Jody Slashes Labour Majority - Tories Plummet to Fourth

2.48.00am BST (GMT +0100) Fri 1st Oct 2004

Jody Dunn slashed the Labour majority to just over 2,000

Jody Dunn took the Liberal Democrats from third place to second in Hartlepool cutting the majority of 17,000 to 2,000 with a swing of 19%. The Tories were pushed from second into fourth place by the Lib Dems and the UK Independence Party.

The result for the Conservatives was worse even than the third places they achieved in the previous three parliamentary by-elections in Brent East, Leicester South and Birmingham Hodge Hill. Lib Dem party president Simon Hughes said:

"The Tories have not just been overtaken, they have been left in the lay-by and overtaken by UKIP.

"It is the only time the Tories have gone from second to fourth since the Tory Party was formed."

Lord Rennard, the Liberal Democrat campaign chief said:

"This has been a solid Labour town for 40 years. We are now seeing a pattern in which the Tories start in second place and end up third, and now fourth".