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Boris Johnson has suffered his first big defeat as Prime Minister after losing the Brecon and Radnorshire by-election - which cuts his working House of Commons majority to just one.

The Tories were swept aside in the mid-Wales seat by a resurgent Lib Dems campaign which saw the party's Welsh leader Jane Dodds elected.

Ms Dodds won the seat with 13,826 votes- delivering a heavy blow to the PM after a record 60% of the electorate turned out, the highest in a by-election for 22 years.

Disgraced former MP Chris Davies, whose conviction and recall petition prompted the election narrowly lost out with 12,401.

The defeat also earned the newly-elected Conservative leader an unwanted record.

Mr Johnson is now the prime minister who has lost a by-election the earliest since the Second World War - just eight days into his premiership.

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The Brexit Party came third with 3,331 votes and Labour, who saw their share of the vote fall by 12.4%, were beaten dismally into fourth.

Celebrating her win, Ms Dodds said: "The people of this constituency have once again chosen hope over fear."

She added her first act as an MP would be to find the Prime Minister and tell him to rule out a no-deal Brexit.

She continued: "People are desperately crying out for a different kind of politics. There is no time for tribalism when our country is faced with a Boris Johnson Government and the threat of a no-deal Brexit.

"So my very first act as your MP when I arrive in Westminster will be to find Mr Boris Johnson wherever he is hiding and tell him loud and clear: 'Stop playing with the future of our communities and rule out a no-deal Brexit now'."

(Image: Getty Images)

(Image: AFP/Getty Images) (Image: Getty Images)

The newly-elected Liberal Democrat leader Jo Swinson welcomed the result, saying the poll showed "the country doesn't have to settle for Boris Johnson or Jeremy Corbyn".

She added: "Boris Johnson's shrinking majority makes it clear that he has no mandate to crash us out of the EU.

"As leader of the Liberal Democrats, I will do whatever it takes to stop Brexit and offer an alternative, positive vision for a richer, greener and safer future. Britain demands better than what the tired old parties can give.

"We are thankful to Plaid Cymru and the Green Party for putting the national interest first and not contesting this by-election. We now have one more MP who will vote against Brexit in Parliament."

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Sir Ed Davey MP, who attended the count, said the victory had "pricked Boris' bubble" and said it could help put a stop to Brexit.

He said: "It was a great result for us here. I think it's got significance outside Brecon and Radnorshire. It's a great fillip to Jo Swinson and I think it will boost our opinion poll rating. I hope it will.

"And that means those people out there who want to stop Brexit, they've had it confirmed for them once again if you want to do that come and vote Liberal Democrat because it works.

"This has certainly pricked Boris' bubble, his majority has been reduced down to one. And we know over the lifetime of the Parliament many votes have been won and lost by one vote.

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"With his majority shrinking that means we may well be able to stop Brexit. I've said all along the Brecon and Radnorshire by-election was the front-line of the campaign to stop Brexit and I'm delighted it was us who achieved that victory tonight."

Ms Dodds' route to victory was made easier after the decision by both Plaid Cymru and the Greens not to stand against their candidates rival Remain party.

Brecon by-election: The key statistics The key numbers from the by-election are: A 12.0% swing from Tories to Lib Dems - which would give them 13 extra seats if repeated across the country.

- which would give them 13 extra seats if repeated across the country. Turnout was 59.6% - the highest at a parliamentary by-election since Winchester in November 1997.

- the highest at a parliamentary by-election since Winchester in November 1997. Jane Dodds is the 494th woman MP in history to be elected to the House of Commons. The first was Countess Constance Markievicz, who won a seat for Sinn Fein at the 1918 general election. The first woman MP to actually attend the House of Commons was Viscountess Nancy Astor, who won a by-election for the Conservatives in November 1919.

to be elected to the House of Commons. The first was Countess Constance Markievicz, who won a seat for Sinn Fein at the 1918 general election. The first woman MP to actually attend the House of Commons was Viscountess Nancy Astor, who won a by-election for the Conservatives in November 1919. 211 of 650 seats are held by women, the highest ever.

the highest ever. Labour's share of vote has gone down in every by-election since the EU referendum, with the exception of Batley & Spen which wasn't contested by the main parties. Labour only just kept its deposit in Brecon.

since the EU referendum, with the exception of Batley & Spen which wasn't contested by the main parties. Labour only just kept its deposit in Brecon. This is the quickest by-election defeat for any new PM since the Second World War.

since the Second World War. The government's working majority in the Commons is just one. There are 320 MPs who - on paper - would back the Government in a crunch vote in the Commons: 310 Tories and 10 members of the DUP. Set against this are 319 MPs from all other parties. In practice, at least one of these 319 MPs - Charlie Elphicke, who sits as an independent having recently had the Tory whip removed - would probably vote with the Government in a vote of confidence.

Reacting to the result, Plaid Cymru leader Adam Price: "I am proud that the leadership shown by Plaid Cymru in creating a spirit of cooperation between pro-Remain parties has led to the election of Jane Dodds as the new MP for Brecon and Radnorshire.

"The people of Brecon and Radnorshire have spoken. It's now time that people throughout these islands are heard, too, in a Final Say referendum.

"But if the prime minister is intent on a general election, he should know that Plaid Cymru and the other pro-Remain parties are committed to cooperating so that we beat Brexit once and for all."

(Image: PA) (Image: Getty Images)

Losing candidate Mr Davies said: "I'd like to thank my team, who worked very hard, and of course my wife and my family who have had a difficult time over the last few months but they've been by my side every step of the way, and I'm very, very lucky indeed.

"I will finish by saying what a privilege it has been serving the people of Brecon and Radnorshire as their MP over the last four years. I'd like to thank them for the support they've given me here today."

The Lib Dems ditched the brash “Bollocks to Brexit” slogan from their European election resurgence - but the campaign was still dominated by Europe.

Speaking to the Mirror before the election Ms Dodds said: “ Boris Johnson has made a last-minute dash from the ivory tower of Westminster to talk to people here.

“He thinks that is going to work. It isn't.

“A No Deal Brexit is playing with people's lives and livelihoods.”

On Tuesday Mr Johnson had rushed to Brecon and Radnorshire in a last minute bid to see off defeat.

But his No Deal threats have played poorly in the Leave voting seat - whose major industries, most notably sheep farming, risk being obliterated by a No Deal Brexit.

(Image: Simon Dawson/POOL/EPA-EFE/REX)

But if Britain crashes out of the EU without a deal, tariffs on Welsh lamb sent to Europe will rise to 42% - crippling farmers in a seat where sheep outnumber people ten to one.

Across rural Wales, Mr Johnson faces a brutal backlash to his reckless approach to Europe, with Farmers’ Union of Wales warning of “civil unrest” following a No Deal Brexit.

The defeat means the Conservative now have a majority of just one seat, just a week after Mr Johnson became PM.

The causes of Mr Johnson’s defeat lie in an unpopular local candidate and his commitment to bring Britain crashing out of the EU with no deal if Brussels refuses to capitulate to his demands.

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The Tory candidate was disgraced ex-MP Chris Davies, whose conviction for expenses fraud led to the recall petition that triggered the byelection.

Local campaigners believe that Davies was only selected to give the party an excuse should they lose and rivals have accused him of hiding from the voters after it emerged he dodged two local hustings.

In March, Davies, 51, dodged jail and was fined £1,500 and ordered to carry out 50 hours' community service after he admitted giving false information for his Westminster expenses - filing false invoices - to pay for photographs in his office.

Labour, who came a distant third in previous elections found themselves in a fight with Nigel Farage’s Brexit Party for third place.

Last night before the result a Labour source conceded that it was "unlikely" they would beat Mr Farage's party.

They added: "We are in a particularly volatile period, with two new leaders of the Tories and Liberal Democrats , both of whom we'd expect to see a bit of a honeymoon bounce."

The result in full

Jane Dodds (LD) 13,826 (43.46%, +14.32%)

Chris Davies (C) 12,401 (38.98%, -9.60%)

Des Parkinson (Brexit) 3,331 (10.47%)

Tom Davies (Lab) 1,680 (5.28%, -12.46%)

Lady Lily The Pink (Loony) 334 (1.05%)

Liz Phillips (UKIP) 242 (0.76%, -0.63%)