Roundup: By-election results strengthen May's grip on power, disaster for Labour: analysts

Theresa May's ruling Conservative Party won a stunning by-election victory Friday, taking a House of Commons seat held by the main opposition Labour Party since 1935.

But there was some comfort for Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn after his party held on to a parliamentary seat in the English city of Stoke. His candidate had faced a fierce battle with UKIP, the party that campaigned for Britain to leave Europe.

UKIP chairman Paul Nuttall saw Stoke as providing his party with the best chance of doubling the single seat currently held by the party in the House of Commons.

Holding on to Stoke was some consolation for Corbyn, with political commentators predicting Labour would lose both of the seats it was contesting in Thursday's two by-elections, which would have threatened Corbyn's leadership of Labour where he remains estranged from many of his own members of parliament (MPs).

As the two results were announced in the early hours of Friday, it proved to be a night of mixed fortunes in the political arena.

In the first result to be announced in Stoke, famed across the world for its iconic pottery industry, Labour's Gareth Snell won with a comfortable majority of 2,630. UKIP's Nuttall came second, but just 79 votes more than the third placed Conservative.

The scenic Lake District saw the second battle with Labour battling to save its seat in the Copeland constituency held by the party for more than 80 years.

The area is dominated by its nuclear energy installations, the town's biggest employer, with many people believing Corbyn's stance of nuclear weapons a factor in his party's defeat.

The Conservative Trudy Harrison beat her main challenger Labour's Gillian Troughton with a majority of 2,147.

The dust has yet to settle on the results with opposing politicians engaged in a furious war of words over the results.

Former chancellor of the exchequer George Osborne commented on social media "How much longer is the Labour movement going to put up with its utterly useless, shambolic and frankly embarrassing leadership?"

Labour supporting Daily Mirror newspaper was also scathing towards the result in Copeland. Political commentator Kevin Maguire said two words sum up Labour's humiliation "Jeremy" and "Corbyn."

Labour's shadow chancellor John McDonnell expressed disappointment at the result in Copeland, but insisted it was not a judgment on Corbyn's leadership.

"We are in a difficult period over these last 20 months because of these leadership challenges and the divisions that have been sown within our party," said McDonnell.

UKIP chairman Paul Oakden said the party's failure to win a seat in Thursday's by-elections was disappointing but not desperate for the party. He insisted UKIP was "absolutely behind" Paul Nuttall who recently succeeded Nigel Farage as leader.

Election expert Prof. John Curtice from Scotland's Strathclyde University said the result for the Conservatives in Copeland was the best by-election performance by a governing party since 1966. The result, said one commentator, strengthened British Prime Minister Theresa May's grip on power. Enditem