Despite Jacob Rees-Mogg, who has represented the area since 2010, beating the Labour candidate, Robin Moss, by over 10,000 votes, Labour made a 9.9% gain on 2015. In Bath, Wera Hobhouse won by over 5,600 votes and will return the city back to the Lib-Dems.
Readers may remember Wera Hobhouse, who stood last time for the area against Jacob Rees-Mogg, whilst she was living in Paulton.
The full results were – North East Somerset:
Conservative, Jacob Rees-Mogg: 28,992, Labour, Robin Moss: 18,757, Lib-Dem, Manda Rigby: 4,461, Green, Sally Calverley: 1,245, Independent, Shaun Hughes: 588.
Bath: Lib-Dem, Wera Hobhouse: 23,426, Conservative, Ben Howlett: 17,742, Labour, Joe Rayment: 7,275, Green, Eleanor Field: 1,125.
Speaking to The Journal this week, Jacob Rees-Mogg said: “First of all, I would like to thank the voters of North East Somerset for returning me to Parliament. If my step counter is accurate, I walked 253 miles during the campaign, but this is nothing compared to the honour of representing our fine County in the House of Commons.
“Now the election is over I am not campaigning as a Conservative, but am here to represent everyone as well as I can. Inevitably many people either did not vote for me, or at all, yet you are all entitled to ask me to ‘seek redress of grievance’ on your behalf, or to make your views known to me on any subject. I can be contacted by email at: [email protected], telephone on: 0207 219 7118 or by post at the House of Commons, London, SW1A 0AA. Surgery appointments may be booked via Margaret Brewer on: 0117 9872313.
“Looking at the overall election picture, it was not the result expected. We did worse and the Labour Party better than the pundits, including myself, anticipated. In politics, momentum is an important, although not
exclusive factor. First impression can easily be misleading, the Tories won a greater share of the vote than at any election since 1983, and more votes than Tony Blair in 1997. Labour won fewer extra seats than Michael Howard in 2005, thirty against his thirty-two, yet he resigned as a failure, while Jeremy Corbyn is hailed as a triumphant leader.
“As time passes, a greater sense of perspective will arise, Theresa May is still the Prime Minister and Brexit must be carried through. The election campaign accepted Brexit as the norm, so for those who never wanted to leave the claim it is a reversal of the 2016 vote is bogus.
“While campaigning on one day we were all soaked to the skin, the next we were
sunburnt. Politics and the weather in the United Kingdom are alike – sometimes unsettled. For the Prime Minister the election was worse than hoped, but still a victory.”
Also talking to The Journal this week was Labour candidate and Westfield B&NES Councillor, Robin Moss. He said: “The result in North East Somerset was, like the overall General Election result, a mixed bag. The Labour result was a massive improvement on our 2015 showing; the actual vote up by 50%, a big increase in percentage share and a substantial swing from Conservative to Labour. But, of course, the Conservatives did win the seat and we still have a Conservative MP. Which is disappointing.
“But it looks unlikely that we will have to wait five years until the next election. A
Conservative minority government, bolstered by the DUP, irretrievably split on Europe and how to negotiate Brexit and a backdrop of a deteriorating economic situation does not bode well for any of us. Rising inflation and sinking business confidence will make the next few months difficult for most of us, and we hardly have the ‘strong and stable’ leadership needed. History shows that ‘confidence and supply’ arrangements rarely last long or end well.
“When the next election is called, Labour will be ready for the challenge. We will not be taken by surprise, as when Theresa May called the unnecessary election only a few weeks ago. That will give us all another opportunity to make a real change, with a Labour Government that will include, I hope, a Labour MP in North East Somerset.”