Lib Dems fail to take targets across region

A DISAPPOINTING night nationally for the Liberal Democrats was mirrored in Yorkshire where the party won only one of its target seats.

By The Newsroom

Published 10th May 2010, 17:18 BST

Updated 10th May 2010, 17:18 BST

Veteran Labour MP Terry Rooney was ousted from Bradford East as David Ward won the seat with a swing from Labour of 7.57 per cent.

But Nick Clegg's party failed by a whisker to take two other seats from Labour.

Schools Minister Diana Johnson held on by just 641 votes in Hull North, in spite of the Liberal Democrats securing a staggering 12.18 per cent swing.

And in Sheffield Central the result was even closer, with Paul Blomfield winning the seat for Labour by just 165 votes from Paul Scriven, leader of the Liberal Democrat council.

Sheffield MP and Lib Dem leader Nick Clegg, whose own count was marred by problems with people failing to get into packed polling stations acknowledged: "This has obviously been a disappointing result for the Liberal Democrats. We simply haven't achieved what we had hoped."

Mr Clegg was comfortably re-elected in Sheffield Hallam.