A former chairman of Southampton FC failed to win one of the two seats captured by Labour in Thursday's by-elections.

Brexit stalwart Rupert Lowe, the Reform UK party's candidate in the former Tory stronghold of Kingswood, South Gloucestershire, finished third.

The seat was won by Labour's Damien Egan, who polled 11,176 votes, with Tory Sam Bromiley coming second with 8,675 votes.

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A total of 2,578 people voted for Mr Lowe, who was chairman of Saints from 1996 to 2006 and again from 2008 to 2009.

Labour won both the Kingswood and Wellingborough by-elections, overturning big Conservative majorities in the process.

In Kingswood, Labour captured the seat left vacant by Chris Skidmore's decision to quit.

Tory MP Jacob Rees-Mogg has blamed low turnouts for the party's losses. He insisted that Rishi Sunak's leadership is "solid". Mr Sunak said midterm by-elections were "always difficult for an incumbent government".

Mr Lowe, 66, stood as a Referendum Party general election candidate in The Cotswolds in 1997, finishing fourth.