ROBIN WALKER was re-elected and increased his majority in Worcester on a hugely successful night for the Conservatives across the country.
Mr Walker, who was re-elected for a fourth time in nine years and increased his majority to 6,758, said his “decisive” victory came from the Conservatives promising to deliver Brexit for the city and taking control of the centre ground in British politics.
He also blamed Labour’s drop in votes on leader Jeremy Corbyn for taking the party too far to the left.
Labour’s Lynn Denham finished second with 19,098 votes.
Read our live coverage of the election from the count
Mr Walker said: “I’m absolutely delighted. I think it’s an emphatic result and it is everything I hoped we might achieve at this election but it is also a huge responsibility and I am very aware that the people of Worcester want to see their MP get to work straight away so I will being just that and getting stuck into meetings tomorrow morning.
“I think significantly more people decided to vote Conservative because the Conservative Party was campaigning on the centre ground of British politics, on One Nation issues, on issues that matter to people like schools and hospitals but also on delivering the aspirations of the people of Worcester when it comes to Brexit and making sure we do leave the European Union, as the people of Worcester decided, but also that we deliver a deal so that we can protect our economy.”
He said his majority had increased due to Labour’s vote decreasing in the city because of leader Jeremy Corbyn moving the party to the left and moving away from the aspirations of many of the people of West Midlands.
He said: “I think this is an election which unlike some of the other elections in recent history has been decisively won and I hope from this decisive victory that we have stronger politics in the future with perhaps new leadership in the Labour Party challenging the centre ground, which I think will be good for democracy.”
Stephen Kearney finished third for the Liberal Democrats with 3,666 votes, the Green Party’s Louis Stephen came in fourth with 1,694 votes and independent candidate Martin Potter, who was originally due to stand for the Brexit Party, received 584 votes.
Labour’s Lynn Denham said: “I am disappointed. A lot of people wanted a different result and worked extremely hard for a different result. I had a lot of people working really hard, particularly young people, particularly doctors and nurses, that really wanted change, but the voters of Worcester have decided otherwise.
“I think Brexit as an issue has had an enormous amount of publicity and people think that is really important. I think some of the personal attacks, nationally not locally, on the leadership of the Labour Party and Labour’s message has undoubtedly affected people. I have heard that on the doorsteps.”
Stephen Kearney, who finished third for the Liberal Democrats, said: “I think we built a good team in Worcester this time, which is quite good. The result two years ago was poor.
“It’s important for the people of the city because it is crucial that people have options at elections.”
Mr Kearney said the “shift to the right” in British politics was very dangerous and implored Mr Walker to take responsibility for pulling politics back to the centre. He said he was “very worried” for the country with a “dangerous” Prime Minister in Boris Johnson.
Green Party candidate Louis Stephen said the current electoral system in Britain was broken which only bred a terrible and tribal style of politics. He said people had voted for the Green Party because they wanted a politics that was more compassionate.
Independent candidate Martin Potter said: “I hope fundamentally that Brexit will be done and it will be done properly, swiftly and with style.”
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