UKIP Just Won Its First MP In The House Of Commons

Douglas Carswell returned triumphant. But it was a terrible night for the Conservatives and Labour.

Stefan Wermuth / Reuters

CLACTON-ON-SEA – Douglas Carswell last night won a by-election in Clacton, in the process becoming UKIP's first MP to be elected to parliament and scaring both Labour and the Conservatives.

Carswell, who defected from the Tories to UKIP in August before promptly calling a by-election, won 21,113 votes to the Conservatives' 8,709.

The enormous majority of almost 12,000 votes was more than double what the Conservatives were hoping for and will make it much harder for David Cameron's party to retake the seat at the 2015 general election.

In a separate by-election, UKIP also came within 600 votes of taking Heywood & Middleton, a supposedly safe Labour constituency near Manchester, demonstrating how Nigel Farage's party poses a threat to all parts of the political spectrum.

In his victory speech, Carswell said UKIP must be "a party for all Britain and all Britons" and promised to shake up Westminster.

Stefan Wermuth / Reuters

Labour finished a distant third place, with the Greens in fourth and the Lib Dems in fifth.

Jim Waterson @jimwaterson

Clacton result. UKIP: 21,113 Lib Dem: 483 Loony: 127 Rose (I): 56 Sizer (I): 205 Green: 688 Tory: 8,709 Labour: 3,957

01:44 AM - 10 Oct 2014