Wirral Labour celebrate as Tories see 'worst campaign in 37 years'

The Labour Party were in a celebratory mood in Wirral as they decisively kept hold of each of the four seats in the borough.

The party won Wallasey, Birkenhead, and Wirral West despite challenges from the Conservatives, Greens, and Reform UK. Jubliant MPs Alison McGovern, Matthew Patrick, and Angela Eagle posed with party volunteers at the Bidston Sports and Activity Centre long before each result had been announced.

Over at a count in Cheshire, Justin Madders was elected in the new constituency of Ellesmere Port and Bromborough as its Labour MP which will cover both Eastham and Wirral. Earlier in the night, the party also saw its candidate Graeme Cooper elected as councillor in the safe ward of Liscard.

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Although queues were still seen out of doors even after polls closed at 10pm at one polling station in Liscard, turnout across the borough was lower than in the 2019 general election, even if the actual number of votes was often higher.

Alison McGovern, Birkenhead’s first female MP and tipped as a potential government minister, thanked those who voted for her, adding: “It looks nationally as if its a good night for Labour but we have a lot of work to do and the situation is serious after 14 years of Conservative chaos.”

She said: “I want to see more homes built here. We’ve got areas of dereliction and that’s really got to be dealt with. Young people need a place to live.

“We also need good jobs. I think we can bring in more good jos, particularly in engineering and rebuild our engineering. Finally I want people to be able to enjoy life more.”

She will be joined in Parliament by long-standing Wallasey MP Angela Eagle who was decisively re-elected. An MP since 1992, she said: “We face dark times and challenging threats in a world that is volatile, in a situation where we have war in Europe and we have to tackle and deal with climate change, Putin, and populism.”

She said: “I think now is the time to start to deliver the change that people have voters for,” adding: “They have chosen change and they have chosen hope and unity over division.”

New MP Matthew Patrick comprehensively won the seat of Wirral West and paid tribute to those standing in the election. He said: “Winning is not the prize. Change is. It is now our job to change politics and change this country for the better.”

It was a difficult night for the Conservatives. Birkenhead candidate Sarah Payne said: “It’s been a very positive experience but nationally the picture is a bit depressing,” adding: “I think that people were determined that they wanted change.”

She said: “I guess the next five years we will see how they feel about the change the next time we have a general election and whether retrospectively that was the right call,” adding: “For the vast majority of people that were standing with the right intentions, they absolutely were punished for misdemeanours of a small few but them’s the breaks.”

Stronger words came from Wallasey councillor Ian Lewis who oversaw their campaigns in Birkenhead and Wallasey. He said people had had enough with his party, adding: “This was the worst general election campaign. I have done 10 since 1997 and without a doubt this was the worst campaign I have ever been involved in in those 37 years.

“I think what is left of the Conservatives needs to go out, stop talking to themselves, stop taking people for granted and go and listen to people on the doorstep.

“They will be told to eff off to begin with and it would be deserved. If they do not listen this time, they will repeat the same mistakes next time.”

Despite a distant second place on 20%, Jo Bird, the Green Party's Birkenhead candidate, said she was delighted with the result. She said: “We voted for rebuilding our NHS, for a wealth tax on the super rich, and for ending the arms trade with Israel.

“People are sick of businesses as usual from the two larger parties is what many people have told me on the doorstep and we’re hoping for much better results next time.”

David Burgess-Joyce, a former Conservative councillor who came second as Wallasey’s Reform UK candidate, said: “Having spent the last few weeks knocking on doors delivering leaflets as we always do, I’ve had an incredible response. I really have and in all that time I’ve only had one negative person.”

He said they offered something different from the main parties and could become “a serious alternative” to a Labour government, adding: “I think what we have got which we didn’t expect is the youth vote. There’s significant numbers, about 25%. Obviously Labour have the largest but certainly a massive vote, particularly for Nigel (Farage).”

Liberal Democrat, Worker's Party, and Freedom Alliance candidates also stood in the different Wirral constituencies as well as one independent candidate.

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