London: Britain's governing Conservative Party has seized a parliamentary seat long held by the Labour Party in a special election blow to the opposition.
Conservative Trudy Harrison won the seat in Copeland that had been held by Labour since the district was formed in 1983. Copeland is a rural district in the far north of England.
The vote was seen as a setback for Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn, who has struggled to unite his party and win popular support.
Harrison said Corbyn's unpopularity helped her unseat Labour. It is unusual for a governing party to make gains in special elections.
Labour did manage to hold on to its seat in Stoke-on-Trent, central England, beating back a challenge by UKIP. The elections were held after the lawmakers in both districts resigned.
