General Election 2019: Tory Michael Ellis pledges to serve Northampton North 'to best of my ability' as Labour's Sally Keeble urges him to support the homeless

The Conservatives have held their seat in Northampton North after Michael Ellis was re-elected as MP in the 2019 general election.
Michael EllisMichael Ellis
Michael Ellis

Mr Ellis was defending a very narrow majority of just 807 votes following the 2017 vote, but managed to see off the challenge of Labour candidate Sally Keeble by securing 21,031 votes.

That latest ballot means the former barrister, who had been serving as Solicitor General prior to the election being called, has increased his majority comfortably to 5,487.

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Acknowledging his victory, he said: "I want to thank my staff and volunteers. I am privileged to serve as an MP for the town where I live and I was brought up. I will continue to serve to the best of my ability."

Sally KeebleSally Keeble
Sally Keeble

Ms Keeble has contested the seat for every one of the seven elections that have taken place since 1997. She had won the first three to serve as the MP from 1997 until 2010. But it is the fourth time that she has lost out to Mr Ellis ever since the turn of the decade.

Ms Keeble scored 15,544, which was fewer than the 18,258 she scored two years ago.

On hearing the results, she told Mr Ellis on stage: "The people of Northampton North have put a very great trust in you. I hope you will look after them. I hope you assist our homeless who need a roof over their heads. I hope you make sure that nobody relies on food banks."

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The Liberal Democrats came in third place, with Martin Sawyer scoring 2,031 votes, while Green Party candidate Katherine Pate completed the pack with 953 votes.

It rounded off what appears to have been a successful night for the Conservatives, with a healthy majority on the cards, and a disappointing night for Labour, with leader Jeremy Corbyn announcing he would be stepping down.