

He also cautioned against reading too much into a Labour win, if that is what happens.

"There's still everything to play for in a general election," he tells the BBC.

Polling guru Prof Sir John Curtice is with the BBC on the by-election special tonight.

He reflects on the tight contest in Nadine Dorries' old seat.

"Both Labour and Lib Dems have decided to fight the Mid Bedfordshire seat vigorously," Sir John says.

"In other by-elections in this Parliament one of them has fought a seat and the other has fought a paper campaign.

"This is the first time when the parties haven't been able to agree as to who has the better chance.

"Perhaps not surprising as Labour have never won Mid Bedfordshire and the Liberal Democrats were second in the constituency in 2005 and 2010.

Sir John adds the Lib Dems also be wanting to show they can damage Tory strongholds.

Rob Mayor
West Midlands political editor, reporting from Tamworth

With the turnout figures in, a Labour source tells us they are very confident they have taken Tamworth from the Conservatives.

There is still lots of counting to do here, but there are some glum-looking Conservative faces in the hall.

It would mean Labour have overcome a Tory majority of more than 19,000, the sort of result they’ll need to replicate elsewhere if they are to win a general election expected next year.

Ben Schofield
BBC Look East political correspondent, reporting from Shefford, Bedfordshire

Candidates and party activists are somewhat split on who may be ahead in Mid Bedfordshire, but all agree it is looking very close - a far cry from the 24,664 Conservative majority of 2019.

Some are predicting a narrow Conservative victory, others that Labour could squeeze through. But, the hour is still early and counting continues.

One senior local Conservative tells me it is "too close to call".

Amy Holmes
BBC Three Counties Radio political reporter, at the Mid Beds count

Image source, Amy Holmes/BBC

Let's take a moment to share the shoes worn by Reform UK candidate Dave Holland.

Turning to more important matters, he says: "The best we've ever done in a by-election as a party is 6%.

"Anything above 6% would represent growth and progress."

Alan Victor, from the True & Fair Party says: "I think we did as well as we could do under the circumstances.

"We managed to get out and talk to a fair number of constituents."

However, he feels the fight is between the Conservatives and Labour, but the feeling from the big three parties is that it's too close to call.

It feels like a three-horse race, which in Mid Beds is something we've not often been able to say as it's been a Tory seat for more than 90 years.

Tamworth turnout low even for a by-electionpublished at 00:46 British Summer Time 20 October 2023

00:46 BST 20 October 2023

Ione Wells
Political correspondent, reporting from Tamworth

By-election turnouts are always pretty low compared with general elections.

But this one in Tamworth - 35.9% - is pretty low even for a by-election, especially for a closely contested seat.

To put it in context, the by-elections in Uxbridge, Selby and Ainsty and Somerton and Frome were all in the mid 40s. The recent one in Rutherglen was 37.1%.

Only the West Lancashire by-election - a safe Labour seat - had a lower turnout this year.

This was largely what both parties expected and could be due to a number of factors ranging from apathy or a lack of enthusiasm for either major party to the bad weather today.

We've just heard that 44% of registered voters in Mid Beds turned out on Thursday.

Then turnout at the 2019 general election was 73.7%.

Helen Catt
Political correspondent, reporting from Shefford, Bedfordshire

A Liberal Democrats source tells me they think they’ve doubled their vote share in Mid Bedfordshire, but it’s pushed Labour over the line to win.

Sophie Madden
reporting from Tamworth, Staffordshire

The Labour and Conservative candidates haven't arrived in Tamworth - but we've just had a small burst of excitement with the arrival of the Monster Raving Loony Party who cheered themselves into the counting hall.

Their actual candidate, Howling Laud Hope isn't due to attend in person.

Helen Catt
Political correspondent, reporting from Shefford, Bedfordshire

Verification has been done and counting is now starting in Mid Beds. They’re aiming for a declaration time between 01:30 and 02:00 this morning.

Image source, Getty Images

The Liberal Democrats have won four by-elections in this Parliament and will be looking to make these by-elections their fifth and sixth.

Although the Tamworth, Staffordshire, seat looks to be a straight fight between the Conservatives and Labour, Lib Dem MP Sarah Olney says a "strong campaign" has been fought in Mid Bedfordshire.

"It has been a very long campaign, because obviously Nadine Dorries first announced her resignation in June and then took a while to really make good on that," she says.

Olney admits the Mid Bedfordshire contest is "going to be close" but she praised their candidate Emma Holland-Lindsay for being "cheerful" and "professional throughout".

Labour's shadow education secretary Bridget Phillipson says the party's candidates in both Tamworth and Mid Bedfordshire have fought "strong, positive campaigns" focused on "the issues that matter most to voters" including the cost of living, the NHS and crime.

“These are seats we wouldn’t need to win in order to form a majority government," she tells the BBC's by-election special.

"We’re confident with some voters coming towards Labour, whether that’s enough, we’ll have to wait and see."

In Tamworth the Tories have a majority of 19,634 and in Mid Beds it's 24,664, so Labour would need big swings to win these seats.

Sophie Madden
reporting from Tamworth

Image source, PA Media

We have the turnout figure for Tamworth.

It is 35.9% - that's a total of 25,630 votes.

The last time a vote was held here was the 2019 general election where there was a turnout of 64.3%.

Jo Coburn on the BBC's by-elections special has been speaking to MPs from the three main UK parties.

Energy Minister Andrew Bowie says "it is always difficult for a government" in by-elections.

But, Bowie feels both Tory candidates have been “fantastic” and adds that when he has been campaigning with them he feels the two have been able to relate to the electorate.

"We will see what happens," Bowie says.