IT may have lost its MP of more than 35-years over the duck house scandal but Gosport is to remain a Conservative held constituency.
Acting Returning Officer Linda Edwards announced the decision shortly before 5am declaring Caroline Dinenage the winner receiving 24,300 votes.
Despite the now infamous Duck House scandal that saw Sir Peter Viggers stand down the Conservatives have held on with a majority of more than 14,000 votes.
Daughter of Meridian TV presenter Fred Dinenage, Mrs Dinenage was delighted to have taken over the mantle from her predecessor.
Celebrating her position as the first ever woman to hold the constituency Mrs Dinenage said: “Im honoured to be the first woman to represent Gosport.”
She went on to say: “I’m going to deliver what I promised, tackling issues here in Gosport and getting them sorted out and I plan to work with all parties and persona’s.”
Rapturous cheers went round the hall at Bridgemary School as Mrs Dinenage’s result and again when she spoke of David Cameron’s own mission to mend Britain’s broken society.
The new Tory MP targeted road access as the major angle of her campaign stating improvements to the A32 and the Stubbington bypass were “vital and urgent”.
Like her opponents Mrs Dinenage saw the redevelopment of the area as a key election promise believing that sites such as the Haslar Hospital ground and the Waterfront could be improved.
In what will be a shock to the hard campaigning Labour candidate Dr Graham Giles, it was Liberal Democrat Rob Hylands who came in runner-up with 9,887 votes to Labours 7,944.
A publican in the town Mr Hylands looked delighted with his parties leap into second place and was grinning from ear to ear.
Mr Hylands, also a software expert, said: “Don’t forget, don’t give up, this is not the end of the road, it’s the start of the road and you have done very well to get this far. I’ll be back don’t you worry.”
With Labour sliding to third in the rankings in Gosport Dr Graham Giles the prospective candidate looked disappointed by the result.
Gosport contains some stark social divisions, the presence of a large naval base may be helpful to the Tory vote but the constituency also has the large Rowner council estate reputedly one of the most deprived areas of the UK.
Of the marginal parties UKIP received 1,496 votes and the British National Party were close behind with 1,004 votes in the constituency.
List of candidates Barry Bennett - British National Party – 1,004; Caroline Dinenage – Conservatives – 24,300; Graham Giles MBE – Labour – 7,944; Brian Hart – Independent - 289; Rob Hylands – Liberal Democrat – 9,887; Charles Read – Independent - 331; Andrew Rice – UKIP – 1,496; Robert Shaw – English Democrats - 622; Claire Smith – Green Party - 573.
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