The Conservatives are heading for a landslide majority in the general election, with Boris Johnson defeating Jeremy Corbyn’s Labour Party to their worst result in the modern era.
MM looked at five seats that the Tories surprisingly gained at Labour’s expense.
Blyth Valley
The first shock result of the election came from Blyth Valley, a Labour seat since its creation in 1950.
But the former mining area, which voted to leave in the EU referendum, will now have its first ever Conservative MP.
Tory candidate Ian Levy earned 17,400 votes, beating the Labour challenger by over 700 votes and received a huge reaction from a stunned crowd upon the announcement.
Conservative Ian Levy wins former mining constituency of Blyth Valley, as Labour lose seat they have held since its creation in 1950
Live updates: https://t.co/feN65Kctaq #BBCElection pic.twitter.com/udGeP3e9ep
— BBC Politics (@BBCPolitics) December 12, 2019
Blyth Valley’s previous Labour MP Ronnie Campbell has stepped down after over 30 years in the role.
Leigh
In another surprise result, Labour have lost their Leigh seat in Greater Manchester previously held by GM Mayor Andy Burnham to the Tories.
For the first time since 1922, there will be no longer by a Labour MP in the constituency. A 61% turnout saw Conservatives receive 21,266 votes, compared to just 19,301 votes for Labour.
Jo Platt’s majority of over 9,000 has staggeringly been lost in a devastating result for the Labour candidate, with James Grundy the new MP for the constituency.
Raucous of cheers meet James Grundy’s win as he blames Jeremy Corbyn and Labour’s stance on #Brexit for Jo Platt’s loss
See his victory speech below #GE19 @MM_newsonline pic.twitter.com/nbYAHb2aI5
— Philippa Amelia (@philippa_bakerx) December 13, 2019
Workington
Another example of the decline of the Labour’s strength in the north, the Labour stronghold for over 100 years has disappeared. Former MP Sue Hayman lost her majority of 51.1% to Mark Jenkinson, who earned 49.3% of the vote share.
Sue Hayman addresses the room after a Tory defeat. Workington has been a Labour stronghold for a more than 100 years. #ITVfromtheCount #ITVBorderElection pic.twitter.com/Zud8cjuqTL
— ITV News Border (@ITVborder) December 13, 2019
Blackpool South
Labour candidate Gordon Marsden has lost his seat for the first time since 1997, in another huge gain for the Conservative party in a typically Labour zone. Scott Benton has taken the seat with a 56.8% turnout showing voters lost all faith in the Labour party. Marsden lost 12% of his voters from the 2017 election, with Benton securing 49.6% of the votes.
Blackpool South: CON GAIN FROM LAB #BBCElection #GE2019.
Full results: https://t.co/zT2axerZqf pic.twitter.com/sdNZk90l87— BBC Election (@bbcelection) December 13, 2019
Darlington
In another damning blow for Labour in the north, the party has lost control of Darlington for the first time since 1983. Boris Johnson’s strategy to take opposition seats in the north appears to have worked with Darlington also turning blue. The market town in County Durham has voted a 3,294 Tory majority, with Peter Gibson earning 20,901 votes.
