MALVERN’S MP has said it was a ‘great honour and privilege’ to be re-elected in to her Parliamentary role.
Harriett Baldwin, Conservative MP for West Worcestershire, retained her seat after securing more than 30,000 votes at the Parliamentary elections early Friday morning (May 8).
Mrs Baldwin increased her majority to almost 23,000, with Richard Chamings from Ukip coming second, Labour’s Daniel Walton in third, Dennis Wharton of the Liberal Democrats in fourth and Green Party representative Julian Roskams in fifth.
But Mrs Baldwin admitted she ‘had her work cut out’ to make sure she continued to keep taxes low and maintain high levels of employment.
“When I was elected as a candidate in 2006 we (Conservatives) were defending a majority of 2,500 in West Worcestershire and that has gone up ten times,” she said.
“It really is a great honour and a great privilege to be given this chance to represent such an amazing part of the world in Parliament once again.
“I think the track record in terms of jobs, the fact we have a record level in employment, the fact the UK is one of the fastest growing countries in the Western world, we need to keep building on that economic improvement.
“This is a ringing endorsement of the recovery we have seen in the economy.
“I am absolutely thrilled and delighted to be given the privilege once again of representing West Worcestershire in Parliament.”
Despite ending the poll a mammoth 23,000 votes behind the Conservatives, Labour candidate Mr Walton said it was ‘incredible’ to notch up his party’s best result in the constituency since 1997.
“Considering the national picture last week we did incredibly well with one of the largest increases across the Midlands,” Mr Walton said.
“It showed locally we presented a great argument on the falling number of jobs and the falling wages people have encountered.
“We are now the party of the opposition across West Worcestershire and will hold the Tories to account.”
The Liberal Democrats saw the steepest drop in votes, falling by more than 15,000, but candidate Mr Wharton insisted they ran ‘a very good campaign’.
“We were very much focused on our messages nationally and locally,” he added. “We did the best with the budget we had, which was not very much.
“Nobody expected it to drop as much as it did, but if you look at constituency stats across the country, you have got it happening everywhere.”
Mr Chamings, Ukip candidate, added he was concerned with the national picture but was ‘delighted’ to take more than 7,500 votes, while Green Party candidate Mr Roskams said his group’s 5.2 per cent increase was a step in the right direction.
“I am absolutely delighted,” Mr Roskams added. “We increased our number by about five times, we saved our deposit which we had never done before and it is a much bigger share of the vote than we have ever done before.
“I think it is a really good solid platform in which to build.”
Ledbury will also see the same MP as Bill Wiggin, Conservative MP for North Herefordshire, was re-elected with a majority of more than 20,000.
Mr Wiggin secured 56 per cent of the votes.
