I want my country back, new Reform MP Anderson says

Lee Anderson
Lee Anderson first took the Ashfield seat as a Tory at the 2019 general election [Getty Images]

Lee Anderson has held on to his seat in Ashfield and secured a first win for Reform UK.

Mr Ashfield was elected as a Conservative in 2019 but suspended earlier this year after refusing to apologise for claims Islamists had "control" of London Mayor Sadiq Khan.

He then defected to Reform UK, which is projected to win 13 seats across the UK.

Mr Anderson received 17,062 votes, with the Labour Party's Rhea Keehn finishing in second with 11,553 votes.

He said "this wonderful place that I call my home" will have a "massive say" in how the country is shaped, adding: "I want my country back and Ashfield can play their part in that."

Ashfield Independent candidate Jason Zadrozny finished third with 6,276 votes.

Conservatives gain Leicester East

Shivani Raja of the Tory party has won Leicester East, the only Conservative gain recorded so far.

Ms Raja received 14,526 votes (31.1%), with Labour's Rajesh Agrawal finishing in second with 10,100 votes (21.6%).

The Liberal Democrats' Zuffar Haq was third with 6,329 votes (13.5%).

Claudia Webbe, who had held the seat since 2019, took 11.8% of the votes, while Keith Vaz of One Leicester, who previously held the seat for 32 years, took 7.9%.

In Nottinghamshire, Labour has gained Rushcliffe from the Conservatives - the first time the party has won in the constituency for 54 years.

James Naish, leader of Bassettlaw District Council, won the seat from Ruth Edwards with 25,291 votes.

Ms Edwards, who received 17,865 votes (30.9%), won the seat in 2019 with a majority of more than 7,600, having taken over from long-standing Tory MP, Lord Ken Clarke.

Reform UK’s James Grice finished third with 6,353 votes (11%).

Liz Kendall
Liz Kendall won in Leicester West with 15,798 votes [BBC]

Liz Kendall, of Labour, held Leicester West with 44.6% of the vote.

Ms Kendall, who took over the seat in 2010, said: “Across the country, people have rejected this failed, divided, self-serving, Tory government and instead chosen Keir Starmer’s transformed Labour Party.”

She beat the Conservatives’ Max Chauhan, who finished second with 7,021 votes, and Reform’s Ian Hayes, who was third with 5,666.

Dr Luke Evans held Hinckley and Bosworth for the Tories with 17,032 votes, but has seen his majority reduce from over 24,000 to less than 6,000.

Michael Mullaney, for the Liberal Democrats, came second with 11,624 votes and Peter Cheshire for Reform was third with 8,817.

Labour gains in Derbyshire

In Derbyshire, Labour's Adam Thompson took the Erewash seat with 17,224 votes (40.1%).

Maggie Throup, a Conservative who had held the seat since 2015, received 11,365 votes.

Natalie Fleet has won for Labour in Bolsover, pushing former Conservative MP Mark Fletcher into second place.

Ms Fleet received 17,197 votes (40.5%), while Mr Fletcher, who took the seat from Dennis Skinner in 2019, got 10,874 (25.6%).