Blue wall crumbles in Essex as Tories lose eight seats

Labour's Pam Cox beat former Olympic gold medallist and Conservative candidate James Cracknell in Colchester

The Conservatives' blue wall in Essex has crumbled during a damaging night for the party.

Nigel Farage stole the headlines as he rounded off his high-profile campaign by romping home in Clacton.

The Tories also surrendered seats in Harlow, Colchester, Basildon, Thurrock and Chelmsford as the results rolled in.

Kemi Badenoch was elected for the party in the newly-formed North West Essex seat but said her party had lost the trust of voters.

The Tories lost eight seats, while Labour won five, Reform UK gained two and the Liberal Democrats took one.

Reform UK won its fifth seat in total as the final election result in England was declared at South Basildon and East Thurrock, following a recount.

Mr Farage said he would be "out and about" in Clacton-on-Sea as he became an MP at the eighth time of asking.

In a speech after the result was announced, Mr Farage said it was "the first step of something that is going to stun all of you".

He won Reform UK's second seat of the night, overturning a Tory majority of more than 25,000 to create his own lead in excess of 8,000 votes.

Labour delivered a crushing defeat for Southend Tories who lost both city seats for the first time in history.

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In Southend West and Leigh, former Basildon mayor David Burton-Sampson snatched the seat.

And across the south Essex city, Bayo Alaba won Southend East and Rochford.

In Colchester, Labour's Pam Cox became the first woman to be elected as the city's MP as she saw off competition from former Olympic gold medallist and Tory candidate James Cracknell.

Lib Dem Marie Goldman ousted Tory Vicky Ford from her Chelmsford seat

Chris Vince gained Harlow from the Conservatives with 16,313 votes and a majority of 2,504 – making him the first Labour MP for the bellwether town for almost 20 years.

"What I can offer is someone who works incredibly hard and puts the people of Harlow first," he said.

In Thurrock, there was huge disappointment for the incumbent Conservative MP Jackie Doyle-Price.

She had a majority of 11,482 but came third in the vote, beaten to second place by Sophie Preston-Hall, of Reform.

It followed Labour taking control of the financially-challenged Thurrock Council in May.

The single Liberal Democrat gain came in Chelmsford, where Marie Goldman took the seat from Vicky Ford, the city's previous Tory MP.

'Uncomfortable questions'

The selection of Richard Holden as the Conservatives’ candidate in Basildon and Billericay certainly ruffled a few feathers.

Mr Holden, who is chairman of the Tory party, had previously been the MP in North West Durham – some 300 miles away.

Neil Hudson successfully defended the Conservatives' seat in Epping Forest

His arrival was described as a "slap in the face" by party officials in Essex before he won the seat by just 20 more votes than Labour's Alex Harrison.

Conservative Kemi Badenoch won the newly-formed North West Essex seat but said her party must regroup.

"As a party the Conservatives must come back together, look deep in our political souls, and ask some uncomfortable questions," she said.

Former Home Secretary James Cleverly held Braintree with a majority of just under 4,000 - while another Tory to have held the role, Priti Patel, held Witham.

Tory party chairman Richard Holden faced an anxious wait during several recounts - but won in Basildon and Billericay by just 20 votes

Veteran Tory MPs Sir Bernard Jenkin and Sir John Whittingdale both retained their seats in Harwich and North Essex and Maldon respectively.

Alex Burghart held his position in Brentwood and Ongar for the Conservatives, as did Rebecca Harris in Castle Point and Mark Francois in Rayleigh and Wickford.

And in Epping Forest, Neil Hudson successfully defended the seat vacated by his Tory predecessor Dame Eleanor Laing.

Analysis

By Matt Knight, BBC Essex political reporter

Change came to the country and here to Essex as well.

For the first time since 2005, Labour won seats here in Colchester, Harlow and Thurrock.

Then, quite incredibly, the party won in both Southend West and Leigh and Southend East and Rochford – places that have never had a Labour MP.

But Labour were not the only ones celebrating on a night of drama.

The Liberal Democrats won in Chelmsford and at the eighth time of asking, Nigel Farage won the support of voters in Clacton to finally make his way to Parliament as a Reform MP.

The Tories held on in areas like Castle Point and Rayleigh and Wickford, but only just after the Reform vote surged.

Perhaps their night was best summed up in Basildon and Billericay where Richard Holden, the Conservative Party chairman, won by just 20 votes from his Labour challenger.

He had sorted a so-called safe seat in Essex after moving from the north east, but in this general election nowhere was safe for the Conservatives as they met the anger of voters, the return of Labour and the emergence of Reform.

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