The spectator combines incisive political analysis with books and arts reviews of unrivaled authority.

Subscribe today for just £12 and receive a 12-week subscription in print and online

and get a £20 Amazon gift voucher absolutely free.

Go to spectator.co.uk slash summer.

Hello and welcome to Coffee House Shots, the spectator's daily politics podcast.

Well, the Conservatives have lost both by elections overnight in midbedfature and

tamworth. Katie Balls, you are up all night. James Hale, you have been up from small hours as well.

Let's get your reaction, Katie first.

I think it's hard to say it was anything other than a very bad night for a Rishisuna canter's party.

I think there was always a sense they could lose both but I don't think it's where expectations have

been over the past couple of weeks and you kept hearing her in midbedfature. Perhaps the

stories can go through the middle. Instead, what's happened was Labour came trying up from both

tamworth and midbedfature, overturning in tamworth for majority of 19,634. I think for that one,

the last time tamworth was Labour was 2010 and therefore it is two ways of looking at one of

which is one of the safest Tories seats in the country at least how it's now seen. So therefore

it's very damaging. The other is that when Labour had been in power, Tamworth has been Labour

in Tabs of recent times and when the Tories have been, Tamworth has been Tory and therefore you

can also see it as a bell-ever seat. I don't think either is particularly encouraging for the Tories

but what I mean is I think it not only is a huge majority they've overturned. It does add to that

sense that you're heading to a large Labour majority if you were to replicate today's results

in the sense that last time that seat was there was really building up to the 97 election

and when it turned from a Tory to Labour. Then you look at midbedfature obviously Nadine Doris'

...