Tory Gosport MP re-elected as party faces backlash

Gosport MP Caroline Dinenage has held onto her seat but her majority has been cut which highlights the difficult time her party is having.

As predicted, Dame Caroline held her seat with 17,830 votes, followed by Labour candidate Edward Batterbury with 11,776 and Reform UK candidate Matt Mulliss with 7,983 votes.

Dame Caroline thanked her team, her sons for supporting her in this “crazy job”, and her husband for his efforts on her behalf.

During her speech, she showed her gratitude to the people of Gosport who put their “faith” in her but saw her majority cut from 23,278 in 2019 to 6,054. The turnout was also down from 66 per cent to 61 per cent.

“I don’t underestimate the trust they have given me and the faith they have put in me,” she said.

She added that her party is going through difficult times, which gives more value to the votes she received tonight.

“It is a difficult time for my party. I think this evening will turn out to be an even more difficult time for my party. So I value that faith and that trust even more.”

“I will continue to work hard for the people of Gosport, Lee-on-the-Solent, Stubbington and Hill Head, and I will never let them down.”

For his part, Reform’s Matt Mulliss congratulated Dame Caroline, thanked the 7,983 voters who voted for him and said that their vote “didn’t go to waste”.

“We are here to fight another day, and we will keep strong,” he said.

The Green candidate, Anthony John Sudworth, who received 1,948 votes, said that the whole point was to include climate change and more social justice in the agenda, which he thinks has been done.

“I think the fact that people had the chance to vote green and register their interest is really important.”