The opposition Conservatives have won a special parliamentary election, saying early Friday it shows they're on the way back after their defeat in the May 1 national election.
"This is a great start. Trust is returning to the Conservatives. We are back in business," party leader William Hague said when the result was declared in the special election at Uxbridge, a prosperous town 15 miles west of central London.Thursday's special election was the first test by voters for the parties since Labor took power under Prime Minister Tony Blair. The Conservatives have held the Uxbridge seat for 27 straight years.
It was the first time the Conservatives had won a special election since Hague won his seat in February 1989. That was also the last time that a governing party won a by-election.
Labor's national election win with a massive 178-seat majority over all other parties combined in the 659-seat House of Commons ended 18 years of Conservative government.
In Thursday's special election, Conservative candidate John Randall won 51 percent of the votes vs. 39 percent for Labor and 5 percent for the centrist Liberal Democratic Party. Fringe groups shared the rest of the votes.
The special election at Uxbridge was caused by the death of the Conservative Sir Michael Shersby.