Labour's Ashley Dalton has become the country's newest MP after a comfortable win in the West Lancashire byelection.

Bitterly cold conditions on polling day and the expectation of an easy Labour hold contributed to turnout of less than 32 per cent.

Ms Dalton, who works part-time for a local charity, secured a majority of over 8,300 over Conservative candidate Mike Prendergast.

The ballot was held on Thursday in the Labour-held seat after Rosie Cooper, who represented the constituency for 17 years, accepted the role of chairwoman of the Mersey Care NHS Foundation Trust.

Polls opened at 7am in the constituency, which Ms Cooper last won in 2019 with a majority of 8,336.

Sir Keir Starmer's Labour, which is enjoying a significant lead in the polls against Rishi Sunak's Conservatives, was always confident of holding the seat.

The Conservatives came second in the last election, polling just over 19,000 votes, with the Liberal Democrats in third.

It was the latest byelection test for Mr Sunak since entering Downing Street last October and comes amid a cost-of-living crisis, soaring inflation and a wave of industrial action across the UK.

New Tory chairman Greg Hands, who replaced the sacked Nadhim Zahawi this week, has been charged with steering his party towards the local elections in May amid pressure on the prime minister to get his party in fighting shape ahead of the next general election in around 18 months' time.

More to follow.