FOLLOWING the national trend, Redditch voters put their trust behind Labour and elected Chris Bloore to be their new MP.
In what nationally was a landslide for Labour, locally Rachel Maclean (ex-tory MP) lost by just 789 votes.
Labour candidate Chris Bloore received 14,810 votes to Rachel Maclean’s 14,021.
Reform UK candidate Julie Allison got 8516 votes, which she said was a triumph as the party started from nothing.
Andrew Fieldsend-Roxborough (Lib Dems) received 2,165 followed by David Thain (Greens) with 2098 votes.
Mr Bloore thanked his campaign team for their support, and said he is ready to get to work.
“One of my main priorities is help bring down the cost-of-living.
“We’ve got to get life to be more affordable, I hope we can pass that legislation quickly as a government.
“I know things aren’t going to be easy, we’re inheriting quite a mess, and we’ve got a lot of challenges.
“There is a lot to do, and I’m really confident we can achieve for the people of Redditch.”
He also thanked Rachel Maclean for her service over the past seven years.
Mrs Maclean said it had been a difficult night for her party, and they need to take some time to reflect on where they go next.
“It’s been a humbling experience for me to be a member of parliament for the last seven years, it’s not easy, but it has always been fascinating.
“Serving the public is always something I’ve wanted to do, and I hope I’ve done my best.”
02.46am
A declaration is looking like it will be announced soon, as last of the votes are being counted.
02.21am
A reminder for those who are joining us in our live coverage, the candidates up for election in Redditch are:
CONSERVATIVE – Rachel Maclean
LABOUR – Chris Bloore
LIBERAL DEMOCRAT – Andrew Fieldsend-Roxborough
REFORM UK – Julie Alison
GREEN PARTY – David Thain
WORKERS PARTY – Mohammed Amin
The exit poll has suggested a major landslide for Labour, but locally it looks to be a close race.
01.05am
Conservative candidate Rachel Maclean expressed her disappointment at the result of the exit polls but said she remained hopeful.
00.55am
Voter turnout has been confirmed, with 59.83 per cent of the constituency turning out to cast their ballot.
Turnout in Redditch for the 2019 election was 67.7 per cent, down from a healthier 70.33 per cent in the 2017 election.
11.00pm
We are live at the Redditch election count to bring you the result as and when they come in.
The first big talking point of the night is the exit poll.
The current poll methodology has been used in the last five general elections and has been as accurate to predict final results to within 10 seats.
The worst of the five was still accurate enough to 30 seats.
It is based on 130 seats across the country and a poll of 200,000 people.
So what does the 2024 exit poll predict?
According to this exit poll, Labour would end up with a majority of 170 seats.
It suggests Labour would win 410 seats, the Conservatives would be second on 131, the Liberal Democrats on 61 and Reform UK would finish with 13.
Scottish National Party are predicted to win 10 seats, Plaid Cymru on four, the Greens on two and the remaining 19 seats spread across other parties.
The ballot boxes are making their way to the counts and we will be bringing you more when we get it.
