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IT was third time lucky for Conservative candidate Robert Halfon after he beat Labour's Bill Rammell in the race to become Harlow's next MP.
Robert Halfon
Mr Halfon recorded a sizeable majority of 4,925 over his Labour rival to oust the former Armed Forces minister from the seat he has held for the past 13 years.
The key marginal constituency was one of the Tories' top targets after Mr Halfon narrowly lost to Mr Rammell in the 2005 campaign by just 97 votes.
Mr Halfon said he was “absolutely delighted” to have been voted in as the town’s new MP.
“It hasn’t quite sunk in yet, but I’m absolutely delighted and honoured that the people of Harlow have put their faith and trust in me to be their next MP,” he said.
“I’ve been waiting for this opportunity for 10 years, and it’s a wonderful feeling to have finally made it.
“This has been a close-run, hard-fought campaign and I will continue to work hard for the people of Harlow to repay their trust in my abilities.”
On what proved to be a difficult night for Labour across the country, a downcast Mr Rammell offered his “genuine congratulations” to Mr Halfon and said he “wished him immense success” in representing Harlow as MP.
A rumoured Liberal Democrat surge also failed to materialise, with David White picking up just 5,990 votes - less than 1,000 more than his predecessor Lorna Spencelely managed in 2005.
For more reaction on the election results, see next week's Star.
Below is our step by step account of how events unfolded on a dramatic night in Harlow.
03.16 - CONSERVATIVE GAIN - Rob Halfon has taken the seat with a sizeable majority of 4,925
03.15 - The candidates are being called to the stage.
03.14 - A hush descends upon the hall as a result is expected within minutes. The tension is palpable.
02.55 - No five-minute warning from the returning officer yet but perhaps sensing a result is looming the candidates, local councillors and party officials gather ready for an announcement.
02.47 - And finally! Robert Halfon arrives in the hall as the end of the count looks in sight.
02.35 - The votes are piling up in the centre of the hall, and it now looks as though Labour's Bill Rammell has gained considerable ground on his Tory opponent.
02.27 - Despite looking set to win, Rob Halfon has been strangely absent from proceedings in the hall.
02.20 - As the ballot papers pile up, Conservative candidate Robert Halfon looks to have pulled out a clear lead over his nearest rival Bill Rammell.
01.59 - So much for a 2am finish. We're at least an hour behind schedule and it's coffees all round for the press contingent in Harlow Sportcentre.
01.40 - So finally, the verification has finished, the counters have refreshed themselves and the count proper has begun.
01.34- The official turnout figure for the General Election in Harlow has been confirmed as 65.13 per cent - this translates into 44,020 verified ballot papers out of a total electorate of 67,583
01.10 - We're getting unconfirmed reports that turnout among Harlow postal voters in the General Election is around 93 per cent, with a figure of 87 per cent in the local elections.
01.00 - Votes are still being verified - the count itself is yet to start. This could be a long night, and we're running out of chocolate....
00.54 - Conservative candidate Robert Halfon is in the building - no sign of him yet, though.
00.30 - Liberal Democrat councillors are confident their party has cornered the youth vote.
00.07 - Labour candidate Bill Rammell has arrived. Still no sign of Robert Halfon.
23.52 - Very early indications suggest that the general election count looks tight between Labour and the Conservatives, according to one Tory councillor.
23.40 - The Lib Dem, UKIP and BNP candidates have arrived. UKIP's John Croft and the BNP's Eddy Butler have been deep in conversation for at least half an hour while Lib Dem Dave White has been watching the count along with Labour and Tory officials. Bill Rammell is expected to arrive at midnight.
22.55 - Ballot papers from both the general and local elections are being seperated and verified before the count proper begins. The general election count will begin first with the result expected to come in after 2am while the local election result should be in sometime after 3.30am. Things can change however - remember 2005?
22.25 - The ballot boxes are starting to arrive as the parliamentary hopefuls begin to filter into Harlow Sportcentre.
|
HARLOW |
|
Name |
Party |
Votes |
|
ADEEKO, Oluyemi |
Christian Party |
101 |
|
BUTLER, Eddy |
BNP |
1,739 |
|
CROFT, John |
UKIP |
1,591 |
|
HALFON, Robert |
Con |
19,691 |
|
RAMMELL, Bill |
Lab |
14,766 |
|
WHITE, David |
Lib Dem |
5,990 |
|
Result: CON GAIN |
|
Turnout: 44,020 |
Majority: 4, 923 |