The result has just been declared in South Shields, where, as expected, Labour comfortably held the seat vacated by David Miliband. Party sources had earlier suggested that they expected to poll in the “mid-40s” but in the event, Labour’s vote share fell by just 1.5 per cent to 50.5 per cent.
The real story of the night, however, was UKIP’s performance. The party finished second with 24 per cent of the vote, just four per cent short of its record performance in Eastleigh earlier this year. Given that it had no previous presence in the seat – it didn’t even stand a candidate in 2010 – and that the campaign lasted just 17 days, this is a remarkable achievement, confirming its status as the new protest party of choice in all regions.
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