Peterborough by-election result: Labour narrowly defeats Brexit Party to hold seat

Labour has narrowly defeated the Brexit Party to hold its seat in the Peterborough by-election.

The seat was won by Labour’s Lisa Forbes, who received 10,484 votes with a majority of 683.

Mike Greene of Nigel Farage’s Brexit Party came in close second with 9,801 votes. Paul Bristow for the Conservatives came in third place with 7,243 votes.

The contest, the results of which were revealed in the early hours of Friday, was called after former MP Fiona Onasanya was forced out following a conviction for lying over a speeding offence.

In her victory address, Ms Forbes hailed the result and the defeat of the Brexit Party.

“Despite the differing opinions across our city, the fact that the Brexit Party have been rejected here in Peterborough shows that the politics of division will not win,” she said.

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn said the result was a “great win” for a “people powered campaign”.

“Peterborough has shown clear support for Labour’s programme to end austerity and invest in services and communities, rejecting a decade of Tory cuts and their disastrous handling of Brexit,” he said.

“In this key seat, the Conservatives have been pushed to the margins.

“This result shows that in spite of the divisions and deadlock over Brexit, when it comes to a vote on the issues that directly affect people’s lives, Labour’s case for real change has strong support across the country.”

Labour’s vote share fell by more than 17 percentage points from the 2017 general election while that of the Conservatives was down by more than 25 points.

The Brexit Party captured a 29 per cent share of the vote, while Labour had 31 per cent.