Conservatives hold onto Fylde as new MP Andrew Snowden beats Labour by a whisker
Fylde still has a Conservative MP following a General Election which spelt disaster nationally for the party – but new incumbent Andrew Snowden took it by the narrowest of margins.
The Tory successor to the disgraced Mark Menzies saw the party’s majority slashed by more that 16,000 compared to the 2019 result – just 561 over second-placed Labour candidate Tom Calver.
Mr Snowden, who was Lancashire’s Police and Crime Commissioner for seven years until earlier this year, had predicted a close-run battle when he arrived at the count – but he admitted to never imagining it would be quite so close on a night which saw his party lose a succession of seats across the country amid a Labour landslide.
He praised the campaign of Independent candidate Anne Aitken, who took fourth place with 4,513 votes and said the closeness of the result was testament to her hard work as she won what he thought was more votes than any Independent has ever won in Fylde.
"It has been a really good campaign and I am delighted and honoured to be elected as Fylde’s MP,” he said,
Mr Snowden is looking forward to getting down to work at Westminster, with the first and foremost priority being standing up for our green belt and countryside;
“Labour have said they intend to relax planning laws in the green belt and especially at a time when we are facing the proposals here in Fylde for the windfarm development through the countryside, we have to oppose that,” he said.
He also highlighted the campaign for a passing loop on the South Fylde rail line as being high on his agenda, along with continuing to raise the profile of Fylde and getting more investment into the area.
Reform UK candidate Brook Wimbury took third place with 8,295 votes, while Mark Jewell for the Liberal Democrats was fifth behind Ms Aitken with 2,220 and Brenden Wilkinson for the Green Party won 1,560 votes and Cheryl Morrison of the Alliance for Democracy and Freeedom 199.
The result:
Andrew Snowden (Con) 15,917
Tom Calver (Lab) 15,356
Brook Wimbury (Reform UK) 8,295
Anne Aitken (Ind) 4,513
Mark Jewell (Lib Dem) 2,120
Brenden Wilkinson (Green) 1,560
Cheryl Morrison (Alliance for Democracy and Freedom) 199
Majority 561
Turnout 62.39 per cent
Conservative hold
2019 result
Mark Menzies (Con) 28,432
Martin Mitchell (Lab) 11,821
Mark Jewell (Lib Dem) 3,748
Gina Dowding (Green) 1,731
Andy Higgins (Ind) 927
Majority 16,611
Turnout 69.8 per cent
Conservative hold