IN May 2021, in Ferryhill in the heart of the former Labour Prime Minister’s Sedgefield constituency, a young Conservative candidate was elected to Durham County Council as he was just 14 votes ahead of the Labour candidate. It was a historic achievement and contributed to Labour losing control of the council for the first time since 1919.

It showed that, in the North East at least, Boris Johnson’s party still had unprecedented pulling power in the former Labour heartland.

This week, a by-election has been held in the Ferryhill ward. Another young candidate has been successful, but this time he was representing the Labour Party, and he was 528 votes ahead of the Conservative candidate.

So, as the 2021 result was hailed as being part of the remarkable Tory success story, this 2022 result must at least be acknowledged.

It could be the first electoral sign that, in the former red wall, the point of peak Johnson has passed. Labour, while not exciting, is now competent enough to win seats it should never have a chance of losing.

Of course, it is difficult to compare one full election with a by-election, and in a tight knit community like Ferryhill, the individual candidates’ characters can be as important as the party they represent. But the result is a sure sign that the Conservatives are going to have a real fight on their hands to retain their recent historic gains.