Selby and Ainsty by-election: Polls close in close race between Labour and Tories

The by-election, which was called after the resignation of Boris Johnson ally Nigel Adams earlier this year, could see the Conservatives suffer one of their heaviest ever defeats in a by-election.

It could see the Tories lose a 20,000 majority to 25-year old Labour candidate Keir Mather, who has impressed on the campaign trail, and may become the UK’s youngest MP.

Selby and Ainsty has never been held by Labour since it was created as a seat in 2010, but a previous iteration of the seat had been represented by John Grogan, who won the seat in 1997 as part of Tony Blair’s landslide election victory.

Some 13 candidates were yesterday put before the public in the North Yorkshire seat, with a close contest expected both by Labour and Tory sources on the ground.

The Prime Minister braced MPs at a meeting of the 1922 Committee of Tory backbenchers on the eve of the polls that they face a “tough battle” in what were seen as safe seats for his party.

He told them that governing parties rarely win by-elections but urged the MPs to unite in the face of any defeat as he pledged to “throw everything” at winning the next general election.

Labour hopes to snatch Uxbridge and South Ruislip, which was Boris Johnson’s seat until he quit, and Selby and Ainsty.

The Liberal Democrats are eying victory in the contest in Somerton and Frome that was triggered by David Warburton quitting after admitting cocaine use amid allegations of sexual harassment.

Losses for the Tories in all of them would be the first time in 55 years that a government has been defeated in three by-elections on the same day.