SIR JOHN Redwood has been re-elected as Wokingham’s MP on what looked set to be a hugely successful night for the Conservatives nationwide.
The Brexiteer, who has been the town’s parliamentary representative for 32 years, won despite seeing his majority slashed to less than 7,000 from more than 18,000 in 2017.
READ MORE: Recap updates as they happened on election night
He secured 30,734 votes, holding off Liberal Democrats candidate Phillip Lee who got 23,351 votes.
A delighted Mr Redwood said: “It’s great news Wokingham was offered the services of a general practitioner who has been a member of parliament in the neighbouring constituency and I trust we won’t lose Phillip Lee from public service as now he has the opportunity to be a full-time general practitioner.
“One of the big aims of the incoming Conservative government will be to have more doctors.
“I’m very conscious of the trust the people of Wokingham have put in me again and I will work very hard every day over this next parliament to bring to fruition those things I know that we need, and to work co-operatively with the Conservative government for those better public services and greater prosperity.”
Remainer Phillip Lee was MP for neighbouring constituency Bracknell for more than nine years before he defected to the Lib Dems from the Tories to take on John Redwood in Wokingham.
Polls from before election day indicated the race between the pair would be close, with YouGov’s last poll reporting just five points between them.
But at just after 1 am on the morning after polling stations closed Dr Lee told the News it looked like “Wokingham will have 37 years of John Redwood”.
After the results came through, a dejected Dr Lee said: “By a country mile this has been the most enjoyable campaign I have ever participated in.
“I’m just so sorry we have fallen short in not winning here today. I detected on the doorstep a strong desire for change, not just here in Wokingham but in politics as a whole.
“Our politics are not in a good state. The fundamental break down in trust, the remarkable capacity of Leave politicians to lie and not seem to care about the truth.
“We’re living in a very difficult age and I fear it is going to continue to be so.”
Labour’s Annette Medhurst finished in third place with 6,450 votes, ahead of the Green Party’s Kizzi Johannessen in fourth place (1,382 votes), and Advance Together’s Annabel Mullin in fifth place (80 votes).
The turnout for the vote was 74 per cent - down 1 per cent from 2017.
The results followed a tense evening for candidates, who started arriving from 10.45 pm.
More than three hours later at 02.45 am, returning officer Andrew Moulton announced Sir John Redwood would remain as Wokingham’s member of parliament.
The BBC’s exit poll predicted a Conservative majority at 10 pm on Thursday (December 12) evening, with the Tories set to gain 50 seats.
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