MORLEY AND OUTWOOD: Triumphant Ed Balls escapes predicted 'Portillo moment'

The former Normanton MP was fighting for the newly-formed constituency of Morley and Outwood and had been targeted by Tories as a potential high-profile casualty, despite commanding an estimated majority of more than 8,500.

The nation's media duly descended en masse to see if there would indeed be a repeat of the famous moment in 1997 when Tory high-flyer Michael Portillo was ousted.

But a relieved Mr Balls – Gordon Brown's most trusted ally in the Cabinet – held off the challenge from his Tory opponent Antony Calvert to take the seat by just 1,101 votes.

In a typically partisan victory speech, the defiant Schools Secretary said: "I'm of course sorry for the cameras that they didn't quite get the moment they were looking for – although I have to say it was quite close."

After thanking the voters "who decided we would put local jobs and public services before an inheritance tax cut for millionaires", Mr Balls sent a message to controversial Tory donor Lord Ashcroft, who he claimed had pumped thousands of pounds into the local Conservative campaign.

"You can come along with all your posters, and all your leaflets, and all your advertising, but you cannot buy this constituency – and you cannot buy our country," Mr Balls said. "Our party has not buckled."

Speaking afterwards to the Yorkshire Post, however, the MP agreed he had been feeling the pressure as the count went down to the wire.

"There was more media than I was expecting," he admitted. "But also we didn't know what the result would be. I'm a politician, I love elections – but that was tense.

"There was a huge amount thrown at us. There was a lot of raising of expectations by Michael Gove, David Cameron, George Osborne, and it turned out they didn't really have as good judgment as they thought."

Mr Balls paid tribute to his Tory opponent, saying Mr Calvert, had fought "a very straight and honest and decent campaign" and had succeeded in putting Morley firmly on the electoral map.

Mr Calvert for his part said Mr Balls had "fought like a tiger" and "thoroughly deserved to have clung on".

The Tory candidate added: "We've come up just short but the blame for that does not lie with any of my wonderful team.

"Over the last month or so Morley has seen the cream of the broadcasting crop descend. All the national newspapers have been taking pictures of our town.

"And I really hope that all of those who have followed this campaign – and there have been millions – will take the chance to come to our lovely town and see for themselves why I wanted to be its MP."