Signals for an early general election are firmly stuck on amber for PM Gordon Brown with council by-election wins for both Tory and Labour in two East Midlands parliamentary marginals. Labour gained at Clipstone, Newark and Sherwood DC with Conservatives trailing a poor fourth. But Tories defended an Ibstock and Heather seat at North West Leicestershire DC by just 15 votes over the BNP, with Labour 31 votes further behind in third place. The result was an additional disappointment for Labour which won another ward seat in a by-election last January, with Conservatives behind the BNP. The swing since the May 2007 main contests was just 0.4% from Tory to Labour.
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