It was a long night as votes were counted at the Blackpool South by-election as Labour romped home

Nine candidates, six weeks of campaigning but in the end only one winner as Chris Webb was elected the new MP for Blackpool South.

Labour were confident even before counting started their candidate would emerge triumphant following their hard graft on the campaign trail.

Samantha Dixon, MP for Chester, and political lead for Labour at the by-election, had predicted: "I think it's going to be a very good night for Chris Webb. The feeling on the doorstep over the past six weeks has been really positive."

By contrast, Conservative party candidate David Jones admitted early on he was expecting "a tough night". He said: "We have given the people of Blackpool South a choice and put a compelling argument across." 

As the clock ticked on, more coffee was consumed, candidates stalked the room and campaigners sat exhausted on the sidelines as the counters counted. 

Mark Butcher, candidate for Reform UK, said he had been 'humbled'  by taking part in the democratic process and spoke of how he had reached out to voters in the pubs and clubs of Blackpool during his campaign.  He said: "I think people have been able to have a much more honest debate in the pubs and clubs than they would on the doorstep." 

Liberal Democrat candidate Andrew Cregan said his party had run a good campaign "with the resources we had". He added: "My priorities for Blackpool are unchanged and we will have an encore for this later in the year." 

Meanwhile, the Official Raving Monster Loony Party lightened the mood as the count went on long into the night, heralding the arrival of their candidate Laud Howling Hope decked out in giant yellow rosettes and 'vote for insanity' badges. 

The night saw candidates peering over the counters as the piles of votes mounted up, accompanied by their supporters. Among them was former Blackpool South MP Gordon Marsden who had held the seat for Labour since 1997 before losing out to Scott Benton at the 2019 General Election. 

He was there to support Chris Webb, and with 53 years of membership of the Labour Party under his belt, he is still very much immersed in politics. 

Finally, after a long night, the moment of truth arrived just before 5am. It is always a tense moment - the climax to weeks of debate and scrutiny. And this time the outcome was of national significance, setting the tone for when the whole country goes to the polls as a General Election looms.