Labour lose Hartlepool to the Conservative Party

The Conservatives have beaten Labour in the Hartlepool by-election, with a Tory MP elected for the first time in the current constituency's history. Tory candidate Jill Mortimer - who defeated Labour rival Paul Williams by nearly 7,000 votes - hailed the result as a "truly historic" moment. It comes as a blow to Sir Keir Starmer's efforts to win back support in traditional Labour heartlands.