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  Labour loses Brent seat to Lib Dems
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Last EditedRP  Sep 19, 2003 02:29pm
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MediaNewspaper - Daily Telegraph
News DateFriday, September 19, 2003 06:00:00 AM UTC0:0
Descriptionhe Liberal Democrats swept to victory in Brent East early today, inflicting the first by-election defeat on Labour for 15 years. Their candidate, Sarah Teather, won with a majority of 1,118 overturning a Labour majority of 13,047 at the 2001 general election with a swing of 29 per cent.

In the first test of parliamentary opinion for 19 months, the Tories were pushed into a third place in the north-west London seat, despite having been runners-up at the last election.

Labour's defeat will be seen as an indication that it has lost popularity as a result of the recriminations over the Iraq war and growing infighting over public service reform. Charles Kennedy, the Liberal Democrat leader, opposed the decision to go to war to topple Saddam Hussein and has since led parliamentary criticism of Tony Blair over allegations that the Government exaggerated the threat posed by Iraq's weapons of mass destruction.

The loss of a rock solid Labour seat brings to an end a remarkable run of election successes for Mr Blair since he became Labour leader nearly 10 years ago.
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