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Labour has comfortably held on to its seat in Stretford and Urmston, in its second by-election victory in two weeks. 

Andrew Western, who is the leader of Trafford Council, retained the Greater Manchester constituency with a majority of nearly 10,000.

He secured 69.65% of the votes, up 9.34% on the snap general election three years ago, and with a 10.5% swing from Conservatives to Labour.

Tory candidate Emily Carter-Kandola came in second with 2,922 and a 15.86% share of the vote.

Labour’s winning candidate said his victory shows 12 years of Conservative government is coming to an end.

After thanking his mother for her support, Mr Western said: “There has been a strong message sent with the result this evening.

“And the people of Stretford and Urmston do not just speak for this constituency but for millions more people up and down the land, who know that this Government has been letting us down for the past 12 years.

“Twelve failing years of Conservative government, coming to an end.”

Mr Western, continuing his victory speech, added: “The Tories have given up on governing and it is increasingly clear that the British people are giving up on them.

“Labour stands ready to deliver for our country and only Labour has a plan for working people and to create a fairer, greener, future.

“It is clear from this result tonight, and indeed the result two weeks ago in Chester, that people are ready for a Labour government, and let the message go out tonight that Labour are ready to govern. Thank you.”

Read more:
Is dramatic fall in votes cast a bad sign for Labour’s election aspirations?

The by-election was triggered after Labour former minister Kate Green resigned in November to become Greater Manchester deputy mayor.

Nine candidates were in the running to succeed her as the MP for the Labour stronghold.

The by-election marks Rishi Sunak’s second test at the ballot box since he became prime minister and comes as the UK grapples with the cost of living crisis, soaring inflation and a growing wave of industrial action.

Analysis by Prof Michael Thrasher, Sky News elections analyst

The Conservative to Labour swing is 10.5, lower than the 13.6 recorded in Chester two weeks ago but impressive enough given that Stretford and Urmston is a much safer seat, making it harder for Labour to squeeze the Conservatives.

The comparison with Chester, a by-election result that made us contemplate the chance of an outright parliamentary victory for Labour, is a fair one.

The Conservative by-election share fell to 58% of its 2019 vote share in both Chester and Stretford & Urmston.

Sitting Conservative MPs doing the same calculation for their own constituencies, even those in so-called safe seats, will know they face a rough journey between now and their next encounter with the electorate.

The fly in the ointment is the dramatic fall in voter turnout. This fell by almost 44 percentage points, to a miserly 25.7%.

Read Michael Thrasher’s full analysis

In the last by-election, in the City of Chester two weeks ago, Samantha Dixon hold the seat for Labour after a contest was triggered by the resignation of Christian Matheson after complaints of serious sexual misconduct were upheld by the Commons standards body.

That was the first by-election since Boris Johnson’s dramatic exit from No 10 and the market chaos that came to define Liz Truss’s short stint in the top job.

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Labour was expected to win, but the margin was bigger than in 2019 while for the Tories it represented the worst result for the Conservatives in Chester since 1832.

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Jaguar Land Rover to ‘pause’ US shipments over Donald Trump tariffs

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Jaguar Land Rover to 'pause' US shipments over Donald Trump tariffs

Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) has said it will “pause” shipments to the US as the British car firm works to “address the new trading terms” of Donald Trump’s tariffs.

The US president has introduced a 25% levy on all foreign cars imported into the country, which came into force on Thursday.

JLR, one of the country’s biggest carmakers, exported about 38,000 cars to the US in the third quarter of 2024 – almost equal to the amount sold to the UK and the EU combined.

Follow live updates: Trump’s baseline 10% tariff kicks in

In a statement on Saturday, a spokesperson for the company behind the Jaguar, Land Rover and Range Rover brands said: “The USA is an important market for JLR’s luxury brands.

“As we work to address the new trading terms with our business partners, we are taking some short-term actions including a shipment pause in April, as we develop our mid- to longer-term plans.”

The company released a statement last week before Mr Trump announced a “baseline” 10% tariff on goods from around the world, which kicked in on Saturday morning, on what he called “liberation day”.

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JLR reassured customers its business was “resilient” and “accustomed to changing market conditions”.

“Our priorities now are delivering for our clients around the world and addressing these new US trading terms,” the firm said.

Trading across the world has been hit by Mr Trump’s tariff announcement at the White House on Wednesday.

All but one stock on the FTSE 100 fell on Friday – with Rolls-Royce, banks and miners among those to suffer the sharpest losses.

Read more: A red wall on Wall Street – but Trump seems to believe it will work out

Cars are the top product exported from the UK to the US, with exports worth £8.3bn in the year to the end of September 2024, according to data from the Office for National Statistics.

For UK carmakers, the US is the second largest export market behind the European Union.

Industry groups have previously warned the tariffs will force firms to rethink where they trade, while a report by thinktank the Institute for Public Policy Research said more than 25,000 car manufacturing jobs in the UK could be at risk.

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Two people die after caravan fire at holiday park in Lincolnshire

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Two people die after caravan fire at holiday park in Lincolnshire

Two people have died following a fire at a caravan site near Skegness, Lincolnshire Police have said.

In a statement, officers said they were called at 3.53am on Saturday to a report of a blaze at Golden Beach Holiday Park in the village of Ingoldmells.

Fire and rescue crews attended the scene, and two people were found to have died.

They were reported to be a 10-year-old girl and a 48-year-old man.

The force said the victims’ next of kin have been informed and will be supported by specially trained officers.

Officers are trying to establish the exact cause of the blaze.

“We are at the very early stages of our investigation and as such we are keeping an open mind,” the force said.

Two fire crews remain at the scene.

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Boy dies after ‘getting into difficulty’ in lake in southeast London

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Boy dies after 'getting into difficulty' in lake in southeast London

A 15-year-old boy has died after “getting into difficulty” in a lake in southeast London, police say.

Officers and paramedics were called shortly after 3pm on Friday to Beckenham Place Park in Lewisham.

The Metropolitan Police said a boy “was recovered from the lake” at around 10.42pm the same day.

“He was taken to hospital where he was sadly pronounced dead. His death is being treated as unexpected but not believed to be suspicious,” according to the force.

The boy’s family has been told and are being supported by specialist officers.

The force originally said the child was 16 years old, but has since confirmed his age as 15.

In the earlier statement, officers said emergency services carried out a search and the park was evacuated.

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google street view inside Beckenham Place park, Lewisham where a 16 y/o boy is missing after getting into difficulty in a lake
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Emergency teams were called to Beckenham Place Park on Friday afternoon

Beckenham Place Park, which borders the London borough of Bromley, covers around 240 acres, according to the park’s website.

The lake is described as 285 metres long, reaching depths of up to 3.5 metres.

It is designed as a swimming lake for open-water swimming and paddle boarding.

A London Ambulance Service spokesperson said on Friday: “We were called at 3.02pm this afternoon to reports of a person in the water.

“We sent resources to the scene, including an ambulance crew, an incident response officer and members of our hazardous area response team.”

Emergency teams have not explained how the boy entered the water, or whether he was accompanied by others.

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