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Morning,
Wow, just wow, as Jeremy Corbyn said this week.
The result of the Witney by-election will cause gloom and elation in Westminster and underlines how febrile the political landscape is at the moment.
Last year David Cameron held the seat - one of the ten safest Tory constituencies in Britain - with a 25,000 majority.
That was slashed to just 5,702 last night after a dramatic cavalry charge by the Lib Dems.
There are a number of factors behind the result.
Firstly, it shows the Lib Dems have got their once-famed ground operation back in gear.
Tory MPs who seized Lib Dem seats at the 2015 general election have been put on notice.
The vote may also reflect a residual loyalty to Cameron from constituents who may resent the way Theresa May has sought to purge his presence from Downing Street.
Inevitably, some will also try to interpret the result through the prism of Brexit and note the Tory candidate Robert Courts was a Leaver.
My view is we need to see more evidence to justify Tim Farron’s claim this was “clear rejection of the Conservative Brexit government’s plan to take Britain out of the Single Market.”
Labour should also note that it went from second to third place in Witney, raising questions about its ability to win back Conservative seats in the south.
There is always a danger of reading too much into by-election results as local factors often outweigh national ones and voters tend to use them as an opportunity to vent frustration rather than deliver a genuine verdict on the serving Government.
But Mrs May should be concerned that, despite her commanding lead in the national polls, her brand of Conservatism received a lukewarm endorsement when put to its first electoral test. We should also note that former Coronation Street actor Tracy Brabin was elected the MP for Jo Cox’s seat of Batley and Spen in the early hours of this morning.
In a mark of respect the Conservatives, Lib Dems and Greens decided not to field candidates so victory was assured.
Thankfully, the far right parties which did stand against her lost their deposit. Mrs May is in Brussels today for the second leg of the EU summit.
Britain’s presence at these gatherings is akin to someone turning up for a wedding while dressed for a funeral.
The Prime Minister will have her first indications of whether EU leaders wish to be accommodating to Britain’s demands or want to hurry the awkward relative out of the party as quickly as possible without even bothering to give them a slice of wedding cake. Tomorrow hundreds of people will take part in march on Downing Street to demand British Government set out a plan to stop the slaughter of innocent children in Syria.
The Rally for Aleppo has the backing of major charities and was inspired by the Sunday Mirror’s recent coverage of the harrowing situation in the Syrian city.
You can find more about the march and how to join in here and at this Facebook site.
If you can't make it along on the day you can still show your support on social media by using the hashtags #RallyForAleppo and #SaveAleppo.
To help UNICEF reach children and families affected by the crisis in Syria go to the organisation's website or text GIVE to 70555 to donate £5.
If you want to get in touch my email is jason.beattie@mirror.co.uk and you can follow us @mirrorpolitics on Twitter.
Thanks,
Mirror Politics | 
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