Peterborough by-election: Labour beats Brexit Party to hold seat

[Denzil_DC]

2. I'm mainly relieved the Brexit Party didn't manage to capitalize on the situation.

If they'd won their first MP, we'd never have heard about anything else over the summer, even before they bother drawing up a manifesto.

As it is, they're having to console themselves with a good showing for a new party. But if they can't win at Westminster in fertile ground for them like Peterborough with the previous MP being disgraced, then it looks like they still have quite a hill to climb. And the longer it is before their next crack at electoral success, the more chance people will have to take a good look at them and what their candidates actually stand for and the more time for the inevitable infighting and scandals to break out.

I'm not overjoyed with a Labour win given the party's indecipherable stance on Brexit, but it seems the Tories have plenty to worry about as they wage their leadership election.