Labour's twin historic by-election victories...

Just arrived home from the Ealing Southall by-election, totally exhausted. But what a perfect result:

An endorsement for our new Prime Minister Gordon Brown - and disaster and rejection for David Cameron, who has once again demonstrated desperately poor judgement.

Anyone who has met the new MP, Virenda Sharma, knows he is a thoroughly solid, decent man who will be an excellent MP for the most diverse constituency in Britain.

Great result too from County Durham where Phil Wilson was elected to replace Tony Blair as Labour MP for Sedgefield - and where Cameron's Tories fell to third place.

I've known Phil for over ten years and know he'll be a first rate representative for the people of Sedgefield.

Historic Victories...?

Yes. Governments in third terms tend not to hold seats in by elections: in fact the Tories lost EVERY by election between 1989 and 1997.

Last night Labour won TWO with handsome majorities...

Historic day and another one for the album...

 

Thanks to a colleague for sending this snap of me congratulating Gordon Brown moments after he succeeded Tony Blair as Leader of the Labour Party.

Gordon clearly demonstrated in his acceptance speech that he is the best person by miles to take our country forward - and how the choice at the next General Election will be substance for the many with Gordon or Cameron's spin, PR and flip-floppery.

The next ten years start right here...

(with apologies for layout, as posting away from home on an unfamiliar computer!)

Local Party support for Deputy Leadership candidates...

The number of local Labour Parties supporting each of the six Deputy Leadership candidates at close of nominations yesterday is as follows:

Hilary Benn 77, Hazel Blears 36, Jon Cruddas 68, Peter Hain 23, Harriet Harman 60, Alan Johnson 45.

Is anyone there? Police call off armed siege of empty building...

An armed siege of a house in the West Midlands has been called off this afternoon - after police took over three hours to realise there was nobody inside.

The drama began at 11 this morning following reports to police that someone with a weapon had entered the property.

Staffordshire Police helicopter was scrambled, marksmen trained their weaopns on the house, dogs deployed, streets cordoned off, neighbours told to stay indoors and a local school was 'locked down'...as officers shouted "Come out".

But at 2.30pm this afternoon, officers entered the mid-terrace property and found there was nobody inside!

There'll no doubt be lots of leg-pulling, but reports of people wielding weapons have to be taken seriously and the officers had to be sure what they were getting into when they entered the house.

I don't blame them for being cautious, but three hours does seem a rather long time to realise they were on a wild goose chase.

Picture and details from the Stoke Sentinel. Hat-tip to 5Live.

Maddie suspect found guilty by redtops...

Has the tabloid feeding frenzy on the hunt for missing Madeleine gone OTT?

Today, the redtops competed for each other to print the most private details about the man who has now been officially named as a suspect by Portuguese Police.

Time will tell if he had anything to do with the disappearance of Madeleine, a case which has touched all our hearts - thanks to the media. Everyone prays that the beautiful four-year-old will be reunited with her distraught family soon and their nightmare is finally ended.

But the 'suspect' has already apparently been tried by the media - and duly found guilty.

Reporter Julie Mount revealed - exclusively in The Sun of course - that she last met the suspect in the street in Praia da Luz two days ago as she returned from a service attended by Maddie’s parents.

Julie tells the world:

To me he seemed like a classic fantasist...And he said he worked closely with investigators. Frankly, I didn’t believe that.

Clearly guilty then.

Meanwhile, under the headline: A Daily Mail reporter's encounter with Madeleine 'suspect', reporter Neil Sears tells us:

He made me feel uncomfortable.

I have to say Daily Mail reporters make me feel 'uncomfortable' but that's not indictable.

Then there's this Mirror headline which clinches it:

Quiz Briton lives with his mum

As I say, it may turn out that the suspect faces charges.

But do you remember the Ipswich murders a few months ago...and how the first 'suspect' had every sordid morsel of his private life trawled over in the media - didn't he turn out to be totally innocent?

I wonder how he's managing to rebuild his life.

Bank Governor praises prudence on interest rates...

The Governor of the Bank of England, Marvyn King has told the Financial Times that he is convinced the Bank’s independence has helped improve Britain from being the lowest ranked Group of Seven economy before 1997 towards the very top.

Before 1997, interest rates were used as political tool. They went magically down just before elections and then went back up again after elections.

Gordon Brown's first act as Chancellor ten years ago was to give the Bank independence.

The Tories opposed the move.

The FT's headlined their story: Stability is prize of Bank's independence.

Britain's better with Blair...

An absolute privilege for my wife Gill and myself to have been at Trimdon Labour Club yesterday to hear Tony Blair's announcement that he will step down as Prime Minister next month.

Many friends have been phoning and emailing to say they've seen my ugly mug in some of the media coverage including on Sky News and on the front page of the Daily Telegraph!

This wonderful image which has gone round the world was taken inside the event by Owen Hargreaves of the Press Association.

(Looking at the pic, I'm the happy clapper immediately to the left of the red Labour backdrop: Gill's in green, second row!)

It was, as reported, an emotional occasion, for the Prime Minister and his wife, and also for the warm-hearted members of Sedgefield Labour Party who have backed Tony Blair for almost a quarter of a century.

But it was also very moving for myself and others who have worked as Labour Party staff through the Blair Years start to finish.

I even detected a tear or two among some of the hardened press corps who have followed Blair throughout his political career.

Of course, it all began 24 years ago in Trimdon. So it was fitting that he should return there for his big announcement yesterday.

For me, his arrival and departure yesterday was reminiscent of the amazing event in Downing Street on that historic new dawn on Friday, 2 May 1997 which is often re-broadcast.

Britain has become better under his leadership. No more boom and bust. More jobs, more police, more doctors, more teachers: We no longer have an NHS on the point of collapse, schools no longer forced to put buckets out when it rains, more help for families, millions of pensioners and children lifted out of poverty...

And so much more.

That's Blair's legacy.

It was good to see him go out in style, not forced out of Downing Street in tears - as was Margaret Thatcher's fate.

A historic day indeed.