The tension in the room was rising as the votes were being counted. Neither side was confident at the start of the night, but as the piles of ballot papers started stacking up, the smiles on some faces slowly disappeared.
The Tories and Greens had already ruled themselves out of the race, having hardly campaigned – this was a battle between Labour and the Lib Dems. READ MORE: Labour lose seat to Lib Dems in Manchester by-election after councillor quit blaming 'toxic culture' Not since the Commonwealth games were hosted in Manchester had the Lib Dems won in Ancoats, Beswick or Bradford – typically safe Labour territory.
But by midnight, members of the ruling Labour group were leaving Central Library with one councillor fewer following an unexpected by-election defeat.
Well, not exactly. Marcia Hutchinson, who had served as a Labour councillor in Ancoats and Beswick for six months, quit last year, blaming 'racist bullying' in the party.
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