Shock result brings end to 176-year Tory tenure

A few lucky punters had a dabble but hardly anyone saw it coming.

Labour’s Rosie Duffield has been elected as the MP for Canterbury and Whitstable in one of the biggest shocks of last week’s general election.

Even the most optimistic and ardent of supporters still could not believe it when they finally slumped into their beds the next day.

The stunning win, by a mere 187 votes, has left the Tories licking their wounds and wondering how they let a safe seat slip through their grasp – even with a big student vote lining up against them.

Ms Duffield picked up double the votes her party got in 2015 with 25,572.

The 45-year-old mother-oftwo overturned Sir Julian Brazier’s near 10,000 majority, ending his 30-year tenure as MP and the Conservatives’ hold on the seat which has been unbroken for more than a century.

Ms Duffield said: “I am hugely shocked. Thank you so much to the Canterbury district – we have made history.

“There has been 176 years of the Conservative party here and we have just broken that record.”

Ms Duffield saw her campaign galvanised by the visit of Labour heavyweight Emily Thornberry to Canterbury in the final stages.

Turn-out was 72.77%, up from 65.98% in 2015.

Ms Duffield said: “We really hoped we had a chance of narrowing the majority of 9,000 but none of us had any clue that we would actually break it. I am in shock but very excited, extremely happy and incredibly grateful to all of the people who lent me their vote. I really hope we can have

a change here and that people who feel they haven’t been represented can finally have a voice in parliament.”

A result was originally expected at 3am on Friday morning, but the Conservatives called for a recount after Labour won a provisional vote by less than 200.

Sir Julian attributed his loss partly to an increased number of student voters in the constituency. The number of registered voters rose by 10% from 2015. He said: “I think the largest factor was the very large number of students. They were actually on holiday at the last election and this constituency voted for Remain and a huge number of students registered between the EU referendum and polling day.

“They voted in very large numbers and in a large part, I think, because of the referendum result.

“I would like to congratulate Rosie on her victory and take this opportunity to thank the people of Canterbury for putting up with me for 30 years in the House of Commons.

“It is obviously disappointing but I have enjoyed the last 30 years and it has been a tremendous experience.”

Lib Dem candidate James Flanagan picked up 4,561 votes, with the Green Party’s Henry Stanton taking 1,282.

Earlier in the evening, a byelection was held in the city’s Westgate ward following the resignation of Conservative John Brazier, Sir Julian’s son.

It was won by Labour’s Simon Warley who pulled 1,761 votes ahead of Daniel Prevett (Lib Dem) with 978.

Luke Whiddett was third for the Conservatives with 929 votes, while Henry Stanton of the Greens, who was also standing in the general election, took 389.

Labour’s victory gives them four councillors to the ruling Tories’ 30.