Labour wins back ‘red wall’ seat Blackpool South after byelection

Chris Webb’s victory with more than 7,500-vote majority may be sign of voters in poorer areas ditching Conservatives

Labour has regained the seat of Blackpool South in Thursday’s parliamentary byelection, in a fresh blow to Rishi Sunak’s leadership.

The local and firm favourite Chris Webb won with 10,825 votes, followed by David Jones, the Conservative candidate, with a distant 3,218 votes, who finished narrowly ahead of the Reform candidate, Mark Butcher, on 3,101 votes.