Warwickshire North held by Conservatives

[dutchman]

Labour's number one target seat in the West Midlands has been held by the Conservatives with an increased majority.



New MP Craig Tracey won Warwickshire North with a majority of 2,973, a swing of 3% from Labour. The Tories were defending a majority of just 54 votes.

Labour's Mike O'Brien came second, polling 17,069 votes, with UKIP in third place, winning 8,256 votes.

The Tories also held the key marginal of Nuneaton, with a bigger majority.



Sitting MP Marcus Jones was re-elected in Nuneaton with a majority of 4,882, an increase of 2,813 from the last general election.

Polling experts were predicting a swing to Labour, but their candidate Vicky Fowler came second with 15,945 votes.

Labour held the seat from 1992 until 2010.

Laura Kuenssberg, chief correspondent for Newsnight, said: "Worryingly for Labour, the increase in the majority gives more weight to the possibility that the Conservatives could win an outright majority."

UKIP's Alwyn Waine polled 6,582 votes to take third place.

Labour have held Coventry South and Coventry North West.

[dutchman]

Shock is expressed at election results in North Warwickshire

LABOUR politicians have revealed their shock at election results and thanks to supporters.

Labour Group leader at North Warwickshire Borough Council, councillor Mick Stanley, has revealed his shock at the losses Labour representatives sustained last Thursday.

He said: "Frankly, we did not see it coming. Most independent observers acknowledged that locally, Labour councillors had run the most successful North Warwickshire administration ever.

"We made history by not raising the Council Tax for consecutive four years, we improved services despite government cuts and we won national praise from our local government peers.

"Yet last Thursday we lost control and some of our best, long serving councillors lost their seats like John Moore, Derek Pickard, John Winter, Dave Butcher and Nigel Turley.

"In North Warwickshire, we can and we will come back from this, but we have a lot of work to do.

"We will need to build a better and stronger local Labour Party in the years ahead.

"Can I particularly thank the people of Polesworth East for electing me and my daughter, Emma, as their councillors. We will work hard for local people."

Mike O'Brien, who was the Labour Parliamentary candidate for North Warwickshire and Bedworth, has also thanked voters and party workers who supported him in the General Election.

"Of course the result was a disappointment for Labour," admitted Mr O'Brien.

"Our canvass returns showed us winning, but in the final days we detected a swing away from us. By the time I got to the count I knew the result would be a Tory win. I congratulate Craig Tracey and wish him well in his new job.

"I want to thank everyone who voted for me. I also need to say a very big thank you to the large number of local people who were on the streets on election day to get the vote out. They worked their socks off, but the national swing was too strong.

"We fought for the principles we believe in and those principles will endure in the hearts and minds of those committed to a more equal and just country.

"Locally, I was stunned to see so many hard working, committed Labour councillors lose their seats.

"On any reckoning the Labour Group had done an amazing job while controlling the council for the last four years with no Council Tax rise and no cuts in services. Democracy is a hard task master."

[rebbonk]

...we did not see it coming....

Then you must have been blind mate. Miliband with his blatant stupidity and lack of understanding of the true (former) labour supporters screwed it up royally.