The Liberal Democrats' chief whip Alistair Carmichael has triggered the Eastleigh by-election in Parliament. He 'moved the writ' for the constituency of former Cabinet Minister Chris Huhne in the House of Commons this morning.
The Eastleigh by-election has been formally triggered in the House of Commons following the resignation earlier this week of Chris Huhne, the constituency's former MP.
The election will take place on 28th February 2013.
Although no seats changed hands in the latest council by-elections, there was a boost for Labour and disappointment for the Green Party at Brighton and Hove. The city is a key battleground for the two parties.
Labour's share rose by nearly 9% since last year at East Brighton with the Greens dropping more than 4%. The Green Party has the largest group of councillors and forms a minority administration on the authority.
The city also includes the Brighton Pavilion constituency of its leader Caroline Lucas, the party's only MP. However East Brighton is in Kemptown, currently represented by Tories. The Liberal Democrats defended borough and county seats at Maidstone, Kent.