Momentum

The Newark by-election win last Thursday for the Conservatives was an important win. It was the first time in 25 years that the Conservatives retained a parliamentary seat in a by-election whilst in power.

This isn't the reason why the by-election victory was important. It was important as it was the first time in a long while that the party showed that it is returning to to the effective campaigning machine that the opposition once feared.

It was also important for momentum. It gives the party momentum leading into the General Election as just a week before, UKIP topped the European poll in Newark.

The win has also given momentum in the opinion polls as a YouGov poll released this evening shows the Labour lead now down to just two percentage points with the Conservatives up 4 and UKIP down three, demonstrating that UKIP support is coming back to the Conservatives.

The YouGov/Sun poll tonight:

CON 35% (+4%)
LAB 37% (=)
LD 8% (+1%)
UKIP 12% (-3%)