It was the night before Christmas when all through our home.

Friends were waiting for drinks at the party we'd thrown.

With an espresso martini mixer from Fever Tree,

all you need to add is the vodka you see.

Five espresso martinis ready in a second,

a Christmas miracle everybody reckoned.

So this holiday season mix with the best with fever tree cocktails for you and your

guests please enjoy responsibly. Welcome to F.T. Politics, the weekly podcast on British politics and financial times.

I'm Jonathan Derbyshire, the F.T.'s executive

comment editor and in this week's episode we'll be discussing the results of

Thursday's by-elections in Copeland and Stoke-on Trent and their

implications. I'm delighted to be joined by Jim Pickard, the F.T.

Chief Political Correspondent, Andy Bounds, on North of England Correspondent,

political commentator Miranda Green, and on the line from Westminster,

political editor George Parker.

Thank you all for joining me. Two by-elections

took place this week in Copeland, Incumbria and in Stoke-on-Trent. Both were previously

saved Labour seats and both became vacant after sitting Labour MPs stood down in order to pursue careers outside politics.

In the week leading up to the by-elections, Labour officials had become increasingly concerned about the party's chances in Copeland.

It turns out they were right to be

worried. The Conservatives won the Cumbrian seat with the biggest increase in vote

share by a governing party at a by-election for more than 50 years. Labor held on in Stoke, where the UK Independence Party leader Paul Nuttle

...