A good week of council by-elections following Ming Campbell’s departure

As the Press Association reported:

Liberal Democrats are celebrating a by-election bounce during their leadership battle after taking two council seats from Tories.

Their candidate Timothy Huggan won at Manor, Forest Heath District, Suffolk, where Conservatives were unopposed in May.

The second gain came at Rhiw, Conwy County Borough, north Wales, where Trevor Stott triumphed in the ward’s third by-election in less than four years.

Liberal Democrats also scored a landslide victory to defend a previously knife-edge marginal at Norfolk County Council’s Aylsham division where the previous contest was on the same day as the last general election.

The Lib Dem revival, after their gloom leading up to the resignation of Sir Menzies Campbell as leader, is bad news for the Tories’ David Cameron in what was otherwise a good week for him.

His hopes of making it to Downing Street depend crucially on making progress against Liberal Democrats as well as Labour.

There were too few comparable contests to indicate how Labour support has stood up in the face of crises over Northern Rock and the data loss debacle and England’s exit from Euro 2008.

Congratulations to all concerned.