Labour wins Houghton & Sunderland South as first seat of 2024 general election declared
4 July 2024, 23:20 | Updated: 5 July 2024, 00:28
Labour candidate Bridget Phillipson has retained her seat in Houghton & Sunderland South, as the first contested seat of the 2024 general election is announced.
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The Shadow Education Secretary received 18,837 votes, claiming 47.05% of the overall vote and ensuring Labour holds control of the North East constituency seat.
"After 14 years the British people have chosen change," said Phillipson as part of her speech following the results announcement.
"You have chosen the leadership of Sir Keir Starmer," she added.
It means the seat now has a Labour Majority of 7,169 - around 17.91% of the total vote, an increase on the 2019 result, which saw the party claim 40.40% of the vote.
Reform UK candidate Sam Woods-Brass claimed 11,668 votes in Houghton & Sunderland South, a result that showed an early wave of support behind Nigel Farage's party in an area the party were not initially targeting.
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Bridget Phillipson retains her seat as first result of election night declared
It comes as Sir Keir Starmer's party looks poised to secure a landslide victory, with the exit poll projecting Labour will win 410 seats overnight and claim an overall majority of 170 in the Commons.
Meanwhile Chris Burnicle of the Conservatives won 5,514 in the constituency, equating to 13.77% of the overall vote.
Liberal Democrat Paul Edgeworth received 2,290 votes, while Green Party candidate Richard Bradley received 1,723.
Houghton & Sunderland South has an electorate of 78,448 with a turnout of 40,032 which equates to 51.03%.
The results mark a swing of 13% in the constituency.
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The result sees Ms Phillipson re-elected for the fourth time in the northern seat, having first been elected as an MP in the constituency in May 2010.
It comes as Exit Poll's continue to predict Nigel Farage's Reform Party will win 13 seats - but analysts are suggesting that figure is highly uncertain.
It's the first of the night's results, with the seat showing a notable swing to Reform UK.
It comes as Nigel Farage's electoral agent, Peter Harris, has said the Reform UK leader is "up for the challenge" of facing up to a Labour government.
Exit polls suggested that Labour will secure a majority of 170, just less than the majority of 179 won by Tony Blair in 1997.
