Dark Clouds over Sunderland ... Tory victory in by-election could scupper Gordon Brown's early election plans

As Labour led Sunderland Council lurch from crisis to crisis like the Titanic looking for icebergs the local by-election result last night could shatter Gordon's chance to go to the country early with a snap General Election.

Rumour has it that 25th October has been pencilled in but with the EU constitution spectre looming and now this body blow in the Labour heartlands would GB's GB want to go down in the history books as the shortest serving PM?

With the boundary changes in Sunderland Sunderland Central would be a marginal seat ... now there's a sobering thought for the incumbent MP Chris Mullin. Local press report below ...

Tory victory in by-election
Sunderland Echo
28th October 2007

By Marissa Carruthers
A Tory victory on Wearside today cast doubt over whether Gordon Brown will call a snap General Election.
All eyes were on Washington as Labour, Conservative and Liberal Democrats battled it out at the ballot box to win a seat in Washington East. More ...