Boy was close. Mighty Close.
Thursday evening at the DCBL stadium in Widnes, turned into first hours which turned into a breakfast time on Friday, while the volunteers carried out a complete recount of the 32,655 votes expressed during the by-election of Runcorn and Helsby.
Shortly after the half-five hours of the morning, Nigel Farage presented himself, as was the reform candidate Sarah Pochin and the Labor candidate Karen Shore-and at that time, the facial expressions told the story.
The reform knew they had won – just.
And for work, discouragement.
It is always an emerging image – Runcorn was the only parliamentary by -way election held on Thursday and there are many more electoral results to come later in the day, including in certain parts of England where liberal democrats expect to make large gains in local councils, for example.
But at the moment, it is the story of the reform of the United Kingdom which rightly dominates.
The last party of Nigel Farage proves, so far, that at least that healthy opinion survey figures can result in real votes and – in certain places at least – real victories.
Above all, in terms of broader political implications, these results also indicate that reform can prove to be an equal threat to the chances for conservatives and work.
The main thing to examine is the trend: the reform accumulates frequently, whether they have won or not, between a fifth and a third of the voting in key fights so far.
The reform crashed on the line during the by -election, but it is worth examining their share of the vote where they did not win.
In the mayor competitions declared so far, they have finished second in Doncaster with 31% of the votes, they were second in North Tyneside with 29% of the votes and they were second in the west of England with 22% of the votes.
They managed 42% in Lincolnshire, where former conservative minister Dame Andrea Jenkyns was elected first elected mayor of the county.
Farage will now have to adapt to a new level of control – meticulous examination of a file in power.
His rivals hope that it could be delicate.
“How do a bunch of individualists and opposites continue to run with things?” asked for a source of work to whom I was talking about.
A conservative source of the texts: “Farage is obviously jubilant.
“But once the glow of victory decreases, Nigel hopes that Sarah Pochin and Andrea Jenkyns to the line.”
They add “how long could he last before we saw the independent mayor of Lincolnshire carrying his former party in justice?
It is a particularly dark day for conservatives. Having already endured a difficult set of results overnight, they are prepared for darker news later in their former rural hearts where the Liberal Democrats feel blood.
As for the government, we can already hear how they try to recalibrate.
There is no doubt that they took a hit, but it might have been worse – they won Doncaster, North Tyneside and west of England.
Expect to see the emphasis on delivery now and project a feeling of activity.
People of the government I am talking about underlining the immigration plans that are in research, expenditure examination, defense exam, their industrial strategy – all before the summer.
The fact is that when they talk about delivery, it is some of the things they really delivered that caused them a headache, such as withdrawing the payment of winter fuel from most retirees.
There are many more results to come, but do not be mistaken, these elections will shape the tone, the tenor and the concentration of the political conversation in the coming months; The government and the conservatives who watch, slept private, harshly in the mirror and determine how to react.
