Davis re-elected on reduced vote

Conservative David Davis has won the Haltemprice and Howden by-election with a 15,355 majority.

The former shadow home secretary who resigned his seat and shadow cabinet post last month in a protest over what he said was the "slow strangulation of fundamental British freedoms", secured 72 per cent of the vote.

He won 17,113 votes, more than 5,000 less than in the 2005 general election, on a 34 per cent turnout.

But Davis said it was a "stunning message to the government".

"We have fired a shot across the bows of Gordon Brown's arrogant, arbitrary and authoritarian government," he said.

The Green Party was second on 1,758 votes and the English Democrats third on 1,714.

Davis was defending a majority of 5,116 from 2005 when the Liberal Democrats were in second place and Labour third.

However, while he was one of 26 candidates on the ballot paper this time, 23 of which lost their deposit, neither Labour nor the Lib Dems were among those fielding a candidate against him.

Labour said it would not take part in an exercise it described as a "stunt", while Lib Dem leader Nick Clegg agreed not to stand a candidate in a single issue campaign on which he agreed with Davis.

Home Office minister Tony McNulty said the by-election had been "a vain stunt that became and remains a farce".

"Labour never believed a parliamentary by-election should be held at taxpayers' expense to resolve tensions at the top of the Conservative Party," he said.