New Halesowen MP speaks out after big election win for Labour

Richard Guttridge

5 July 2024 at 2:36 am·2-min read

Labour’s Alex Ballinger vowed to ‘deliver’ for his constituents after a crushing victory in Halesowen during a night of election drama. The former soldier swept aside Conservative James Morris who had been the MP for the region since 2010.

As Labour made huge gains across the country Halesowen’s new MP, who captured a majority of 4,364 was keeping his thoughts local. Mr Ballinger said: “My job now is to deliver for the constituents of Halesowen, to make this work to get working people back to being the number one priority for the country.”

James Morris polled 10,659 votes while Reform UK’s Jonathan Oakton was third with 8,484 votes. Mr Ballinger says his win was down to a combination of national issues and a strong campaign in the constituency.

He said: “The Conservatives have delivered appallingly for the country over the last 14 years. Public services are failing and people have decided it is time for a change.

“We ran a really positive campaign in Halesowen talking about how we can deliver for people.” He added he will be focusing on the NHS and tackling crime and added: “People have given us a vote of confidence, it is testament to the hard work of the Labour party in Halesowen, Dudley and the country.”

After Labour took all three seats which represent the majority of the borough of Dudley, the Labour group leader on Dudley Council, Cllr Pete Lowe said: “This is an incredible and historic night beyond our wildest dreams.” Despite Reform UK taking thousands of votes, Cllr Lowe believes there is only one other political party that helped Labour win in Halesowen.

He said: “If I could thank anybody it would be the Conservative Party for being inept at looking after the community and the economy.”

The Telegraph
Suella Braverman’s Tory leadership campaign dealt blow as key ally abandons her
Suella Braverman’s prospective Conservative leadership campaign has been dealt a blow after a key ally abandoned her.
The Telegraph
Why the Muslim Vote campaign is a glimpse into a horrifying future
When the circus finally arrived, it offered the usual attractions. The old rituals were a comfort. John Curtice, the swing-o-meter, Laura Kuenssberg and Jeremy Vine performed the familiar motions, not to mention the irrepressible Count Binface.
The Telegraph
Get ready to pay per mile under Labour
Many commentators have been using adjectives like devastating and seismic to describe the significance of the election result.
The Telegraph
Every Tory MP is to blame for this defeat – myself included
Who’s to blame? All of us – every Conservative MP in the last Parliament – has a share of the blame for this defeat. For my part, I made life harder for my Party by calling publicly for tougher policy on migration and defence, and so made negative headlines about Tory splits and factions.
Manchester Evening News
Home of Labour MP 'attacked with sledgehammer' days after landslide election win
'I will not be cowed'
PA Media: UK News
Labour Government could be in trouble pretty quickly, claims Nigel Farage
The Reform UK leader who is also the new MP for Clacton, watched East Thurrock Community Football Club in Corringham on Saturday.
The Telegraph
Will the Starmers be the first prime ministerial family since the Wilsons not to live in Downing Street?
The move to Downing Street is a symbolic moment for any incoming prime minister, the most obvious proof of your drastically changed situation. You do not merely run the shop, as Mrs Thatcher said, you live above it. Downing Street is one of the most prestigious political residences on Earth, perhaps second only to the White House. For five years, barring calamity, it is yours, for you to decorate with all the golden Lulu Lytle wallpaper you like.
The Telegraph
Miracle survivor: how freak circumstances conspired to save ‘doomed’ Iain Duncan Smith
As one big Tory beast after another faced The Hunger Games on election night, one notably escaped the carnage. Sir Iain Duncan Smith, the former Conservative leader, stood tall on the podium with the former and current Labour candidates whose vicious infighting had done him such a big favour.
HuffPost UK
Putin's Foreign Minister Had Quite The Bizarre Take On Labour's Landslide Victory
A bit of head-scratcher, this one.
Manchester Evening News
Every plan Labour has for Universal Credit, PIP, State Pension and cost of living
Here is everything the Labour Party has committed to improve employment and living costs in its party manifesto
The Telegraph
SNP hits out at Sturgeon’s political punditry on ITV as ‘pontification’
Nicola Sturgeon is facing an SNP backlash for “pontificating” on her party’s election disaster during a lucrative TV appearance.
Sky News
Suella Braverman says 'idiotic strategy' led Conservatives to worst-ever election defeat
Suella Braverman has issued a scathing verdict as to why the Conservatives lost the election, blaming Rishi Sunak for pursuing an "idiotic strategy" that treated voters like "mugs". In an intervention that will be seen as her teeing up a potential leadership bid, the former home secretary said her party "failed in office and deserved this result". The former home secretary - who retained her seat of Fareham and Waterlooville but with a much-reduced majority - blamed "high taxes" and "high immigration" as well as "insane political correctness" she believed the party had embraced for the scale of the defeat.
The Guardian
Labour candidate defeated by Farage reveals safety fears during campaign
Jovan Owusu-Nepaul tells of vitriol from Reform supporters and says he was concerned for safety of those around him
The Telegraph
British Jews have reason to be frightened. This time it’s not Labour
On October 8, as the world was beginning to comprehend what had just happened in southern Israel, most decent people – including many who would go on to decry Israel’s retaliatory campaign – expressed genuine horror at what Gaza’s Islamist barbarians had done. But a substantial minority was openly cheering. Not just in Turkey and Iran, but in Toronto and London.
The Telegraph
Iranian warship capsizes in Gulf port ‘accident’
An Iranian warship capsized while undergoing port repairs, killing two officers and injuring several others.
The Telegraph
Defeated Tory candidate considering legal action over postal vote ‘delays’
A Tory candidate who was defeated by just 15 votes is considering taking legal action over alleged postal vote chaos in his constituency.
Yahoo News UK
How many seats did Reform UK win - and why they don't match its vote share?
If Reform UK is more popular than the Lib Dems, why did it win so few seats by comparison?
Sky News
This result might be the biggest surprise in the history of French elections
France will not have a far-right government, but that answer, that single fact, does not cover another crucial point. What's clear is that the French parliament will be split between three factions. The biggest, but well short of an absolute majority, will be a left-wing coalition, called the New Popular Front.
The Telegraph
Forget the manifesto, the double death tax is coming
The rush to effect “change” in the next 100 days will become irresistible and the need to tear up the Labour manifesto to justify painful taxes on pensions, savings and “wealth” held in assets will play out.
The Telegraph
Labour is doomed unless it acts fast on migration and the NHS
You can point to Rishi Sunak’s poor leadership, you can talk about the Tories’ endless pointless errors. However, fundamentally, the Conservatives were ejected from office because NHS waiting lists were too long, the economy was weak, and immigration was uncontrolled.

Latest stories