ON A day of jubilation for the Conservative Party nationwide, did a determined Lib Dem effort in East Sussex give them pause for thought?

“If I were Maria Caulfield I’d be very worried today,” said newly elected Lib Dem councillor Rob Banks, after his party chalked up four wins in and around Lewes, where Ms Caulfield unseated Lib Dem Norman Baker two years ago.

“It’s four holds. If they wanted to be a threat for the general election they’d need to be gaining ground,” responded senior Caulfield aide, Cllr Steve Bell.

The nine results announced in Lewes yesterday morning can indeed be used in support of either of those narratives, and others including a Labour revival and a Ukip collapse.

Ahead of the results, Ukip’s Phil Howson looked gloomy. The leader of the party which stormed to unexpected success four years ago watched as the Tory ballots from Peacehaven voters mounted up.

As the dozens of volunteers in the hall deftly placed votes in to colour-coded wire mesh trays, the pile in Mr Howson’s purple basket looked rather slim in comparison to the growing mountains in the blue trays.

He said: “I already know I’ve lost. And I’m upset that Ukip didn’t really push for this election.”

Elsewhere, losers were happier.

Julie Vaughan, the magenta-haired Labour candidate for Telscombe, was all smiles after coming a distant second to Tory Andy Smith who received 1,575 of the division’s 2,860 votes.

After learning she had secured 723 votes, Ms Vaughan said: “It’s better than last time. We had nine per cent last time and it was a Tory/Ukip stronghold.”

“So I’m happy. I’d rather have won, but second is okay-ish.”

Her result, and an improved Labour showing in nearby Peacehaven, raises questions for Tory MP Simon Kirby whose Brighton Kemptown constituency includes many of the same households.

He will be defending a majority of just 690 on June 8.

The closest result of the day was greeted with back-slapping, cheers and teary-eyed jubilation by supporters of successful Liberal Democrat candidate for Ringmer & Lewes Bridge, Philip Daniel, who said he was “thrilled” to win.

He was pushed close by Johnny Denis, whose supporters said that he worked “like a Trojan” in an effort to secure the Green Party’s first local election victory in the district.

Their combined efforts pushed turnout north of 52 per cent, a much more encouraging figure than the measly third of eligible voters who turned out in Peacehaven and Telscombe.

Boundary changes make direct comparisons difficult, allowing both Tories and Lib Dems to claim the day.

Tim Farron’s troops won the necessary seats to look credible for the General Election, but could hardly claim to have made inroads into Tory territory, where the Ukip collapse swelled the Conservative vote.

What is undeniable is the effort which has been put in.

Liberal Democrat Sarah Osbourne, elected in Ouse Valley, said: “I walked 25,000 steps yesterday alone.

“I would like the public to know how hard people work to get elected.”

Since she will be making decisions which affect all our lives, it is perhaps reassuring that it takes some doing.