LABOUR’S resounding council by-election victory is a lesson in unity that can be applied across the country, the party’s victorious candidate has said.

Lloyd Russell-Moyle is the newest Brighton and Hove City Councillor after a thumping by-election victory in the East Brighton ward.

The Brighton, Hove and District Labour chairman polled almost three times as many votes as his nearest challenger and grabbed more than half of all votes cast on Thursday.

The former parliamentary candidate for Lewes said that a predicted loss of traditional Labour voters to Ukip, who were represented by former Labour councillor Leigh Farrow, had not occurred because East Brighton residents were still being listened to by the party.

He said: “I don’t think it is an exaggeration to say nationally the Labour Party is going through a difficult time internally but what we have seen is people from all parts of the party coming and supporting this campaign.

“I think the lesson is when we present a united party as we did in this by-election, we come back with a thumping majority.

“That’s what we need to replicate nationally, a united party.

“And a united party does not mean one side winning over the other, it means both sides working together.”

The victory maintains Labour’s thin three-councillor advantage over the Conservatives as the minority administration which won in the May 2015 election.

The by-election was called after Maggie Barradell was forced to stand down for family reasons in June.

Newly elected councillor Russell-Moyle gained an 11 per cent swing on the Labour vote from last May and also achieved a higher proportion of the vote than Chaun Wilson who won an East Brighton by-election for Labour in 2012.

The vote saw all other major parties lose voter share except for Ukip, who did not have a candidate for East Brighton last year.

The turnout of 24.48 per cent was marginally lower than the by-election of four years ago but higher than initial fears of a 20 per cent turnout.

The results proved eerily accurate to Labour predictions with party members holding 2,500 conversations in a month of campaigning in which 1,500 residents said they would vote for the party.

Cllr Russell-Moyle said the victory was an endorsement of the current Labour administration on the city council and its work during its first year for the city and for East Brighton in particular.

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn said: “Congratulations to Lloyd Russell-Moyle on winning the East Brighton by-election for Brighton and Hove Labour.

“Thanks to everyone who helped us secure an 11 per cent increase in the Labour vote.”

Council Leader Warren Morgan said: “This is a ringing endorsement of the work we are doing leading the city council on building new homes, creating new jobs and getting the basics right. I’m proud my own ward has once again elected a Labour and Co-operative councillor with a huge majority.”