No victory parade for Labour’s by-election win

Clive Efford, the Labour MP overseeing the party’s polling day push in Tooting, said earlier in the evening that it had been an “extraordinarily difficult” day and the party had momentarily halted their campaign after learning of the death of Cox. “She was a proud and passionate campaigner who will be desperately missed”, said the mother of two.

Following the death of Mrs Cox, who was stabbed and shot three times in her constituency of Batley and Spen yesterday, Dr Allin-Khan refrained from making a victory speech and instead paid tribute to her “proud and passionate” colleague.

Her campaign had made much of her mixed Polish and Pakistani heritage as well as her working-class roots. “We must never forget to cherish it”, she said.

“Thousands of people voted today and we are all here in recognition of our democratic values”.

A 77-year-old man was also injured in the incident and is recovering.

Labour should have won its 100th woman MP today after a resounding victory in the Tooting by-election.

A two-minute silence was held during the count and the flag was flown at half-mast over Wandsworth Town Hall in memory of Mrs Cox.

Mr Khan, who had been the area’s MP since 2005, held Tooting with a majority of 2,842 over Mr Watkins – a local businessman – at the general election.

Conservative candidate Dan Watkins received 11,537, giving the new Labour MP a majority of 6,357, more than double Khan’s majority at the 2015 election.

“The impact of this tragic event is being felt right across the country, but it has a very deep resonance here in this room as the votes are counted for Tooting’s new member of parliament”.

The by-election will be closely watched by Jeremy Corbyn’s critics in the Labour Party, but coming a week before the European Union referendum, the contest has been overshadowed by the closing stages of the Brexit battle.

Allin-Khan, an A&E doctor at Tooting’s St George’s Hospital, received 17,894 votes.