CONSERVATIVE Jason McCartney said he was "gobsmacked" to be elected the new MP for Colne Valley.
His supporters cheered at Huddersfield Sports Centre this morning as the Honley man won the seat from Labour.
Mr McCartney took 20,440 votes, with Lib Dem Clr Nicola Turner coming second on 15,603 and Labour’s Debbie Abrahams finishing third on 14,589.
Speaking to the Examiner just after he was elected MP, he said: "|’m gobsmacked. We’ve run a good campaign and my team and I have worked damn hard."
Mr McCartney pledged to represent all the people of Colne Valley in Parliament.
"I will say what I think and I will stand up to the area," he said. "I’m not a partisan person, I will work with councillors and members of other parties to make the Colne Valley an even better place to live.
"I want to get cracking on my work as an MP, to bring more jobs to the area and to deal with problems like crime."
Mr McCartney, who the Lib Dems labelled "an outsider from Leeds" during the campaign, said he had deep roots in the constituency.
"I’ve fully immersed myself in the community I love," he said. "The issues that affect the people, affect me. When they are snowed in, I’m snowed in too."
Mr McCartney boosted his party’s share of the vote from 32.8% at the last general election in 2005 to 37% this time. Labour dropped from first to third, with their share of the vote falling from 35.8% to 26.4%. Clr Turner increased the Lib Dems’ share of the vote from 24.2% to 28.2%, moving her party from third to second.
Mr McCartney said Labour’s loss of support was "not a reflection" on Kali Mountford, the Labour MP who stood down at this election on health grounds.
He added: "Debbie Abrahams ran a good positive campaign and I’m not surprised that she almost came second."
Mr McCartney, a season ticket-holder at the Galpharm, added that he was hoping for a second celebration later this month.
"I would love to make it a blue double whammy by cheering on Town to promotion," he said.
Mr McCartney’s triumph this morning marks yet another change for the Colne Valley constituency that includes Holme Valley, Lindley and Crosland Moor.
Click below for a gallery of election night photos.
The seat was held by the Liberal Richard Wainwright from 1974 to 1987 before Conservative Graham Riddick took over until 1997. Labour’s Kali Mountford won the seat in the party’s historic landslide win and successfully defended it in 2001 and 2005.
Some 55,570 people voted in Colne Valley on Thursday, boosting turnout from 66% at the last election to 69.4%.
The BNP vote was up slightly from 2.9% to 3.4%. The Greens fell back from 2.6% to 1.6%, with candidate Chas Ball blaming tactical voting for the loss of ground.
UKIP candidate Melanie Roberts won 1,163 votes while Clr Jackie Grunsell of the Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition finished last on 741.
