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Labour has taken Kingswood from the Conservatives, in another by-election victory for Sir Keir Starmer’s party.

Damien Egan won 11,176 votes, while Tory candidate Sam Bromiley polled 8,675, giving Labour a majority of 2,501.

The seat in Gloucestershire had been held by Tory MP Chris Skidmore since 2010, but he quit in January in protest over government legislation to boost North Sea oil and gas drilling.

By-election results live: Follow updates here

Kingswood by-election full results

  • Damien Egan – Labour Party – 11,176
  • Sam Bromiley – Conservative Party – 8,675
  • Rupert Lowe – Reform UK – 2,578
  • Lorraine Francis – Green Party – 1,450
  • Andrew Brown – Lib Dems – 861
  • David Wood – UKIP – 129

The former energy minister had increased his share of the vote at each of the four elections in the past 13 years, from 40% in 2010 to 49% in 2015, 55% in 2017 and 56% in 2019.

Sir Keir said: “This is a fantastic result in Kingswood that shows people are ready to put their trust in a Labour government.

“By winning in this Tory stronghold, we can confidently say that Labour is back in the service of working people and we will work tirelessly to deliver for them.

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“To those who have put their trust in us, you can be safe in the knowledge that the Labour Party will deliver on your priorities. Labour will give Britain its future back.”

Notably, Reform UK – previously the Brexit Party – came in third place, winning 2,578 votes – the first time their vote share at a by-election has surpassed 10%.

This means that the total of the Conservative and Reform vote equates to more than the Labour vote.

A Labour source told Sky News they believed they had won the seat at around 1.30am – the results were announced at around 1.50am.

Before 2010, Labour had won the seat at every general election since 1992.

The turnout this time was 24,905 – which equates to around 37.1% of eligible voters in the constituency.

This is a significant drop of 34 percentage points from the 2019 general election.

To win, Labour needed a swing in the share of the vote of 11.4 percentage points – equivalent to a net change of 12 in every 100 people who voted Conservative in 2019 switching sides.

Provisional calculations show the swing ended up being 16.4 from the Conservatives to Labour.

In total, the Conservative Party’s vote share fell by 21.3 percentage points, meanwhile the Labour Party’s vote increased by 11.5 percentage points.

The Liberal Democrats vote fell by 3.4 points, and the Green Party went up by 3.4 points.

Votes are counted for the Kingswood by-election at the Thornbury Leisure Centre, Gloucestershire.
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Votes are counted for the Kingswood by-election at the Thornbury Leisure Centre, Gloucestershire. Pic: PA


Speaking after his election, Mr Egan said: “Thank you for giving me your trust and for allowing me to serve the community I’m from.

“It’s a trust that I promise to repay, to show that politics can be different and can make a difference.”

He added: “Fourteen years of Conservative government have sucked the hope out of our country.

“There’s a feeling that no matter how hard you work, you just can’t move forward, and with Rishi’s recession we are left once again paying more and getting less.”

While the Kingswood seat is disappearing at the next general election due to boundary changes, Mr Egan is standing for Bristol North East, which contains much of the same electorate.

Mr Bromiley left the hall where the vote was being counted within seconds of the declaration, with the door shut behind him to prevent journalists from following him.

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UK restores diplomatic ties with Syria

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UK restores diplomatic ties with Syria

The UK has re-established diplomatic ties with Syria, David Lammy has said, as he made the first visit to the country by a British minister for 14 years.

The foreign secretary visited Damascus and met with interim president Ahmed al Sharaa, also the leader of the rebel group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), and foreign minister Asaad al Shaibani.

It marks the latest diplomatic move since Bashar al Assad’s regime was toppled by rebel groups led by HTS in December.

In a statement, Mr Lammy said a “stable Syria is in the UK’s interests” and added: “I’ve seen first-hand the remarkable progress Syrians have made in rebuilding their lives and their country.

“After over a decade of conflict, there is renewed hope for the Syrian people.

“The UK is re-establishing diplomatic relations because it is in our interests to support the new government to deliver their commitment to build a stable, more secure and prosperous future for all Syrians.”

Foreign Secretary David Lammy shakes hands with Syrian interim president Ahmed al-Sharaa in Damascus. Pic: X / @DavidLammy
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Foreign Secretary David Lammy with Syria’s interim president Ahmed al Sharaa in Damascus. Pic: X / @DavidLammy

The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office has also announced a £94.5m support package for urgent humanitarian aid and to support the country’s long-term recovery, after a number of British sanctions against the country were lifted in April.

While HTS is still classified as a proscribed terror group, Sir Keir Starmer said last year that it could be removed from the list.

The Syrian president’s office also said on Saturday that the president and Mr Lammy discussed co-operation, as well as the latest developments in the Middle East.

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Since Assad fled Syria in December, a transitional government headed by Mr al Sharaa was announced in March and a number of western countries have restored ties.

In May, US President Donald Trump said the United States would lift long-standing sanctions on Syria and normalise relations during a speech at the US-Saudi investment conference.

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From May: Trump says US will end sanctions for Syria

He said he wanted to give the country “a chance at peace” and added: “There is a new government that will hopefully succeed.

“I say good luck, Syria. Show us something special.”

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Secret Service seizes $400M in crypto, cold wallet among world’s largest

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Secret Service seizes 0M in crypto, cold wallet among world’s largest

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Secret Service quietly amasses one of the world’s largest crypto cold wallets with $400 million seized, exposing scams through blockchain sleuthing and VPN missteps.

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Crypto’s path to legitimacy runs through the CARF regulation

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Crypto’s path to legitimacy runs through the CARF regulation

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The CARF regulation, which brings crypto under global tax reporting standards akin to traditional finance, marks a crucial turning point.

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