Ukip defeat in Stoke isn't terminal for Paul Nuttall
Ukip sound a little chastened in Stoke this morning. They thought they were in with a good chance of winning this by election but in the end they didn't actually come all that close, losing by 2,620 votes.
Although this is embarrassing for their new leader, Paul Nuttall, it's not terminal; Nigel Farage lost plenty of parliamentary elections.
But Ukip should have done better, they 'threw the kitchen sink' at this one. They say they were beaten by a better organised Labour Party who triggered the contest quickly, before Ukip could get organised on the ground.
There was also the awkward matter of the untruths on Nuttall's website about having lost 'close friends' in the Hillsborough disaster.
Ukip sources say this didn't cut through on the doorstep but that it did distract Nuttall himself from the campaign.
Some in the party think Nuttall should have waited for a possible by-election in Leigh - should Andy Burnham leave to become Mayor of Greater Manchester.
Ukip are organising in Leigh already, but they also now know their breakthrough in the North of England may be a longer-term project than originally thought.