Hardly a day goes by when Labour Party members don’t emailed en masse by some cabinet minister, senior party apparatchik or other figure within the Labour Party. Often these are of questionable quality. Every second sentence is a request for money. The type of analysis-lite gushy nonsense sent out in these emails would surprise absolutely nobody who has even the most cursory familiarity with New Labour. Particular weaknesses are evident, however, when Tory policy comes into focus. A recent example is the press release about Tory education policy, dated July 15th. It attacks a Tory policy document which suggests culling one-seventh of the number of schools to be rebuilt under Building Schools for the Future. Of course, the small print is that the cull is to reallocate money to the...

Now that a few hours have passed since the sensational results in Norwich North were declared it is worth reflecting on the fortunes of each of the significant parties that contested the seat and what conclusions can be drawn. Conservative – Chloe Smith will enter Parliament as not only the youngest current MP (aged 27) but also the youngest ever Conservative woman to represent the party in the Commons. She grew up locally and attended a comprehensive school before graduating from York University. She is exactly the type of “new” Conservative face that David Cameron is keen to project and I have no doubt that she will play a prominent role in the run up to the next General Election, with appearances on Question Time and other frontline TV programmes. The result was better for the...

9.7% is best ever by-election result for the Green PartyGreen party campaigners were today celebrating their performance in the Norwich North by-election after more than tripling their vote, compared with the 2005 general election.The result was by far the best performance ever for the Green Party in a Westminster by-election.The Green Party received 9.7% of the vote, up from 1,252 in 2005 to 3,350 today.In comparison to 2005, the votes of Conservative, Labour and LibDem parties all went down. The Labour and LibDem vote also fell as a proportion of the turnout.Adrian Ramsay, opposition leader on Norwich council, and the Green Party's deputy leader, said: "This was our best by-election result ever. Our best previous result was 7.4% in the Haltemprice and Howden/David Davis...

As many predicted, an honest man wasn’t returned to parliament in the Norwich North constituency. Instead a woman, Chloe Smith, comfortably won the by-election for the Conservatives. Aged 27, she takes over the mantle of Baby of the House from 29 year old Liberal Democrat Jo Swinson.The Labour candidate was hospitalised with suspected swine flu earlier this week. Not the most positive turn of events for his already difficult campaign. Chris Ostrowski’s wife represented him at this morning’s count.The Telegraph reports that Labour voters - bitterly resentful at the party for making an expenses scapegoat out of their MP - stayed home from the polls in their droves. Had the popular Ian Gibson decided to stand as an independent, Labour would almost certainly could have been pushed into...

Here is the result but what does it mean for politics, parties, policies and people?At the By Election in Norwich North on 23rd July 2009, 34379 votes were cast (approximately 45% of the total number of eligible voters) with the following result:39.5% Chloe Smith (Conservative): 13591 votes (+6.3%).18.2% Chris Ostrowski (Labour): 6243 votes (-26.7%).14% April Pond (Liberal Democrat): 4803 votes (-2.2%).11.8% Glenn Tingle (UK Independence Party): 4068 votes (+9.4%).9.7% Rupert Read (Green Party): 3350 votes (+7%).2.8% Craig Murray (Put An Honest Man into Parliament): 953 votes.2.7% Robert West (British National Party): 941 votes.0.5% Bill Holden (Independent Candidate): 166 votes (-0.2%).0.4% Laud Howling (Official Monster Raving Loony Party): 144 votes.0.2% Anne Fryatt (None of The Above...

Congratulations to our terrific new MP Chloe Smith – the youngest in the House of Commons – who achieved an outstanding result in Norwich North beyond our wildest dreams. Chloe won 13,591 votes in the by election – more than twice as many as Labour candidate Chris Ostrowski, with a swing from Labour to the Tories of 16.5% on a turnout of 45%. Labour was down 26.7 per cent on the general election; it was an humiliating defeat. Here is a link to Chloe’s victory speech in which she describes the honest way she plans to represent the local community – or they can boot her out if she feels she hasn’t kept her promise at the next election. Hopefully this victory in Norwich North will be followed by the same result in the neighbouring constituency of Norwich South at next...

In a nation oppressed by recession, infected by swine flu, disillusioned by expenses-gate and depressed by Gordon Brown, it was always going to be difficult for Labour to win the Norwich North by-election.But the extent of the collapse of the Labour vote is an unmitigated disaster and an unqualified humiliation for the party of Government. Labour secured just 19.5 per cent of the vote, as against 44 per cent at the last general election. How many disasters and humiliations does Gordon Brown have to endure before he gets the message? Basking in the glory of this well-deserved Conservative victory - a very convincing 7000 majority - Cranmer sends his sincerest congratulations to Cloë Smith, who, at the tender age of 27, becomes the ‘baby of the House’. He thanks the constituency’s...

It's no surprise that the Conservatives have won Norwich North from Labour. All the odds were stacked against Labour having offed a popular and rooted left MP at just the time when the government nationally is about as unpopular as it could be.Results; Conservative Chloe Smith 13,591 39.54% Labour Chris Ostrowski 6,243 18.16% Liberal Democrat April Pond 4,803 13.97% UKIP Glenn Tingle 4,068 11.83% Green Rupert Read 3,350 9.74% Put an honest man into Parliament Craig Murray 953 2.77% BNP Robert West 941 2.74% Independent Bill Holden 166 0.48% MRLP Alan Hope 144 0.42% NOTA Anne Fryatt 59 0.17% Libertarian Thomas Burridge 36 0.10% Independent Peter...

Tories' Chloe Smith clinches the seat in first electoral test since expenses scandal rocked WestminsterDavid Cameron has inflicted a humiliating byelection defeat on Gordon Brown as the Conservatives beat Labour into second place in Norwich North.In the first electoral test since the MPs' expenses scandal rocked Westminster, the Tories' Chloe Smith won the Norfolk seat with a majority of 7,348 and, at the age of 27, becomes the youngest MP in the Commons.Labour's defeat, in a seat held comfortably by the party since 1997, is the fifth byelection blow Brown has suffered since he took over the reins at No 10.If the result was repeated across the country in a general election, the Tories would be swept to power with a Commons majority of 218, analysis by the Press Association news agency...

Here’s the result of the Norwich North by-election. In spectacularly uncoordinated fashion, all the LDV team are otherwise occupied this afternoon – so use this thread to pass your comment on the result… The tension is clearly mounting over on Nich Starling’s twitter account, with the news expected “within five minutes” over half an hour ago. Meanwhile over on the BBC, the Lib Dems have been squeezed out of the report entirely, with the reporter on the spot still thinking Labour could come second: At the count in Norwich BBC correspondent Carole Walker said it looked as though Labour would come second, after earlier speculation it could be pushed into third, but the Labour vote had slumped. Now Nich is announcing a 7,000 majority for the Tories....

Live coverage from the count with Andrew Sparrow12.45pm: I've just had one of those very peculiar conversations with a Tory spin doctor who's in London. "Well, officially we're still saying it's very tight," he said. I could hear him smirking.It sounds as if David Cameron is about to renew his demand for an immediate general election.12.45pm: The agents have been summoned. The returning officer is about to give them the result.12.39pm: The broadcasters have been told that David Cameron is definitely coming up to Norwich to do a lap of victory at some point this afternoon.12.36pm: There's been speculation about Ukip beating the Greens. But the Tories tell me that the Greens are in fourth place, with Ukip behind them.12.30pm: Nick Robinson has written a jolly blog explaining how you should...

• Turnout was expected to be well down on the 2005 general election• A senior Tory source predicted a "tight finish" with just 40% of the electorate casting their voteGordon Brown is bracing himself for defeat in the Norwich North byelection as counting begins in what will be the first electoral test since the MPs expenses scandal rocked Westminster.The byelection in Norwich North, comfortably held by Labour since 1997, was caused by the resignation of Ian Gibson, who quit after Labour ruled that he would not be allowed to stand at the next election because he used parliamentary expenses to fund a flat which he subsequently sold at a discount to his daughter.The Tories were confident that their candidate, Chloe Smith, 27, will win today, though were nervous of comparisons with the...

Tory candidate expected to win in poll triggered by resignation of MP caught up in expenses scandalGordon Brown is bracing himself for electoral defeat as polls opened today in the Norwich North byelection.Labour has held the seat comfortably since 1997 but the party is expected to pay a heavy price for the MPs' expenses controversy in the first Westminster byelection since the Commons was rocked by the scandal.David Cameron is due to visit the constituency for the sixth time this morning, giving a final boost to a campaign seen by Conservative headquarters as an important test of the party's ability to withstand a Labour attack based on a "Tory cuts" message.Unusually, the votes will be counted tomorrow rather than at the close of the polls this evening, partly because staffing a daytime...

It has just been reported that the liefilth candidate in the Norwich North by election may have swine...

Poor Labour. Not only do they face losing the Norwich North by-election, but their candidate Chris Ostrowski has gone down with suspected swine flu. (Genuine sympathies to him for a speedy recovery). Today’s Eastern Daily Press assesses the currrent state of play HERE, including this snippet: Private Lib Dem canvassing suggests that the party is lying second to the Tories, on 24pc. But other party canvassers report that the Greens are performing strongly in traditional Labour areas. (Actually I’m not sure there’s necessarily a discrepancy between those two reports). Vince is, as ever, ready with a quote: We know [Labour's] support is crumbling and it’s coming to our advantage, but we won’t know until Thursday just how deep that is. I think there are still...

15-year-old girl in 'hotspot' Glasgow latest victimBritain's death toll from swine flu reached 30 today when a 15-year-old girl from Glasgow was confirmed as the latest victim of the pandemic, which has claimed the lives of more than 700 people worldwide.The teenager, who is not being named at her family's request, diedtoday, a week after being admitted to the Royal Hospital for Sick Children in Glasgow. Like most of the previous victims, she had other underlying medical conditions.The girl is the fourth fatality from Glasgow, which is one of the UK's swine flu "hotspots". Her death raises fresh fears that the virus, while relatively mild for most people, can be more dangerous for children.Nicola Sturgeon, the Scottish health secretary, said: "The tragic death of this young girl is...

The catastrophic state of public finances were revealed today, just in time for Parliament to escape for its summer recess and avoid the embarassing questions surrounding the loss of the nations capital, pensions and collective savings.Any way, you look at the picture, the view is a bleak one, with one million people now reportedly on part-time working. At the same time people are still failing to grasp the extent of the mess we are in and the equally harsh fact that local councils are in much the same position as the average household, in having to count the pennies very carefully indeed.Why can't you do 'this' or 'that' people ask me? The answer is that there's no money available to do what everyone asks and we can't get an Ocean Finance loan either! McAfferty's cat, otherwise Gordon...

Chris Ostrowski, who is standing for Labour in the Norwich North byelection, taken to hospital 48 hours before polling dayLabour's candidate in this week's Norwich North byelection is being treated for suspected swine flu, the party said today.A spokesman for the Norwich North Labour campaign said: "We can confirm that Chris Ostrowski is being treated for a suspected case of swine flu."This was confirmed by doctors at the Norfolk and Norwich hospital after Chris felt unwell and was taken there earlier today. He collapsed at home and was taken to hospital by ambulance."Chris is receiving world class care from an excellent team of doctors, nurses and staff. Clearly, our priority is to ensure that nobody falls ill from swine flu unnecessarily and we will follow the medical advice and take...

There was an interesting debate on BBC Look East between the main contenders for the Norwich North by-election yesterday. You can watch it here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b00lvxwg/Look_East_Special It was interesting that the first thing Chris Ostrowski was keen to stress was how he would vote against the Government....

I can’t blame Ian Gibson, Norwich North MP, for his “stuff ‘em!” attitude after being deselected by Labour over the expenses row. However, his clear lack of public support for his would-be replacement Chris Ostrowski has certainly helped our very capable and stunning candidate Chloe Smith, who has had the full support of the top Tory machinery to help her snatch Gibson’s seat. Neighbouring MP Charles Clarke’s efforts to persuade Gibson to come out in support of Chris has fallen on deaf ears, even though Chris has been told he has it. And Rod Liddle’s pleas to Gibson about this were ignored too – and he called him at least 14 times! Ostrowski must be tearing his hair out as not only Gibson, but also Gordon Brown and Peter Mandelson have failed to visit Norwich and plead...

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/norfolk/8152523.stm15:27 GMT, Thursday, 16 July 2009 16:27 UKDebate rages over academy schoolsBy Nic RigbyBBC News, NorwichOne of the big education issues for parents in Norwich North - where aby-election is taking place next week - is that of academy schools.These schools, originally called city academies when first establishedin 2000, are state-funded privately run schools with outside sponsors.In Norwich, Heartsease High School became the Open Academy in 2008despite opposition from parents and teachers. Controversy dogged theprocess and its first principal has since departed.Heartsease received extra investment from the government and sponsorsthe Bishop of Norwich and Christian businessman Graham Dacre. Thepupils had new uniforms and the...

For 10 years, John Prescott acted as a steward on the high seas. It seems as Labour steers its very unsteady ship over the troubled waters of Norwich North, its candidate in the by-election, Chris Ostrowski, is following in the former deputy prime minister's footsteps. Whilst the Labour big-wigs plot and scheme over lunch in a local hostelry, Mr Ostrowski is busy going backwards and forwards to the bar, carrying drinks and attending to their every need. Not so the Conservative candidate, Chloe Smith, who is at the heart of the party's campaign. An attractive woman she may be, but the Tory Party doesn't expect her to act as an unpaid waitress. What does this say about Labour's view of Mr...

I have yet to get to Norwich North to help Conservative candidate Chloe Smith (left) but still very much intend to do so. My article is therefore based on news reports and comments from friends who have been. There has been all sorts of rumour and gossip flying around about various candidates and there has been the suggestion that dirty tricks are being employed to smear opponents. The first one to grab my attention was the suggestion that the UKIP candidate Glenn Tingle had in the past been a member of the National Front but had resigned when he decided to join the Army. This has now rather belatedly, been strenuously denied by UKIP and Mr Tingle, and in the absence of the promised evidence in the form of a letter, we should attribute this to smear tactics. Interestingly only the...

ToryDiary: Does the Telegraph have the right recipe on MPs' pay and allowances to restore public confidence? David Cameron on Platform replies to Tim Montgomerie's open letter on patriotism and says that he is proud to be BritishSeats and Candidates: Totnes will select its candidate via the first ever all-postal Open Primary of a constituency's entire electorate The journalists and television presenters in the likely next intake of Conservative MPs Local Government: Labour MP defends the tower blocks of Hammersmith and Fulham There are 200 more blocks in Southwark like Lakanal House Harry Phibbs on CentreRight notes WIlliam Hague's warning that it will require a "Herculean effort" to win the election WATCH: John Whittingdale explains why the Culture, Media and Sport select committee...

              The nominations for the Norwich North by-election closed today and there is a pretty full line up to chose from. The full list of candidates is:             Conservative – Chloe Smith             Labour – Chris Ostrowski             Lib Dem – April Pond             Green – Cllr Robert Read             UKIP – Glenn Tingle             BNP – Rev Robert West             Monster Raving Loony – Laud Howling             Libertarian Party – Thomas Burridge             Independent – Craig Murray               Independent – Anne Fryatt             Independent – Peter Baggs             Independent – Bill Holden...

BBC News has the list of candidates in the by-election (polling is on 23 July):Peter Baggs (Independent)Thomas Burridge (Libertarian Party)Anne Fryatt (None of The Above Party)Bill Holden (Independent)Laud Howling (The Official Monster Raving Loony Party)Craig Murray (Put An Honest Man into Parliament)Chris Ostrowski (Labour)April Pond (Liberal Democrat)Rupert Read (Green)Chloe Smith (Conservative)Glenn Tingle (UK Independence Party)Robert West (British National Party)Note that Ian Gibson is not...

  The invitation to sign a pledge to run a clean campaign in the by-election, proposed by Rupert Read, the Green Party candidate in Norwich North, has set the other parties thinking.   Conservative candidate Chloe Smith has decided that she'll sign. Lib-Dem candidate April Pond has decided that she won't. Labour candidate Chris Ostrowski says the pledge (full text below) doesn't go far enough and proposes an extra pledge of his own.   Mr Ostrowski says candidates should pledge that if they are elected, their work as an MP should be their only job.   The Green candidate, Rupert Read, is happy to accept that suggestion and is prepared to sign that pledge.   He has made the same undertaking in a leaflet which is already being delivered in the...

by Jimmy Lee ShreeveI’m as mad as Richard Dawkins after having had a visitation from God. Why? Because the main candidates in the Norwich North by-election, to be held on July 23rd, are so boring.The Tory candidate, 27-year-old Chloe Smith, for example, looks set to pull a victory, and achieve her long-held ambition of nabbing a seat in the Commons. But come on Norwich North citizens – do you really want a deadly dull management consultant representing you?And the dismal Labour candidate, Chris Ostrowski, a 28-year-old University of East Anglia graduate who works at department store John Lewis’, is no better. You’d find more life in Michael Jackson’s 14 carat gold plated coffin.But it’s very likely one or other of these straight-laced dullards will win. Still Norwich North...

By Jimmy Lee ShreeveThe battle lines are drawn in the Norwich North by-election fight to nab the seat left empty by Labour’s Ian Gibson, who was forced to resign over the MPs expenses scandal.The odds-on favourite to win the hotly-contested seat, which will be fought on July 23rd, is 27-year-old Conservative Chloe Smith, who has fierce ambition for a career in politics written all over her (this isn’t a good thing, in case you were wondering).The hapless Labour candidate, Chris Ostrowski, a member of Labour’s Christian Socialist movement (Christ, not more Christians), isn’t considered to have a hope in hell – even Gordon Brown is tetchily refusing to discuss his chances.David Cameron, who has visited Norwich North twice to support Chloe Smith, thinks his party has the contest in...

The sudden stuff-and-nonsens about where Chloe Smith, the Tory candidate in the Norwich North by-election, is amusing to say the least. Egged on by blogs - not least fellow candidate Craig Murray and LibDem Nich Starling (who is, to be fair, providing good coverage of the by-election) - it cannot be long before this hits the print media. It would be ridiculous if it does. If a Staffer is going wobbly they shouldn't be; because Chloe is utterly relaxed and honest about this.When the Norwich South office took a call about this, I text Chloe to ask her where she was born. In a breath, she replied that she was born in Kent, moved to Norfolk aged 3 and now lives in the City. Sorted then.In some ways, a story about who-is-most-local won't do the Tory campaign any harm. Chris Ostrowski is...