Lib Dem win in Cheadle by-election - Labour loses deposit!

4.40.27pm BST (GMT +0100) Fri 15th Jul 2005

Cheadle Victor Lib Dem Mark Hunter MP.

Chelmsford's Lib Dem Parliamentary spokesman Stephen Robinson says the Cheadle by-election victory for the Lib Dems shows that when you get a Lib Dem MP, you get local action. He said, "This is proof that the Lib Dems are the real alternative to this discredited Labour Government."

He went on, "I congratulate Mark Hunter on an historic victory. As I know from the work I did for Mark, the Tories fought a desperately nasty campaign to try to prove they are on the way back, and the Labour party slumped almost out of sight and lost their deposit."

The results were:

Mark Hunter (Lib Dem) 19,593 (52%)

Conservative 15,936 (42%)

Labour 1,739 (Lost deposit)

• The by-election was caused by the tragic death of the sitting Lib Dem MP Patsy Calton just after the general election.