Election results 2017: Tories gain Stoke-on-Trent South seat after 82 years
- Published
General Election 2017: 'Phenomenal' win for Conservatives in Stoke
The Conservative Party has gained a seat in Stoke-on-Trent for the first time in more than 80 years.
Jack Brereton, a 26-year-old city councillor, won the Stoke South seat with a majority of 663 over Labour's Rob Flello.
Mr Flello, who has held the seat since 2005, saw his majority over the Tories fall to 6.5% at the 2015 election.
Gareth Snell and Ruth Smeeth have held the two other Stoke seats for Labour.
Election results and live coverage in Staffordshire
Elsewhere, Labour's Laura Smith won Crewe and Nantwich with a majority of 48 votes from Conservative MP Edward Timpson.
Ms Smith said she "can't wait" to become "Crewe and Nantwich's voice in Westminster".
'Ordinary mum'
"It's really emotional," she said. "I'm an ordinary mum from Crewe, I'm a teacher and I'm fighting for the schools, for the health service."
Meanwhile, in Newcastle-under-Lyme, Labour's Paul Farrelly has narrowly held off the Conservative challenge by just 30 votes, with 21,124 to Owen Meredith's 21,094.
Earlier, Mr Farrelly said "chaos" caused by administration errors had left some people, including students, unable to vote.
In neighbouring Stoke, Mr Brereton is set to be one of the youngest Tory MPs when he takes up his new role.
He will become the first Conservative MP in Stoke-on-Trent since 1935, BBC reporter Emma Thomas said.
The new MP described it as a "phenomenal victory".
"People said that they felt left behind by Labour - that it did not represent them anymore," he said.
"We are ensuring now that we must deliver on those jobs, the opportunities and investment for Stoke-on-Trent."
He added: "They have shown their clear backing for our country to go forward and deliver Brexit successfully.
"It shows the strong will of the people cannot be ignored. Stoke South has voted for change."
Ian Wilkes came third for the Liberal Democrats in Stoke South, with 808 votes, and Jan Zablocki gained 643 votes for the Green Party.
The Conservatives have held Stone, with Bill Cash polling 31,614 votes, a majority of 17,495.
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- Published9 June 2017
