The Crewe and Nantwich by-election

Another disaster for Gordon Brown: Labour lost its until then safe seat in Crewe and Nantwich to the Conservative party, with an impressive swing of almost 18%. A jubilant David Cameron was able to claim that it was "the end of New Labour". It was actually the first time in 25 years that the Conservatives beat Labour in a by-election - another ominous sign for the next general election. Gordon Brown reacted by arguing that voters were expressing worries about the economy, as opposed to his own leadership, but few people were convinced.