Labour Valerie Vaz takes Walsall and Bloxwich seat and says 'work to be done'

Valerie Vaz has been elected for a fifth term as MP for the new constituency of Walsall and Bloxwich. The Labour candidate, who held the Walsall South seat since 2010, secured victory garnering 12,514 votes.

Second to Ms Vaz was independent candidate Aftab Nawaz with 7,600 votes, followed closely by Reform UK’s Elaine Williams with 7,293, then Conservative Shannon Lloyd, 6,679, Green’s Sadat Hussain with 2,288 votes and lastly, Lib Dem Patrick Stillman with 817 votes.

Ms Vaz said: "I know people talk about a Labour landslide but there’s a lot of work to be done. We want to ensure there is economic, social justice and peace, both here and throughout the world. Thank you for putting you faith in me and for taking the time to vote for me."

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Walsall and Bloxwich is a new constituency, and the General Election 2024 was the first time it was contested. It was formed during recent boundary changes and is a combination of the former Walsall North and South constituencies.

In the 2019 general election, Ms Vaz held the seat in Walsall South and Conservative Eddie Hughes won in Walsall North.