THE Tories clinched the key marginal Warrington South seat today as David Mowat narrowly defeated Labour’s Nick Bent by just over 1,500 votes in a keenly fought contest.
Mowat polled 19,641 votes, Bent 18,088 while Lib Dem Jo Crotty came third with 15,094.
But it was a nail biting evening for all three parties as early straw polls indicated a three horse race.
With counting going on through the night it was only in the final hour that the Tories gained a narrow lead.
But the result was tarnished with allegations by the Conservatives and Labour that the Lib Dems had run a dishonest campaign with claims of election malpractice concerning the placing of orange ballot boxes featuring Jo Crotty’s image at polling stations across the borough.
The Conservatives have lodged an official complaint which the police are being asked to investigate.
Meanwhile there were no surprises in the safe Labour seat of Warrington North where current MP Helen Jones won with a resounding majority.
Top picture shows David Mowat estimating the size of his victory watched by his beaming agent and local councillor Paul Kennedy.
What went wrong? A disappointed Lib Dem leader Ian Marks reflects on what went wrong with Lib Dem supporters.
Defeated Jo Crotty accused of a dishonest campaign full of “lies.”
Click on the image below to see video coverage of the election night including interviews with David Mowat and Nick Bent.
Full General election results:
Warrington North: Paul Thomas Campbell, Conservative; (13,364) Dave Eccles, Liberal Democrat;(9,196) Helen Mary Jones, Labour; (20,135) Albert Scott, Independent (1,516).
Warrington South: James Ashington, UK Independence Party;(1,624) Nick Bent, Labour; (18,088) Jo Crotty, Liberal Democrat; (15,094) Stephanie Davies, Green Party;(427) David John Mowat, Conservative.(19,641).
22 Comments
And may the person who is going to do the most for the town or their community irrespective of party, WIN.
and how on earth can you predict that!
Only one way to vote and that is to vote for change – now which party are using that strap line?
you really have to wonder who in their right mind would vote tory? Only the idiots of south warrington could be stupid enough to do that.
“For sale , 1 flat of convenience in Bewsey, hardly ever used. Reason for sale moving out of area as job failed to materialise.
LOL…… Maybe the new slogan should be “NOT WINNING HERE!!!”
Steve…. so the people in Bewsey are idiots are they? or are had you forgotten the south Warrington hasn’t been Tory for years? Or are you assuming only “posh” people live in South Warrington? Nick Bent (over) was an Oxford university graduate (a bit posh) and Jo Crotty is a veteran of two failed election campaigns already so you wouldn’t want her anyway!
Well done David Mowat and his team.
I like that. NOT WINNING HERE.
Bye bye Bent and Crotty. You were never welcome and rose to fame on things that you had NO input on.
And a huge thanks to Gary and his team.
baz, its got nothing to do with being posh and the majority of people in bewsey prob didnt vote tory anyway. we all know who did, you only have to drive through lymm and grappenhall and see the boards to see that. i have no interest in jo grotty as she didnt stand a chance anyway. I base everything on how i have faired under a labour government and that would be very well. I would never trust a tory to do any thing good for the average man in the street, we all know what they stand for and the people of lymm, grappenhall ect are welcome to them. I just feel for the likes of bewsey who are now lumbered with david mowat and will soon find out he can do nothing and will do nothing for them. Just wait for the pics of mowat celebrating his win on the streets of stockton heath. On longshaw street? I very much doubt it.
Well done to Mr Mowat unfortunately we in the North are still lumvbered with Ms Jones.
To my surprise I liked a comment from Nick Bent in his interview with Gary, “……the decline of the Lib Dems” . What a wonderlul thought.
So I’m an idiot am I for voting Tory in Warrington South am I Steve?? How rude and ignorant. If I slagged of f some of charming residents of Warrington North, I’d be accused of class bias and snobbery but it’s okay for you to have a go at us??
The Tories will represent decent, hard working, tax paying, families who deserve a voice in this country because frankly, under Labour, we got shafted. Who is paying all the tax to finance all the improvement schemes in north Warrington I wonder? Who gets the lion’s share of any money in this town? North Warrington. Everyone seems to have the perception that if you live in south Warrington you must be well off and we don’t deserve decent play areas for our children, or environmental improvements or traffic calming, for example.
I live in a very average 3 bed semi in south Warrington, one car and I consider myself to be an average citizen – ie: playing my part in my community, law abiding, hard working and getting on with my life – the Tories will stand up for people like me and my family so I’m delighted the Tories won Warrington South.
As i said tigger, your welcome to them, but dont give me the rubbish that warrington south gets left out in this town. The tories have have never represented decent, hard working, tax paying people. Just remember the mess this country was in the last time they were in. How you can say you got shafted under labour just shows your stupidity along with the rest of the tory voters in this country. I would never trust david cameron and his cronies, along with mowat. And commenting on the “charming residents of Warrington North” just tells me everything i need to know about you and typifies the wannabe snobs of warrington south! Pathetic people who think they are better than they really are. As i said i just feel sorry for the likes of bewsey for being lumbered with you lot.
Don’t blame those south of the canal for voting Tory when the campaigns of both the Lib Dems and Labour both did essentially all their campaigning north of the canal. If you expect people to vote against you, they will.
Steve, it you have faired (sic) very well under the Labour government you must be a benefit scrounger. I am a reasonably charming resident of Warrington North and would dearly love a Tory MP and Government.
Ha! sorry to disappoint you eagle but im not a benefit ‘scrounger’ as you so politely put it, and even saying that would make you far from ‘charming’. I actually run a very successful business which was helped along nicely by the labour government. Maybe you should move to warrington south if you would like a Tory mp?
Steve….Why don’t you just give the bloke a chance before you start slagging him off …..after all he’s not actually been our MP for a whole day yet. Appropriate time to start slagging him off is if he proves to be as useless locally as Helen Southworth was and I very much doubt he will be ! ( I voted for her last time and as such yes I am an idiot from the South ha ha 🙂
Thanks for your excellent coverage on the elections Gary
Actually I think David Mowat has to officially be sworn in before he becomes an MP as such, couple of weeks time I think.
Steve I’m a Lymm resident but I’m with you all the way, we were inundated with a blizzard of Tory propaganda funded mainly by £80,000 of Mowats own money and no doubt Ashcrofts tax-free funds. A close second to them was Jo Crotty and her dubious campaign, where on earth did the Lib Dems get the money? To say I’m dissappointed is an understatement, Clegg is now the ‘king-maker’ he denied he would be and is, unbelievably, considering joining forces with a man he branded ‘breath-takingly arrogant’ and ‘aligned with nutters’ in Europe. Cameron has already stated electoral reform is not on the cards, nor is more European integration. The two parties are poles apart in many big issues. Will Clegg now sell his party down the Thames?
Helen Southworth worked tirelessly with the police, charities etc for the protection of vulnerable children, I wonder if all involved thought she was ‘useless’.
Southworth was good for children’s charities. But she was pretty invisible locally, and voted strongly for the war, ID cards etc. She pretty much never voted against the party whip. Blair babe…
I’m sure David will be a strong, vocal MP for ALL wards in the constituency. I do hope those commenting above that have been quick to jump on this victory as some sort of negative for people outside Lymm and Grappenhall will give Mr Mowat a chance, as it is only then that you will see he will work to represent everybody, regardless of where they live.
David Mowat has been helping people from all over warrington – including areas like Orford, find work with his pioneering job club.
He will do more for Warrington in one week than the previous incumbent did in 13 years!
Don’t think she can sell a rented flat that didn’t belong to her!