Emrys
Emrys's JournalIn my line of work (copy-editing for publishers), AI's been in use for some years.
After it started to be brought in, not all the publishers I worked for and books I worked on used it. One, more traditional (and great, also lefty) publisher I work with has as yet nothing to do with it beyond maybe traditional spellchecking (and they seem to be surviving, if not thriving).
In the versions I've seen, AI in copy-editing has taken two forms: pre-processing of files in an attempt to do some of the tedious donkey work, and checking the files after they've been worked on, to pick up on issues that may have been missed by a human copy-editor.
I'm currently working for a project management firm (they take on preparatory work for publishers, turning authors' typescripts into the final typeset versions). A year or so ago, they went over to using a custom-designed online publishing system rather than using Microsoft Word, which is the industry standard. Its pre-processing's always been a bit hit or miss. It can certainly help do away with some aspects of RSI and mindbending tedium. But it can also screw up, sometimes spectacularly (and occasionally hilariously). As you'd expect, it can be very very literal-minded, and that doesn't always fit with work on something as frequently nuanced as language, and especially a language as cranky as English.
One quite mechanical task pre-processing can be of some help with is cross-checking references. A non-fiction author may write a book with numerous citations of publications in text, associated with a references section or bibliography. The scope for errors (and general author sloppiness) is obvious, and dealing with and resolving them can form the bulk of our work, so any assistance is usually welcome.
I'd say the online system I'm working on with my current project is maybe 85% functional, maybe a little more, which may sound pretty good, but the 15% or so error rate is more of a bane than you might think.
For instance, one problem I've encountered is with in-text citations using "et al." Et al. is short for et alia, which is Latin for "and others". It can be used with the main author's name as an alternative to listing all the author names for a publication (and there can be very many in research works).
The system I'm using parses anything in text that "looks like" it may be a citation: what it assumes to be a name plus a year of publication (usually after the name, in brackets). That can occasionally screw up in itself (say if someone's just mentioning a year in passing), generating nonsense author queries that we have to weed out before we risk annoying the authors with them.
This same system's currently having a mental block with "et al." If it finds an author surname in text followed by a year in brackets and associates that with a references entry that has multiple authors, it'll raise a query complaining bitterly if it can't find "et al." in the accompanying phrase in text. Occasionally, it's correct, the author just made a mistake, and it's easily remedied. But the way it's currently programmed, it doesn't detect the strings "et al.," or "et al.'s", so these queries are just nonsense and we need to delete them or the author may think we're halfwits.
So the pre-processing may well be doing away with some donkey work, but it's creating other donkey work instead.
In terms of checking files after I've worked on them, my client very much wants us to run a "grammar/spelling checker" after finishing our main run-through, and this can lead to quite a lot of fun and games. These checkers - more or less primitive examples of AI - have been around in various word processors for many years, so you'd think they'd be quite mature by now. Alas.
The checker gives us the option of checking in either US English or UK English. The book I'm working on needs to be in UK English, but with -ize endings, not -ise ones (in words like recognize/recognise). Whoever did the programming didn't allow for this, and assumed anyone working in UK English would just need to use -ise endings, whereas -ize endings in UK English is a common standard in publishing nowadays (it's what Oxford University Press specifies, for instance).
So after working though the chapter and running the checker, I have to go through and reverse every time it's changed an -ize ending into an -ise one. More tedious donkey work, and often a lot of it.
It also makes some other bloopers. It prefers the "Oxford comma" in serial lists (Tom, Dick, and Harry), whereas the client publisher (and I) much prefer to include such commas only if they help clarify the sense of a phrase. That's also much more a UK standard usage.
It's also got a nasty habit, just to keep us on our toes when checking in UK English, of changing any instances it finds of "US" or "United States" to "UK" or "United Kingdom". How that came about beats me.
So I find myself arguing with the checker as I go along, on this as well as a number of other of its foibles: "Look, buddy, I've been doing this work for nigh on forty years, man and boy. You're just a cobbled-together jumped-up pocket calculator with delusions of adequacy trained on god knows what source material and programmed by people who don't really understand many basic principles of English, let alone copy-editing, so butt out."
This system is considered near state of the art, and I read not long ago that a major publisher had licensed it for a considerable sum for use by its in-house editing team.
The problems I've described could be quite trivial to reprogram, but the problems are economics and business politics. I've reported the problems I've found to my line manager, but the response is often, "Yeah, we've told the developers about that, but it doesn't look like it's going to get fixed any time soon" - the implication being "if ever".
No doubt some serious resources were expended to develop this system to its current state, and I guess bean counters have said it's good enough for jazz, regarding our feedback as nitpicky gripes.
Which may well be what they sound like to any of you who've reached this far in what's a much, much longer screed than I intended when I started typing. If I sound cranky on DU sometimes, maybe you now understand why.
In an attempt to at least do the OP the respect of relating to it more obviously: when I started out as a copy-editor, I was working with paper typescripts, pens, vats of Tipp-Ex, reams of Post-Its, and far too much coffee and tobacco.
I know how to do all these processes manually and mentally, and that often helps when the software screws up. In fact, without that grounding, it might be difficult to detect and identify some of the software bloopers I've mentioned, along with others, let alone overcome them.
I doubt many publishing training courses nowadays put students through the sort of apprenticeship I was lucky enough to have way back - funnily enough, with that same lefty publisher I mentioned up top, and they and I are both still going strong.
This week's UK Private Eye cover
Proudly displayed on newsstands in stores and supermarkets all over the country.
He should call for a ceasefire.
He's been all about ceasefires and how terrible it is that people are killing each other. All those souls.
Why won't he call a ceasefire?
This is a silly and pointless war. It's getting boring.
He should make a deal.
It sounds like he and whoever's the surviving leader of Iran at the moment just don't like each other at all.
There's a lot of hatred there. It's so great. There's no camaraderie. Not even a little bit.
So much hatred. So sad.
They should get around a table and make a deal.
It could be over in a day.
It has two, but one is currently undergoing maintenance, and the other is in dry dock for a more extensive overhaul
HMS Prince of Wales is stationed in Portsmouth, having been engaged in work-up training, and there are plans to move it to a state of readiness to deploy within five days, though I don't think a final decision has been made yet. HMS Queen Elizabeth, the larger of the two, is in dry dock at Rosyth in Scotland, and won't be available any time soon.
Carriers can't be deployed alone, and there are doubts the Navy can muster enough support ships to make up a carrier group at such short notice. The UK's main destroyer that could fill the escort gap, HMS Dragon, is in maintenance, which is being delayed because the staff reportedly only work 9-5 Monday-Friday, but is expected to sail to the Mediterranean next week. Another destroyer, HMS Duncan, is due to enter maintenance, but I guess that could be postponed if absolutely necessary. A few frigates are currently available, but I've no idea how many. Hunter-killer submarines would also usually serve as escorts to protect the carrier, but would be little use against drones and missiles, which are the major current threats.
Another problem, as you say, with Trump's ignorant screed is that the intention (currently, at least) isn't to support Trump in his lunatic wanton aggression, but to try to defend the UK's air bases in Cyprus, especially Akrotiri. The Cypriot authorities are understandably cheesed off because the UK presence has attracted Iranian drone strikes to the island which would otherwise be of little or no interest to the Iranians, and the future of the UK's presence there is as a result being called into question, which adds to the urgency for Starmer.
The riposte to Trump's yapping about delayed entry to this debacle is that if he wants countries to turn up on time, he needs to give them some bloody notice, and maybe also explain what the fuck his intentions are so they can make informed decisions.
The other obvious problem is in what world this crazy war of choice is "already won", but it's Trump, so it's pointless to hope for reality-based thinking.
If it's "won", what the hell are they still fighting for?
Trump lashes out at Fox News reporter for asking 'stupid question' about claims Russia is helping Iran target US troops
When correspondent Peter Doocy asked the president about the report during an unrelated White House event, Trump grew visibly annoyed.
“That’s an easy problem compared to what we’re doing here,” the president said. “Can I be honest. It’s just — I have a lot of respect for you, you’ve always been very nice to me — what a stupid question that is to be asking at this time. We’re talking about something else.”
Later Friday, MS NOW anchor Chris Hayes defended Doocy’s question, using a mocking tone to highlight Trump’s apparent irritation about being asked about the war during a White House event on college sports.
“You’re asking me about war?” Hayes said. “About our American service members being targeted by an adversary at a time like this when I am trying to solve the transfer portal?”
President Trump on Friday brushed off what he said was a ‘stupid’ question about whether Russia is helping Iran target the U.S. in the ongoing war AFP via Getty Images)
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/trump-peter-doocy-iran-russia-troops-fox-news-b2933797.html
Evidence of Russian-sourced Shaheds (Gerans) being used by Iran in the current conflict
Back in 2025, in the aftermath of Trump's first major assault on Iran, the Jerusalem Post reported how Russia was now building Gerans (its designation of the original Iranian Shaheds) itself in large quantities, mainly in the Albatross company's massive facility at the Alabuga Special Economic Zone in Tatarstan, Russia.
Perhaps presciently, the Jerusalem Post article stated:
The [Alabuga] factory is also expanding rapidly with more dormitories and production facilities. CNN reported that this could mean that Russia would be able to export an improved, battle-tested version of the Shahed-136 drone back to Tehran.
...
Former UN weapons inspector and chief of the Institute for Science and International Security (ISIS), David Albright, said that the expansion would allow Moscow to better support Iran in any future conflicts, which he said was “very dangerous.”
“Some of [Iran’s] drone production facilities were bombed, and they fired a lot of [drones], so as a way to build back stock, they may do that,” Albright told CNN. “And then Iran could reverse engineer or receive the technology to make a better quality Shahed.”
https://www.jpost.com/international/article-863703
Russia has grown less and less reliant on Iran for Shahed/Geran parts. Components are sourced (often smuggled) from a number of countries, including some in the West, but its reliance has shifted to China:
95% of the components in Russian-produced Shahed-type drones are now of Chinese, rather than Iranian, origin, Russian-Ukrainian war veteran and former Aidar battalion company commander Yevhen Dykyi said in an interview with Radio NV on March 3.
"I will remind you that Iran supplied Russia with a truly unique, but very powerful, what is called a 'game changer,' that is, a weapon that affects the entire course of the war," he explained.
"These are, in fact, the Shaheds. And, unfortunately, over the years that have passed, the Shahed has actually become the Geran."
He recalled that initially, Iran supplied Russia with ready-made Shahed drones, then built a production line in Alabuga, which initially only handled final assembly, and after that, the Russians began "Iran-substitution," replacing scarce Iranian components with more mass-produced Chinese ones.
"Today, almost 95% of the components in a Shahed (Flash [Serhii Beskrestnov, advisor to the Minister of Defense — Ed.] knows more precisely, of course), but almost 95% of the components in Shaheds have long been of Chinese production, not Iranian," Dykyi detailed.
"The Russians have also even changed the design, improved it."
https://english.nv.ua/russian-war/shahed-ta-geran-3-95-of-shahed-parts-now-chinese-50588748.html
Then, a couple of days ago:
The debris fell near homes and hotels as authorities urged tourists to stay indoors. Kyiv Post has not independently verified the reports.
Fragments of a Russian-marked drone have reportedly been found in Dubai after local air defenses intercepted a major Iranian attack on the city,
The drone, identified as a Geran-2, was discovered near the strategic Jebel Ali port, according to a Telegram channel for Russians in the UAE. Kyiv Post has not been able to independently verify these reports.
Preliminary accounts indicate it was shot down by UAE air defenses during the ongoing regional escalation.
...
“The Geran-2 ended up in Dubai… wow. There was a chance to get hit by your own drone? Quite a joke,” wrote a Russian expatriate sharing footage in the Telegram channel Russians in the UAE.
https://www.kyivpost.com/post/71190
A number of other outlets covered this at the time, concluding that the markings suggested deep collusion between the Iranians and the Russians, but its fuller significance was explored by Defense Express:
...
Based on the available footage, Defense Express can analyze the partially visible serial number on the Geran-2: KB 1070… The letters KB indicate that the drone was assembled at the Kupol plant in Izhevsk rather than at the Alabuga production facilities in Tatarstan, whose products carry the markings Ы and Ъ.
Drones from this production batch are equipped with the jam-resistant Kometa-M communications system. They are also characterized by the near-total absence of Iranian components, most of which have been replaced by Chinese parts. In addition, they differ in manufacturing and assembly technologies.
Regarding the numerical sequence, serial numbers at the Izhevsk plant are aligned along the edge. In this case, the winglet appears damaged, which explains why the full number is not visible. As of early March 2026, serial numbers of Geran-2 drones produced in Izhevsk have exceeded 30,000. A number in the 10,70X range corresponds to production levels of spring–summer 2024.
...
...
It is possible that this drone was transferred as a demonstration model. However, in that case it would be unlikely to have been used operationally. Geran-2 drones produced in Izhevsk differ in onboard electronics and even feature different flight mission programming ports compared to their Iranian counterparts.
Another plausible scenario is that russia supplied its own Geran-2 drones equipped with Kometa-M antennas containing a limited number of CRPA elements. These variants have already proven less effective against Ukraine. They may have been stored in russia and later transferred to Iran, possibly to replenish strategic stockpiles after Israeli strikes in 2025 or ahead of anticipated U.S. attacks as part of Operation Epic Fury.
https://en.defence-ua.com/news/what_the_serial_number_of_russian_geran_2_drone_used_by_iran_against_the_uae_actually_reveals-17718.html
On LinkedIn, American aerospace engineer and author Robert Zubrin took the words out of my mouth:
2d
Russian Geran drones made at the Yelabuga factory in Tatarstan are striking American forces and our allies in the Iran war. To protect our troops, the US should give Ukraine to means to destroy it. @yarotrof @ClaireBerlinski @McFaul @CliffordDMay
https://lnkd.in/gP6a5Ens
Russian-Made Geran-2 Drone Reportedly Shot Down Over Dubai in Massive Iranian Strike
[This OP is adapted from a reply originally posted to an OP in GD at
https://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1002&pid=21077996, now also X-Posted in Editorials & Other Articles - https://www.democraticunderground.com/1016424670]
Evidence of Russian-sourced Shaheds (Gerans) being used by Iran in the current conflict
Back in 2025, in the aftermath of Trump's first major assault on Iran, the Jerusalem Post reported how Russia was now building Gerans (its designation of the original Iranian Shaheds) itself in large quantities, mainly in the Albatross company's massive facility at the Alabuga Special Economic Zone in Tatarstan, Russia.
Perhaps presciently, the Jerusalem Post article stated:
The [Alabuga] factory is also expanding rapidly with more dormitories and production facilities. CNN reported that this could mean that Russia would be able to export an improved, battle-tested version of the Shahed-136 drone back to Tehran.
...
Former UN weapons inspector and chief of the Institute for Science and International Security (ISIS), David Albright, said that the expansion would allow Moscow to better support Iran in any future conflicts, which he said was “very dangerous.”
“Some of [Iran’s] drone production facilities were bombed, and they fired a lot of [drones], so as a way to build back stock, they may do that,” Albright told CNN. “And then Iran could reverse engineer or receive the technology to make a better quality Shahed.”
https://www.jpost.com/international/article-863703
Russia has grown less and less reliant on Iran for Shahed/Geran parts. Components are sourced (often smuggled) from a number of countries, including some in the West, but its reliance has shifted to China:
95% of the components in Russian-produced Shahed-type drones are now of Chinese, rather than Iranian, origin, Russian-Ukrainian war veteran and former Aidar battalion company commander Yevhen Dykyi said in an interview with Radio NV on March 3.
"I will remind you that Iran supplied Russia with a truly unique, but very powerful, what is called a 'game changer,' that is, a weapon that affects the entire course of the war," he explained.
"These are, in fact, the Shaheds. And, unfortunately, over the years that have passed, the Shahed has actually become the Geran."
He recalled that initially, Iran supplied Russia with ready-made Shahed drones, then built a production line in Alabuga, which initially only handled final assembly, and after that, the Russians began "Iran-substitution," replacing scarce Iranian components with more mass-produced Chinese ones.
"Today, almost 95% of the components in a Shahed (Flash [Serhii Beskrestnov, advisor to the Minister of Defense — Ed.] knows more precisely, of course), but almost 95% of the components in Shaheds have long been of Chinese production, not Iranian," Dykyi detailed.
"The Russians have also even changed the design, improved it."
https://english.nv.ua/russian-war/shahed-ta-geran-3-95-of-shahed-parts-now-chinese-50588748.html
Then, a couple of days ago:
The debris fell near homes and hotels as authorities urged tourists to stay indoors. Kyiv Post has not independently verified the reports.
Fragments of a Russian-marked drone have reportedly been found in Dubai after local air defenses intercepted a major Iranian attack on the city,
The drone, identified as a Geran-2, was discovered near the strategic Jebel Ali port, according to a Telegram channel for Russians in the UAE. Kyiv Post has not been able to independently verify these reports.
Preliminary accounts indicate it was shot down by UAE air defenses during the ongoing regional escalation.
...
“The Geran-2 ended up in Dubai… wow. There was a chance to get hit by your own drone? Quite a joke,” wrote a Russian expatriate sharing footage in the Telegram channel Russians in the UAE.
https://www.kyivpost.com/post/71190
A number of other outlets covered this at the time, concluding that the markings suggested deep collusion between the Iranians and the Russians, but its fuller significance was explored by Defense Express:
...
Based on the available footage, Defense Express can analyze the partially visible serial number on the Geran-2: KB 1070… The letters KB indicate that the drone was assembled at the Kupol plant in Izhevsk rather than at the Alabuga production facilities in Tatarstan, whose products carry the markings Ы and Ъ.
Drones from this production batch are equipped with the jam-resistant Kometa-M communications system. They are also characterized by the near-total absence of Iranian components, most of which have been replaced by Chinese parts. In addition, they differ in manufacturing and assembly technologies.
Regarding the numerical sequence, serial numbers at the Izhevsk plant are aligned along the edge. In this case, the winglet appears damaged, which explains why the full number is not visible. As of early March 2026, serial numbers of Geran-2 drones produced in Izhevsk have exceeded 30,000. A number in the 10,70X range corresponds to production levels of spring–summer 2024.
...
...
It is possible that this drone was transferred as a demonstration model. However, in that case it would be unlikely to have been used operationally. Geran-2 drones produced in Izhevsk differ in onboard electronics and even feature different flight mission programming ports compared to their Iranian counterparts.
Another plausible scenario is that russia supplied its own Geran-2 drones equipped with Kometa-M antennas containing a limited number of CRPA elements. These variants have already proven less effective against Ukraine. They may have been stored in russia and later transferred to Iran, possibly to replenish strategic stockpiles after Israeli strikes in 2025 or ahead of anticipated U.S. attacks as part of Operation Epic Fury.
https://en.defence-ua.com/news/what_the_serial_number_of_russian_geran_2_drone_used_by_iran_against_the_uae_actually_reveals-17718.html
On LinkedIn, American aerospace engineer and author Robert Zubrin took the words out of my mouth:
2d
Russian Geran drones made at the Yelabuga factory in Tatarstan are striking American forces and our allies in the Iran war. To protect our troops, the US should give Ukraine to means to destroy it. @yarotrof @ClaireBerlinski @McFaul @CliffordDMay
https://lnkd.in/gP6a5Ens
Russian-Made Geran-2 Drone Reportedly Shot Down Over Dubai in Massive Iranian Strike
[This OP is adapted from a reply originally posted to an OP in GD at
https://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1002&pid=21077996 now also posted as a GD OP - https://www.democraticunderground.com/100221078034]
Trump allowed Russia and Iran to develop and improve the Shaheds/Gerans during the conflict in Ukraine
Ukraine in its turn has done great work developing and adapting its countermeasures and taking out some of the launch facilities and factories, but no thanks to the rapidly decaying dozy tinpot despot.
Now it's going to bite him (and a bunch of other people, many blameless) in the ass.
Remnants of Shaheds with Russian markings have been recovered in some of the Gulf states in the last week or so. Iran initially supplied Russia, then helped it set up its own manufacturing plants, and Russia has since been exporting drones to Iran.
Logically, Trump should either help Ukraine take out the known Russian plants by providing the necessary means, deploy some of the US's much-boasted vast array of armamaments to do the job as legitimate targets in the current conflict with Iran, or intercept any shipments that may occur from now on.
But maybe Vlad wouldn't like it. Perhaps he and Witkoff can have a chat about it the next time they have a cosy get-together to discuss European history, Russian mythology and the oodles of $ they look forward to sharing.
I'm just going to add a transcript of Hannah Spencer's acceptance speech:
And two weeks ago, during all this, I also qualified as a plasterer.
Because even in chaos, even under pressure, I get things done.
I am no different to every single person here in this constituency. I work hard. That is what we do.
Except things have changed a lot over the last few decades. Because working hard used to get you something.
It got you a house, a nice life, holidays. It got you somewhere.
But now? Working hard? What does that get you?
Because talk to anyone here and they will tell you, the people who work hard but can't put food on the table, can't get their kids school uniforms, can't put their heating on, can't live off the pension they worked hard to save for, can't even begin to dream about ever having a holiday, ever.
Because life has changed.
Instead of working for a nice life, we're working to line the pockets of billionaires.
We are being bled dry.
And I don't think it's extreme or radical to think working hard should get you a nice life.
And I think that if you're not able to work that you should still have a nice life.
I think that absolutely everybody should get a nice life.
And clearly, I'm not the only person who thinks that.
Because I've made clear my position and my commitment to working class communities, the community that I am from.
People in their thousands told me on the doorsteps and at the ballot box, that what we are sick of is being let down and looked down on, that we are sick of our hard work making other people rich.
I lived in this constituency at one of the most difficult and challenging periods of my life.
I saw how strong the community was at holding things together.
But I saw how much harder life is when the things around you are broken, the litter, the fly-tipping, the dirty air.
And when I moved, it became even clearer. And this is why I am fighting for the community that I lived in and that I still work in.
Because I absolutely refuse to accept that we should ever have to move and leave our our communities for good schools, a thriving high street, and clean air. And I will not accept a society where having more money gets you a longer life expectancy.
And so when it came to fighting for people here, to stand in this election, well, how could I not fight? Because here, this is what we do.
We fight for each other in this very diverse constituency, where our struggles might not always be the same, but where we know how hard life can be and we stick together.
Whatever our beliefs, our backgrounds, our color, or our level of education, we stick up for each other.
And to those who voted for me, I know that earning your trust starts now.
One vote on one night is not something I will take for granted or assume will happen again.
I will earn your trust.
And to those who didn't vote for me, I will always work hard for you, and I will always be honest, and I will always be decent.
To our Muslim communities, who this week suffered an attempted attack during Ramadan, whilst I was being welcomed by women at a mosque in Longsight, someone just down the road walked into a mosque carrying an axe.
And whilst we were gathered and eating together, an act of terror could easily have taken place.
And I can't and won't accept this victory tonight without calling out the politicians and divisive figures who constantly scapegoat and blame our communities for all the problems in society.
My Muslim friends and neighbors are just like me, human.
And of course, to our White working class communities, the background that I have become so proud to be from.
We know how it feels to be looked down on, maybe because we didn't do well at school, maybe because we do dirty manual jobs, because we are shut out of places we should be in.
To people here in Gorton and Denton, who feel left behind and isolated, I see you and I will fight for you.
Because whilst our communities may sometimes be labeled in different ways, the thing everyone seems to have underestimated here, especially over the last few weeks, is how similar we all actually are. How we have common ground, how we get along, how we stand up for each other.
The cracks that were starting to show can be healed, and I believe that it is through offering people hope and a chance to do things differently and do things better.
Now to my customers, I'm sorry, but I think I might have to cancel the work that you have booked in, because I'm heading to Parliament.
And when I get there, I will make space for everyone doing jobs like mine. We will finally get a seat at the table.
And to Layla, the little girl who had the pleasure of meeting and holding this week, I promised you I would try and improve the world that you are growing up in. I told you that I am not perfect, but that I always try my best.
I always try and do the right thing.
Now something exciting is definitely happening and I invite you all to be part of it.
Come and join the Green Party so that we can spread hope and win everywhere across the country.
Our strength will grow as more and more of us come together. We have shown that we don't have to accept being turned against each other.
We can demand better without hating each other. We can do that together.
We ran a hopeful campaign backed by thousands of volunteers and activists.
We defeated the parties of billionaire donors.
We have shown that we don't have to accept being turned against each other at all, and we did this with the people who live here side by side, shoulder to shoulder, just as we have always done in this constituency and in the whole of Greater Manchester. Because this is is Manchester and we do things differently here.
Thank you so, so much to everybody.
Thank you.
Green Party wins Gorton and Denton by-election with Labour pushed into third by Reform
The Greens' Hannah Spencer becomes the new MP, with Reform's Matt Goodwin in second place and Labour's Angeliki Stogia in third
In her victory speech, Spencer says she is a plumber who never grew up wanting to be a politician
The vote was triggered by the resignation of former Labour MP Andrew Gwynne on health grounds - it had been considered a safe Labour seat
"It's not just that Labour have lost, they've lost badly," says polling expert Sir John Curtice
Here are the results (% change from previous election in parentheses):
Greens: 40.7% (+27.5)
Reform UK: 28.7% (+14.7)
Labour: 25.4% (-25.3)
Conservatives: 1.9% (-6.0)
Liberal Democrats: 1.8% (-2.1)
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