RANIL JAYAWARDENA has been re-elected MP for North East Hampshire.

The Conservative has held the seat since 2015, with this being the third election that he has fought.

However, the night was bitter sweet for Mr Jayawardena, as he returned a reduced majority.

Liberal Democrat candidate Graham Cockarill made significant inroads on the Conservative majority – with a 13 per cent increase on two years ago, whilst Mr Jayawardena received six per cent less votes.

 

It was also a bad night for Labour, with candidate Barry Jones, also standing for the third time, receiving just 9.7 per cent of the vote – down over seven and a half per cent on last time around.

Green candidate Culann Walsh finished fourth on three per cent, whilst Independent Tony Durrant returned 1.4 per cent and the Monster Raving Loony Party’s Howling Laud Hope won one per cent of the vote.

Speaking to the Gazette shortly after winning re-election, Mr Jayawardena, who is vice chairman of the Conservative party, said: “It is really humbling to know that people have put their trust in me for the third time of asking in a little under five years.

“I know from the campaign trail that people want us to move on from Brexit and onto their priorities.

“We’ve set out very clearly that we want to get Brexit done by the 31st January, if we’ve got a majority that’s what we’ll get on and do.

“The projections are good, they are only projections at this stage, but I am hopeful that we’ll be able to do that so we can move on as a country.

“We’ve got to bring this country together, we are a great country and we can be greater still.”