Labour winner makes history as first female MP in South Shields

Emma Lewell-Buck, seen here with Labour leader Ed Miliband, has become the first female MP in South Shields. Credit: Owen Humphreys/PA Wire/Press Association Images

Labour's Emma Lewell-Buck has made history tonight after becoming the first female MP in South Shields.

She beat the UK Independence Party's (UKIP) Richard Elvin by 6,505 votes. The by-election was triggered by former Foreign Secretary David Miliband's decision to quit.

Mrs Lewell-Buck, a married social worker, sais she will "get people back to work".

The Conservatives finished behind UKIP in third place, while the Liberal Democrats were pushed down to seventh place.