Labour gain from Tories in Hyndburn after tighter-than-expected clash

Labour has beaten the Conservatives to gain Hyndburn in a tighter-than-expected result, after a tense night in Accrington Town Hall.

The constituency's new MP, Sarah Smith, looked to be a shoo-in when Thursday's exit poll gave her a 99 per cent chance of winning the seat.

But in a count that outgoing Tory, Sara Britcliffe, claimed as "bucking the national trend" the verdict came down to only 1,687 votes between them, with the Green Party and Reform UK picking up big chunks of voters.

Ms Smith said upon winning: "I mean it's incredible, I'm just watching the results come in for Labour and it fills me with great hope again, and people desperately need hope at this time."

Sarah Smith thanked her agent, her family, her supporters and her team (Image: NQ)

As the clock struck 10pm yesterday and the exit poll results came in, the mood among Hyndburn's Tories was one of dejection.

One Tory councillor, appearing teary-eyed, was speechless at his party's predicted devastation.

READ MORE: Results from East Lancashire seats in general election 2024 

Labour remained coy, despite the 170-seat majority the poll predicted, with Labour councillor, Noordad Aziz, insisting they were not "counting their chickens yet".

The mood in the town hall's ballroom became increasingly poised throughout the night, as it became apparent Labour's victory didn't appear as set in stone as it first looked.

Labour's share of the vote was down eight per cent from 2019, despite drastically different results for party this time round nationally.

Reform UK picked up 7,541 votes, a huge increase from their Hyndburn showing at the last general election when they went under the name of, The Brexit Party with around 2,000 votes.

The Greens also garnered greater support, with Shabir Fazal getting 4,938 crossed ballots and smashing their 2019 election figure of 845 votes.

Rumours began to swell at around 3am on Friday morning that Labour had beaten the Tories in Hyndburn by "a few thousand".

After a partial recount, the result was declared at 3.34am and Sarah Smith was elected.

She added: "People need change and we've got such a task in hand to get the country back to where it should be."

Despite a narrower-than-predicted winning margin, Ms Smith remained pleased with her performance.

She said: "We've worked hard on this campaign; the team have been incredible, we've got to now prove politics can work for people.

"She [Sara Britcliffe] has worked hard over the last five years, I'm going to work harder in the next five.

"And with a Labour government, we're going to deliver for people instead of just saying one thing and doing another."

Hyndburn's outgoing MP, Sara Britcliffe, said: "We've bucked the national trend.

"To lose by around 1,600 votes when it was almost a certainty Labour would win here.

"I'm really proud of the team, I'm really proud of what we've achieved in the last five years and I think voters recognised that."

Ms Britcliffe cited the Reform vote as "squeezing" hers.

She added: "I think that might be what has cost me this election."

When challenged on whether the Conservative's national record in government had a part to play in her loss, she said: "There have been some difficulties throughout the 14 years, but also throughout this campaign.

"I've brought record investment and I hope Labour will continue to do the same.

"I wish Sarah luck, I think, hopefully, she'll be a very good MP for the area."

New MP, Ms Smith, reiterated her three key policies for change in Hyndburn: a "better start" for young people, improvements to the constituency's high streets and "providing decent homes for everyone to live in".

She closed the night by saying: "It's exciting to think about what our country might be like by the time of the next general election."

Final results for Hyndburn:

Sara Britcliffe, Conservative: 10,499

Shabir Fazal, Green Party: 4,938

Richard Oakley, Reform: 7,541

Sarah Smith, Labour: 12,186

Beth Waller-Slack, Lib Dem: 1,210

Turnout: 54.6 per cent