Bromley, Blaenau Gwent and Burton

11.12.19am BST (GMT +0100) Fri 30th Jun 2006

The Conservatives only just retained their seventeenth safest seat in the country with a tiny 633 majority, despite a huge swing to the Liberal Democrats. In Blaenau Gwent the Independents won both the Westminster and Welsh Assembly seats over Labour with the Liberal Democrats improving their result. In the local by-election in Burton Labour won the seat and the Liberal Democrats polled respectably.

In Bromley the decrease in the Conservative vote is the worst by-election result for the Conservative party in a Tory held seat since Wirral South in February 1997 - the last days of the John Major premiership. Labour was beaten into fourth place. The BBC called it "a stunning result", "a very bad night for David Cameron" and a "very, very good night for the Liberal Democrats".

Sir Menzies Campbell MP said "This is a stupendous result for the Liberal Democrats in one of the safest Conservative seats in the country. It shows that there is no confidence in Cameron's Tories in the Conservative heartlands. Together with the results in Wales there has been a complete rejection of the Labour government following upon the Liberal Democrat success in Dunfermline earlier this year. Liberal Democrats are now challenging both Labour and the Conservatives, even in their heartlands."

Speaking on this morning's BBC Radio 4's Today programme, Conservative party chairman Francis Maude said: "I think it is a bit of a wake-up call for us - that we've got a long way further to go.

The Bromley and Chislehurst by-election result in full:

Conservative - 11,629 votes (39.9% - down 11%)

Ben Abbotts - Liberal Democrat - 10,988 votes (37.7% - up 17%)

UK Independence Party - 2,347 votes (8.1% - up 5%)

Labour - 1,925 votes (6.6% - down 15%)

Green Party - 811 votes

National Front - 476 votes

John Hemming-Clarke - 442 votes

English Democrats Party - 212 votes

Monster Raving Loony Party - 132 votes

Nick Hadziannis - 65 votes

Money Reform Party - 33 votes

Turnout: 40.5%

Swing: 14% Conservative to Lib Dem; 16% Labour to Lib Dem

In Blaenau Gwent both Independent candidates Dai Davies (Westminster) and Trish Law (Welsh Assembly) both won, beating the Labour candidates in both elections with the Liberal Democrats improving their vote.

The Westminster by-election result in full:

Dai Davies - Independent - 12,543 votes

Labour - 10,059 votes

Plaid Cymru - 1,755 votes

Amy Kitcher - Liberal Democrat - 1,477 votes

Conservative - 1,013 votes

Monster Raving Loony Party - 318 votes

The Assembly by-election result in full:

Trish Law - Independent - 13,785 votes

Labour - 9,321 votes

Steve Bard - Liberal Democrat - 2,054 votes

Plaid Cymru - 1,109 votes

Conservative - 816 votes

Green Party - 302 votes

There was also an election in Shobnall on East Staffordshire District Council in Burton. the full result was as follows:

Labour - 581 votes

Conservative - 441 votes

BNP - 291 votes

Michael Rodgers - Liberal Democrat - 102 votes

Turnout 30.6%