Mid Bedfordshire by-election result has made history, says Labour’s Alistair Strathern

Labour’s Alistair Strathern said his victory in the Mid Bedfordshire by-election had “made history” and sent a “resounding message”.

The Tories had held Mid Bedfordshire since 1931, with a 24,664 Conservative majority in 2019.

But Mr Strathern took the seat with a majority of 1,192 over his Tory rival Festus Akinbusoye, with a swing of 20.5 percentage points to Labour.

Giving his victory speech on Thursday, the newest Labour MP said: “Tonight residents across Mid Bedfordshire have made history, after decades of being taken for granted, feeling left behind, being under-represented, they made a decision it was time for a change.

“Nowhere is off limits for this Labour Party and tonight’s result proves it.”