Labour loses key seat

Sat, May 24 02:00 AM

Prime Minister Gordon Brown suffered another humiliating blow on Friday, when the Labour party lost the by-election from the Crewe and Nantwich seat, which was regarded as its bastion. Labour had never lost this seat since its creation in 1983.

The victory was all the more sweet for the Conservative Party, because of the huge 17.6 per cent vote swing in its favour. The Tory candidate won by 7860 votes.

One MP told HT that he "was frightened by the animosity" some voters expressed against Brown personally. Brown is also losing the support of some of his traditional allies like Brendan Barber, the Trade Union Council general secretar.

Insiders revealed that senior Labour MPs may give Brown one more year to prove himself, and bring about a turnaround in Labour's fortunes.

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