The prime minister has described the early election results as 'very encouraging' after Labour suffered a humiliating byelection defeat in Hartlepool. The Tories won 15,529 votes, with Labour recording 8,589, according to official results. Speaking during a visit to Severn Trent academy in Coventry, Boris Johnson attributed the victory to his government's focus on 'people's priorities' and 'bouncing back from the pandemic'

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Labour crashes to humiliating byelection defeat in Hartlepool ► https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2021/may/07/hartlepool-byelection-result-labour-starmer-conservatives

Elections 2021 – live updates ► https://www.theguardian.com/politics/live/2021/may/07/elections-2021-latest-results-scotland-england-wales-hartlepool-labour-conservatives-snp-live

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