Peterborough by-election: Brexit Party loses to Labour in tight race

Despite winning huge support across the UK during last month's European Union election, the Brexit Party were edged out by Labour by a margin of just 683 votes.

Addressing her supporters following the count, Labour candidate Lisa Forbes hailed her party's victory as a sign that the "politics of division" would not triumph.

Forbes, a union activist, won 10,484 votes, beating the Brexit party's Mike Greene, who took 9,801 votes. Prime Minister Theresa May's governing Conservatives came third with 7,243 votes, while the Liberal Democrats -- who support remaining in the European Union -- took 4,159 votes. Turnout was 48%.

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn declared the result a rejection of "Tory austerity."

In a statement posted early Friday morning UK time Corbyn said the result showed that despite the divisions and deadlock over Brexit, "when it comes to issues that directly affect people's lives, Labour's case for real change has strong support across the country."

The by-election was triggered when the incumbent Labour lawmaker, Fiona Onasanya, was outsed by constituents in recall petition, owing to a conviction in relation to a speeding offense.

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