The Liberal Democrats, following some of the worst weeks the party has endured since it entered coalition in 2010, won a crucial by-election in England early today.
Lib Dems candidate Michael Thornton won 13,342 votes to take the Eastleigh seat, compared with 11,571 votes for the UK Independence Party's Diane James and 10,589 votes for the Conservatives' candidate, Maria Hutchings.
The result in the Hampshire constituency will do much to settle nerves within the Liberal Democrats, following the allegations of improper behaviour towards women candidates by a former senior party figure.
Ecstatic with the victory, Liberal Democrats president, Tim Farron said the result "changes the narrative" for the remaining two years and three months of the parliament. “If the Tories can’t beat us in a seat they have to gain to win a majority, after the week we’ve had, that is outstanding for the Liberal Democrats,” Mr Farron declared.
However, Eastleigh is a Liberal Democrats heartland, one held by them since a by-election in 1994 and one where it holds every single place on the local borough council.
Nevertheless, it will strengthen the party's belief that it can maintain most of the 57 House of Commons seats it currently holds, despite poor opinion polls nationally.
Equally, it should encourage party members to close ranks over the controversy caused by the allegations against the party's former chief executive, Lord Chris Rennard. He has been accused by a number of women of making improper advances when they attended training sessions for election candidates - though he denies the charges strenuously.
National lessons are notoriously difficult to draw from by-election results, but it is clear the UK Independence Party - which opposes the UK's membership of the EU - have moved up a step in voters' estimation.
Early today, Ukip leader Nigel Farage sought to exploit already opening divisions within the Conservative Party over the by-election result, saying the Tories don't exist any more. "Traditional Tories don't recognise the party any more. Any woes that they have down here (in Hampshire) are not down to us, we have drawn support from all across the parties," he declared.
The second place secured by Ukip will strengthen the party's hopes that it can win the largest number of seats in the European Parliament elections in mid 2014. Much of the party's growth of support during the campaign is attributed to local concerns about immigration, particularly with the looming freedom for Bulgarians and Romanians to move to the UK from January next.
In advance of the result, a number of senior Conservatives, notably David Davis, who was beaten for the party leadership by David Cameron in 2005, warned that a third place finish would be disastrous.
Faced with the result, Conservative Party chairman Grant Schapps attempted to downplay the impact, pointing to the Liberal Democrats' strong local strength in Eastleigh.
Greeting her results, Ukip's candidate Diane James said the party had delivered a "humungous" political shock.: "No longer will UKIP be excluded in the polls," she said after the result was declared at 2.22am.
Labour's John O'Farrell, a comedian, finished disappointingly in fourth place, with 4,088 votes - a result that will cast doubt on Labour leader, Ed Miliband's ability to win seats in the South of England.
In his post-count speech, Mr O'Farrell, whose performance was criticised frequently during the campaign, declared: "It has been beastly for David Cameron in Eastleigh tonight."
The turnout in the by-election - which was called after the Liberal Democrats' Chris Huhne resigned after he pleaded guilty to perverting the course of justice - was 52.8 per cent, down from 69.3 per cent in the general election.
