By Cassandra Morgan in Melbourne

THE Liberals are set to face serious soul-searching following the disastrous Aston by-election result, with Peter Dutton vowing the party will come together and rebuild.

The Liberals’ candidate for Aston, Roshena Campbell, conceded defeat to Labor’s Mary Doyle on Saturday night, with Labor predicted to take the seat with a swing of more than six per cent.

Fronting the party faithful alongside Ms Campbell, Mr Dutton acknowledged it was a “tough night” for the Liberals, but said it wasn’t the party’s first.

The Liberals would listen to the people of Aston and grow stronger from the result, he said.

“We will work toward the next election to make sure that we’re in a much better and stronger position by the time of the next general election,” Mr Dutton said.

“We gather together now, we rebuild, and I promise you we will never give in.”

The by-election was widely considered to be a test of Mr Dutton’s leadership, although political watchers expected the Liberals to retain the seat in-line with historical trends.

The election result derails them, with a governing party not winning a seat off the opposition at a by-election in a century.

Ms Doyle, a breast cancer survivor and former unionist who failed to take the seat at the last election, said even the most “optimistic true believers” had her pitted as the underdog in the Aston campaign.

“We were the underdog but boy, have we shown that we have a big bite,” she told the party faithful.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese congratulated Ms Doyle, saying she had “made history”.

“The people of Aston have spoken. They want to strengthen a government prepared to face the challenges of today and build for a better future,” he posted on Twitter.

Labor contested the win was a huge endorsement of Mr Albanese’s leadership.

Aston was held by the Liberals on a 2.8 per cent margin after former minister and outgoing member Alan Tudge suffered a large swing against him at the 2022 election.

Other candidates for the seat were Angelica Di Camillo (Greens), Owen Miller (Fusion) and Maya Tesa (independent).

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