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Conservatives win Sleaford by-election Conservatives win Sleaford by-election
(35 minutes later)
Conservative candidate Caroline Johnson has won the Sleaford and North Hykeham by-election, which saw Labour come in fourth behind UKIP and the Liberal Democrats.Conservative candidate Caroline Johnson has won the Sleaford and North Hykeham by-election, which saw Labour come in fourth behind UKIP and the Liberal Democrats.
The Tory party held onto the seat which had become vacant after MP Stephen Phillips quit in November, citing "irreconcilable policy differences" with the government. The Tory party held onto the seat which became vacant after MP Stephen Phillips quit, citing "irreconcilable policy differences" with the government.
This breaking news story is being updated and more details will be published shortly. Please refresh the page for the fullest version. Dr Johnson won 17,570 votes beating UKIP's Victoria Ayling, who had 4,426.
If you want to receive Breaking News alerts via email, or on a smartphone or tablet via the BBC News App then details on how to do so are available on this help page. You can also follow @BBCBreaking on Twitter to get the latest alerts. Labour slipped from second place in the 2015 general election to fourth.
Consultant paediatrician Dr Johnson said her election to the House of Commons would boost Theresa May's majority and support the prime minister on Brexit.
The seat has returned Conservative MPs since it was formed in 1997 and Mr Phillips, who resigned in November, had a majority of more than 24,000 votes in 2015.
Although he backed leaving the EU, he had since been critical of the government's approach to Brexit.
UKIP had been campaigning hard in the Lincolnshire seat, an area which voted heavily to leave the European Union.
The party's former leader Nigel Farage and his successor Paul Nuttall had been on the campaign trail in the constituency, supporting Ms Ayling - a former Conservative who stood for the Tories in Great Grimsby in 2010.
The turnout for the by-election was 37.1% according to North Kesteven District Council, down from 70.2% at the general election last year.