Ashley Dalton secured a comfortable victory in this week's West Lancashire by-election.
The Labour candidate won 14,068 votes to become the constituency's new MP, replacing Rosie Cooper. Though turnout was slightly lower than expected, Ms Dalton's 62.3% share of the vote represented a 10% upward swing from the party's performance in the seat at the 2019 general election.
West Lancashire is a safe Labour seat that has been held by the party since 1992, but Thursday's (February 9) by-election also saw the Conservatives' worst-ever performance in the constituency. Candidate Mike Prendergast received just 5,742 votes, representing a 25.4% share.