MIDDLESBROUGH SOUTH AND CLEVELAND: Labour's narrow victory in seat hit by job losses in steel industry

Victorious candidate Tom Blenkinsop will enter the House of Commons for the first time with a majority of 1,677 votes over Conservative Paul Bristow who achieved a swing of more than seven per cent in the poll.

The winner succeeds popular Labour predecessor Ashok Kumar who died in March in the constituency which covers areas including Boulby, Cowbar, Loftus, Skinningrove and Moorsholm. He said: "This election was not about an individual or self promotion. It was about following and fighting to maintain Ashok's legacy."

Mr Blenkinsop becomes one of Labour's youngest MPs aged only 29. He was brought up in James Cook's birthplace of Marton in the constituency and now lives in Saltburn.

The former full-time officer in the steel union Community has campaigned to save jobs in the industry on Teesside which has been badly hit by the world-wide downturn.

He escaped the fate of neighbouring sitting MP Vera Baird, Solicitor General under Gordon Brown, who lost Redcar to the Liberal Democrats in one of the biggest swings against Labour in the country, approaching a massive 22 per cent.

Ms Baird had been heavily involved in trying to save jobs at the Corus steel plant in Redcar, which was mothballed earlier this year.

Labour lost the nearby Stockton South seat with Dari Taylor going down to Tory opponent James Wharton by just 332 votes on a swing of seven per cent.