Lib Dem Ben Abbotts within 633 votes of the Tories in Bromley and Chislehurst

9.00.13am GMT Fri 30th Jun 2006

Ben Abbotts and the Liberal Democrats have given a huge "Thank You" to all those in Bromley and Chislehurst who supported the Liberal Democrats on Thursday. The Conservatives just retained their seventeenth safest seat in the country with a tiny 633 majority, despite a huge swing to the Liberal Democrats.

The decrease in the Conservative vote is the worst by-election result for the Conservative party in a Tory held seat since Wirral South in February 1997 - the last days of the John Major premiership. Labour came fourth.

The BBC called it "a stunning result", "a very bad night for David Cameron" and a "very, very good night for the Liberal Democrats".

If the result was repeated in Epping Forest, The Liberal Democrats (based on the last General Election results) would be within 3,000 votes of beating the Tories.