Crewe - new Labour's tipping point?
Updated on 23 May 2008
The Conservatives' by-election victory in the formerly safe Labour seat of Crewe and Nantwich prompts David Cameron to declare the new Labour project dead.
To Gordon Brown it was a protest vote because of worries about the economy. To David Cameron it represented "the end of new Labour".
Labour was trounced in Crewe and Nantwich, giving the Conservatives their first by-election victory in 26 years. The Tories overturned a Labour majority of 7,000 to win by nearly 8,000 votes. That represented a swing of 17.6 per cent.
It was a disastrous result for Gordon Brown, prompting further speculation about his leadership.
One Labour MP said it was time a cabinet minister launched a leadership challenge to save the party from a general election disaster, while Mr Brown's deputy conceded that there were "discordant voices" among Labour MPs.
