Jeremy Corbyn under renewed pressure as Labour suffer Copeland by-election defeat

The Cumbrian constituency, which backed Brexit and relies heavily on the nuclear industry for jobs, was by no means a safe Labour seat although it has been held by the party for over 80 years.

But it is the sort of seat Labour needs if it is to stand a chance of winning a general election.

Whatever they may say now, Labour strategists also clearly regarded it as winnable, despite the awkward issue of Mr Corbyn's past opposition to nuclear power.

The Labour leader campaigned in Copeland and doggedly pursued his strategy of highlighting local fears about the NHS, raising the issue again at Prime Minister's Questions on Wednesday this week.

Mr Corbyn pulled no punches with the tactic, claiming possible cuts to maternity services at West Cumberland Hospital "will lead to mothers and babies dying" - a claim repeated in party leaflets, which also said "babies will be brain damaged".

But the strategy failed spectacularly when the Tories became the first ruling party to gain a seat in a by-election since 1982 - the year before Mr Corbyn first became at MP.

Even before the voting, party sources were seeking to head off any new challenge to Mr Corbyn's party leadership by blaming previous challenges for Labour's dire poll ratings - currently 18% behind the Tories, according to one recent survey.

After Mr Corbyn addressed the weekly meeting of the parliamentary party on Monday night, one source said Labour had been ahead of the Tories but "after the leadership challenge and the dissension in the Labour Party, that fell back".

The source went on: "Obviously since the change of Tory leadership, the Tories have been in a stronger position.

"I think we're confident that won't continue, that Labour's position will improve in the polls and the Tories will fall back.

"I think we're now in a period which won't last, that kind of gap won't last."

Speaking after Friday's Copeland defeat, Labour campaign co-ordinator Andrew Gwynne was also keen to play down talk of another challenge to Mr Corbyn, insisting the party was "capable of taking stock of this result, of rebuilding and coming back".

He added: "The last thing that the Labour Party needs is another period of introspection."

After the result in Cumbria, it remains to be seen whether others in the party will agree.

Corbyn does not represent 'ordinary working people'

Tory winning candidate Trudy Harrison clinched a historic success in Copeland and claimed Corbyn did not represent "ordinary working people".

In her victory speech, Mrs Harrison said: "It's been very clear talking to people throughout this campaign that Jeremy Corbyn doesn't represent them.

"They want a party which is on the side of ordinary working people, which will respect the way we voted in the referendum and which will build a country which represents everyone.

"That's why they voted for me tonight."

She later said the message received on the doorstep throughout her campaign was of Labour's "neglect" of the area.

She added: "It's also about being able to deliver a plan. A plan for a stronger economy, better services and improved infrastructure.

"That's what the area has been lacking for so long."

Born and living locally, the project manager and former council regeneration officer only joined the Conservative Party last year and revealed it was the Prime Minister who inspired her to do so.

She said: "It was actually watching Theresa May's speech at the party conference last year.

"I just thought that's who I am, that's what I want and that's what my community needs.

That was a really inspirational moment for me."

Mrs Harrison, 40, who opposes the downgrading of health services in Copeland, also spoke of being "incredibly proud" of her four daughters who were all born at West Cumberland Hospital.

She said: "They are the reason for waking up every morning and to fight because they deserve to live in an area where they have a choice of careers, where they can have a high quality of life.

"So it's really for them and their generation that I am doing this."