While Labour was celebrating Gareth Snell’s by-election victory in Stoke, elsewhere in Copeland, Conservatives were making history with Trudy Harrison winning the seat for the part for the first time in 34 years.
The results caused some MPs to warn the party was on course for a “catastrophic” general election defeat – given that the Cumbrian seat had been held by Labour since 1935.
But when leader Jeremy Corbyn was asked whether was to blame for the Copeland defeat, he had only one thing to say.
His response to the reporter’s question about “whether he can look himself in the mirror” has taken a life of its own on Twitter.
ITV's Chris Ship: "Have you at any point this morning looked in the mirror and thought could the problem be me?
Corbyn: "No. Next question."— Kevin Schofield (@PolhomeEditor) February 24, 2017
.@chrisshipitv asks Corbyn if he's looked in mirror over Copeland result and he says "no" and then refuses to explain why. Bizarre.
— Anushka Asthana (@GuardianAnushka) February 24, 2017
Trick question; he doesn't have a mirror …#Corbyn #Copeland https://t.co/GTmeHyQ6Wd
— Stewart Weir (@sweirz) February 24, 2017
I'm spending today not looking at myself in the mirror or asking myself any awkward questions.
— Jeremy Corblimey (@CorbynHope_less) February 24, 2017
Ironically, Corbyn was standing next mirror during his speech at Savoy Place in central London, where he was asked the question.
