Voters flock to Jones on great night for Labour
JON MACPHERSON
RE-ELECTED Labour MP Graham Jones said the Prime Minister’s decision to call a snap general election had “completely backfired” after a night of high election drama.
Mr Jones increased his majority from 4,400 to 5,815, despite many predicting a much closer election battle.
Conservative candidate Kevin Horkin finished with 18,305 votes and increased his share from two years ago by more than 8pc, however it was not enough to overtake Labour after a disappointing night both locally and nationally for the Tories.
The biggest loser of the night was undoubtedly UKIP who lost more than 7,000 votes from their ‘runaway success’ of two years ago. Voter turnout also fell in Hyndburn from 62.8pc at the last election to 61.8pc this year. The UK now faces the prospect of a hung parliament with the Conservatives as the largest party after the general election produced no overall winner.
Speaking after his election win, Mr Jones admitted he felt excited but “very tired” after a busy period of campaigning for county council and general elections.
He said: “You never get complacent and I do appreciate the fact that I have won a third term. I thank the people of Hyndburn and Haslingden for electing me. My promise as always is a pretty simple promise, to work hard for this borough.”
Mr Jones said Mrs May’s decision to hold a snap election has ‘completely backfired’ and said ‘the nasty party is back’.
He said: “I think voters have made their minds up in the last 24 hours. I think this has completely backfired on her and I think it’s a toxic set of circumstances.
“She has run an abysmal campaign, a negative campaign and I think the voters have seen through that. I’m not attacking the Tories, it doesn’t matter which party does it.
“In Hyndburn we’ve had 20 leaflets all attacking Jeremy Corbyn day after day. People know Jeremy Corbyn has his faults, I know he has his faults, but our party can’t be anything other than hopeful.”
The Hyndburn MP, who has previously been a critic of Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, conceded that he has been impressed by his election performance.
He said: “I think he has surprised a lot of people in the way that he has come across. He means what he says. He’s honest, whether you agree with him or disagree with him. I think he has improved significantly and I don’t think anybody can take that away from him.”
Hyndburn council Conservative group leader Tony Dobson said Mrs May was wrong to hold another election and should have ‘kept the sta- tus quo’.
And he said he believes the recent terror attacks in Manchester and London also hindered the Conservative campaign.
He said: “I think it probably has affected us more than Labour because the
RESULTS IN FULL
HYNDBURN Graham Jones, Labour, 24,120 (+11.2pc) Kevin Horkin, Conservative, 18,305 (+8.6pc) Janet Brown, UKIP, 1,953 (-17pc) Les Jones, Lib Dems, 824 (-0.2pc) Lab majority: 5,815 Turnout: 61.8pc Prime Minister was home secretary for six of the last seven years.”
Tory candidate Kevin Horkin congratulated Mr Jones on his victory.
Posting on his Facebook page, Mr Horkin wrote: “Any MP elected with more than 50 per cent of the vote is thoroughly deserving of praise.”
He blamed the increased majority on voters switching to Labour from other left wing parties as well as UKIP, and an increased youth turnout amounting to thousands of extra Labour votes.
He added: “The election was probably lost in Hyndburn not on the day of the launch of our own manifesto, with its disastrous social care gaffe, but instead on the day of the launch of the Labour manifesto and its pledge to end tuition fees, reintroduce student grants and scrap student loans.”
UKIP candidate Janet Brown felt ‘tactical voting’ played its part in the election and is now ‘spoiling democracy’.
She said: “It’s what I thought would happen.
“I wish people would have voted with their heart and not what they thought they had to vote to get something they really wanted.”
Hyndburn UKIP councillor Paul Thompson accused his own party of undermining their election campaign by encouraging voters to turn to the Conservatives.
He said: “From what I’ve seen there’s been a complete collapse of UKIP. But what can you do when your own party stabs you in the back?
“Nine years I have grafted for UKIP here in Hyndburn. They are telling my lads to go out and vote Conservative. What kind of party does that to its own people?
“The younger voters have come out in force for Labour so they can get the extra holidays and free university tuition fees.
“I won’t give up in Hyndburn. Nationally I don’t know what will happen. If it does collapse then I will form an independent party.”
Election analysis continues on next page