Dudley General Election 2019 results: Borough is blue as Longhi replaces Austin
Every seat in Dudley is in the hands of the Conservatives after the party cruised to victory across the borough.
All eyes were on Dudley North but the Tories won their comfortably, with Marco Longhi winning a majority of more than 11,000 after ex-Labour MP Ian Austin stood down and backed the Conservatives.
Elsewhere Tory majorities doubled in Dudley South, Stourbridge and Halesowen and Rowley Regis.
Results and reaction from across the borough will be added throughout the night.
Dudley North - Conservative win
Marco Longhi, Conservative - 23,134 (majority 11,533)
Melanie Dudley, Labour* - 11,601
Ian Flynn, Liberal Democrat - 1,210
Mike Harrison, Green Party - 739
Turnout - 59 per cent
The Conservatives finally won Dudley North for the first time in history.
The party fell just 22 votes short of winning in 2017, but prevailed this time around, with Marco Longhi securing a huge majority of 11,533.
The seat had been one of the most high-profile in the country in the run-up to the election after Ian Austin – who was the MP there for 14 years – stood down and endorsed the Tories.
He had edged home in the previous election as a Labour candidate, but had been sitting as an independent since February after quitting the party in opposition to Jeremy Corbyn’s leadership.
What was the 2017 Dudley North election result?
Ian Austin, Labour*- 18,090 (majority 22)
Les Jones, Conservative - 18,068
Bill Etheridge, UKIP 2,144
Ben France, Lib Dem - 368
Andrew Nixon, Green - 240
Turnout - 61 per cent
Mr Longhi, a councillor in Walsall, had campaigned on a pro-Brexit ticket in an area where nearly seven in 10 people voted to leave the EU.
He told the Express & Star: “I am elated. I am also elated for the country, Boris has delivered. We now need to unite the country and take the country forward.
“We can only start focusing on the priorities that people want, once we have got Brexit out of the way.”
Labour candidate Melanie Dudley came second on 11,601 votes – by far the worst performance of any Labour candidate in the seat’s history.
Ms Dudley, a former assistant chief executive of Sandwell Council, said: “I would like to say thank you to all the people who have supported me throughout this short, but very intense campaign. The electorate of Dudley North have spoken and I hope that Marco Longhi represents them well.”
The seat was effectively a two-way battle between the two main parties, with Mike Harrison for the Greens and Lib Dem Ian Flynn miles behind.
It had been one of the Brexit Party’s key target seats until candidate Rupert Lowe, a West Midlands MEP, withdrew his nomination papers at the last minute, infuriating Nigel Farage in the process.
The move left the party with no candidates in Dudley borough.
Dudley South - Conservative hold
Mike Wood, Conservative* - 24,835 (majority 15,565)
Lucy Caldicott, Labour - 9,270
Jonathan Bramall, Liberal Democrat - 1,608
Cate Mohr, Green Party - 863
Turnout - 61 per cent
Mike Wood more than doubled his majority as the Conservatives eased to victory in Dudley South.
He won 24,835 votes to Labour candidate Lucy Caldicott’s 9,270, giving him a majority of 15,565.
Mr Wood, who campaigned for Brexit in the EU referendum, first won the seat in 2010.
His victory means Dudley South has now been Conservative for the last 14 years.
What was the 2017 Dudley South election result?
Mike Wood, Conservative* - 21,588 (majority 7,730)
Natasha Millward, Labour - 13,858
Mitchell Bolton, UKIP - 1,791
Jonathan Bramall, Liberal Democrat - 625
Jenny Maxwell, Green - 382
Turnout - 62 per cent
He said: “Obviously I am delighted with the result and I am delighted to have the opportunity to carry on working Dudley South again. I hope this time it will be a full term!
“It looks like we will have the majority Conservative Government which will give us the stability to get things done across the country, firstly Brexit.”
Ms Caldicott is a councillor in London who had been parachuted into the region to fight for the seat.
She said: “We ran a positive, spirited, very busy and intense campaign.”
Liberal Democrat Jonathan Bramall came third on 1,608, with Green Party candidate Cate Mohr bringing up the rear on 863 votes.
Stourbridge - Conservative hold
Suzanne Webb, Conservative* - 27,534 (majority 13,571)
Pete Lowe, Labour - 13,963
Christopher Bramall, Liberal Democrat - 2,523
Andi Mohr, Green Party - 1,048
Aaron Hudson, Independent - 621
Turnout - 66 per cent
The Tories maintained their grip on Stourbridge and have now won in the constituency four times on the trot.
But the town will have a new MP, with Suzanne Webb winning the seat that had been held by Margot James from 2010.
Ms James stood down shortly after the election was called after falling out with some members of her local association over Brexit.
The former digital minister had angered pro-Leave members in Stourbridge by opposing legislation aimed at ruling out a hard Brexit.
She initially had the whip withdrawn by Boris Johnson, but was allowed back into the fold ahead of the election after voting for his Brexit deal.
Her replacement Ms Webb secured a thumping majority of 13,571, up from 7,654 in 2017, as she scored 27,534 votes.
She said: “What’s next for me is getting on that train down to Westminster and making sure I enact the will of the people, which is voting to get Brexit done.
“I’m feeling absolutely fantastic. This is a great result, not just for Stourbridge, but for the West Midlands and, of course, the whole of the country.
"Listening to the results coming in, it’s very clear that there’s one simple message, which is that people wanted to get Brexit done and we listened.”
What was the 2017 Stourbridge election result?
Margot James, Conservative* - 25,706 (majority 7,652)
Pete Lowe, Labour - 18,052
Glen Wilson, UKIP - 1,801
Chris Bramall Lib Dem - 1,083
Andi Mohr, Green - 493
Turnout: 67.22 per cent
Labour candidate Pete Lowe, a Dudley councillor and the former leader of the authority, has now tasted defeat in three consecutive general elections in Stourbridge.
He said: “People will know that we have a role as scrutineers to actually hold a government to account.
"We could not have delivered one more leaflet and we could not have knocked on one more door or spoken to one more person and when the country is speaking, it is incumbent on ourselves to listen.”
Aaron Hudson stood on an independent pro-Brexit ticket after he was ordered to stand down as a Brexit Party candidate by Nigel Farage to help the Tories. He got just 621 votes, behind Lib Dem Christopher Bramall and Andi Mohr for the Greens.
Halesowen and Rowley Regis - Conservative hold
James Morris, Conservative* - 25,607 (majority 12,074)
Ian Cooper, Labour - 13,533
Ryan Priest, Liberal Democrat - 1,738
James Windridge, Green - 934
Jonathan Cross, Independent - 232
Ian Fleming, Independent - 190
Tim Weller, Independent - 111
Turnout - 62 per cent
James Morris secured a huge majority to hold Halesowen and Rowley Regis for the Tories.
He received 25,607 votes, enough to give him an improved majority of 12,074 over Labour, whose candidate Ian Cooper got 13,533 votes.
Mr Morris, who served as the vice-chairman of the Conservative Party from January 2018, has now held the seat at the last three general elections.
He said: “I’m very pleased to have won. As I said on stage, I fought a very fair campaign in Halesowen and Rowley Regis, focussing on the issues I thought were the top priorities for people in my constituency and I was very pleased with the outcome.
“The next steps are we’ve got to get back to work, so I’ll be going to Parliament next week and we’ll be starting the process of getting the withdrawal act through Parliament in order to deliver Brexit.”
Mr Cooper, said: “While there’s a child going into school hungry, while there’s a filthy, rip-off landlord out there or where people of colour are told they don’t belong in this country, there will be a need for the Labour Party.”
What was the 2017 Halesowen and Rowley Regis election result?
James Morris, Conservative* - 23,012 (majority 5,253)
Ian Cooper, Labour - 17,759
Stuart Henley, UKIP - 2,126
Jamie Scott, Liberal Democrat - 859
James Robertson, Green Party - 440
Tim Weller, Independent - 183
Turnout - 64.5 per cent
