BBC NEWS | Politics | MP quitting to force by-election

Labour MP Ian Gibson has stood down due to trouble with his expenses. The Conservatives would only need a 6% swing to win the seat, which in this climate is very achievable, particularly given the fact that it's an expenses scandal MP who has stood down. Seems like it's blow after blow for Brown. Anyone know the UK rules regarding by-elections? Is there a deadline for having to call one?

UK by-elections are invariably held within a very short timeframe (within a month). The Tories will surely win this one - it's in a middle of the road constituency which they will need to snatch from Labour to get a landslide win at a General Election.

The UK system of by-elections is different to our own Banana Republic, where by-elections can be delayed indefinitely while sons of deceased members and pension-age brothers of has-been Prime Ministers can be allowed time to compensate for their own pathetic defficiencies as candidates.

In fairness though, there is a logical reason why UK by-elections happen a lot more quickly - they have single seat constituencies, and so constituents are left without representation during a vacancy. In Ireland there is a multi-seat system, where everyone will always have some kind of representation - but still this doesn't ecxuse the hideous delay over Seamus Brennan's seat