By-election video archive starts here

We have just added the first video clip to our by-election website.

The clips will be made available via YouTube and we hope they will prove to be a useful addition to our archive.

The first video is the decleration of the result for the Kincardine and Deeside by-election, 7 November 1991, won by Nicol Stephen for the Liberal Democrats.

Local Tory allegedly says 'Christmas has come early'

A furious political row has blown up over alleged comments on a student political blog about Piara Khabra the MP for Ealing Southall who died recently.

Ms. Arleen Ouzounian, the deputy Chairman of the Ealing branch of Conservative Future was quoted in the Evening Standard as saying on the blog of the King's College London Conservative Society, "hopefully there will be a by-election called within the next three months and Ealing will finally be given an injection of Tory blood. Feels like Christmas has come early."

The message was subsequently edited and a message of condolence to the MP's family now appears.

Members of the Labour party are calling for Ms. Ouzounian to be disciplined for what they are describing as 'distasteful remarks.'

A spokesman for the Conservative party said the remarks were those of an 'over-eager student.'

Ealing Today

Two new by-elections on the way?

Ealing Southall and Sedgefield are set for July by-elections for very different reasons.

EALING SOUTHALL

The House of Commons' oldest MP, Piara Khabra, has died aged 82.

He had been the Labour MP for Ealing Southall since the 1992 general election.

He was a member of the constitutional affairs select committee and had a special interest in India.

Mr Khabra had already announced his decision to retire at the next general election, and a candidate is to be selected from an all-women short list.

He came to Britain in the 1950s from India. He was a teacher and Labour councillor before his election to Westminster, and was also involved with the Indian Workers Association in Southall.

SEDGEFIELD

Meanwhile, the Labour Party has been put on standby for an announcement by Tony Blair that he may step down as the Member of Parliament for Sedgefield.

Officials said Mr Blair was expected to attend a meeting of his local party hours after quitting as prime minister.

He is thought likely to quit if he is confirmed as a Middle East envoy on Wednesday by the Mid-East quartet - of the US, Russia, the UN and the EU.

He has been MP for Sedgefield, which is in north east England, since 1983.

Downing Street refused to comment on Mr Blair's plans, but a local source in his Sedgefield constituency said: "If he gets a job on the worldwide stage, I think there will be a by-election."

It is likely both by-elections would be held on the same day.