It was a busy night in Newport West as the 11 candidates gathered to hear who was to succeed the late Paul Flynn, but there was one notable absence.
Liberal Democrat candidate Ryan Jones failed to appear Newport West by-election result: Labour's Ruth Jones named new MP to hear that he had come fifth behind Labour, the Conservatives, Plaid and UKIP with 1,088 votes.
Who is Labour's new Newport West MP Ruth Jones? was the winner on the night , after winning 9,308 votes and a majority of 1,951 over the Conservatives who were in second place.
But political commentator Andrew Neil was not happy that the Lib Dem candidate had failed to show up for the results and he tore into the party's Welsh president William Powell when he appeared on his BBC show live from the count.
From the studio, Neil started by asking: "I understand your candidate is not even at the count. What is your candidate doing?"
Newport West by-election result: Labour's Ruth Jones named new MP
Mr Powell replied: "Our candidate has a long-standing commitment that he has got to honour this evening unfortunately but he has run a strong and vigorous campaign. He is a local candidate and he has been very well received on the doorsteps in the last three-and-a-half weeks."
Looking at his watch back in the studio, Andrew Neil asks: "A long standing commitment at ten past one in the morning? What kind of long standing commitment is that?
"Doesn't he need a long standing commitment to the people of Newport West that he wants to represent?"
Mr Powell replies: "He is a well-respected local businessman and he is a very popular local candidate for our party, and he has been running a strong and vigorous campaign."
Mr Neil cuts across the Lib Dem president saying: "He is in the construction industry, but he isn't building anything at ten past one in the morning. He is not sticking up a house at ten past one."
To which, Mr Powell just shrugs.
Who is Labour's new Newport West MP Ruth Jones?
Ryan Jones , 32, lives in Gaer, having been brought up in Cwmbran. He runs his own construction business in Newport employing 30 people in the city.
He had said it was an "honour" to be selected to represent the constituency.
