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Candidates in North East Somerset and Hanham have gone to the polls in what is likely to be one of the election’s most watched contests - with Jacob-Rees Mogg losing his seat
Conservative Jacob Rees-Mogg is one of the biggest names in national politics, but two big names in local politics are after his seat. Dan Norris, who Mr Rees-Mogg unseated in 2010 and is now the West of England Metro Mayor, is hoping to win the seat back for Labour. Meanwhile Dine Romero, the former leader of Bath and North East Somerset Council, is the Liberal Democrat challenger.
Meanwhile the Greens, Reform, the Monster Raving Loony Party, and independent candidate Nicholas Hales are also standing in the seat.
The Conservatives' Jacob Rees-Mogg is one of the most iconic characters in British politics, which has led to North East Somerset and Hanham being seen as the site of a potential “Portillo moment” if he loses.
The Bristol suburb of Hanham in South Gloucestershire has been added to the western half of the former North East Somerset seat to create the new seat of North East Somerset and Hanham. The new constituency now spans the edge of Cotswolds to the edge of the Mendips and seven candidates who want to represent the area in Parliament.
But though the battlefield is new, it is set to be the rematch of an old political battle. Dan Norris, the former Labour MP for North East Somerset’s predecessor seat of Wansdyke (which had also included Hanham, as well as even more of rural North East Somerset), was unseated by Mr Rees-Mogg in 2010.
Now Mr Norris, who is also the current West of England Metro Mayor, is standing in the seat again in the hopes of winning it back off Sir Jacob. While it is a role that has helped to raise his profile, it also creates the risk of political baggage. Cuts to publicly supported buses across rural North East Somerset are a major local issue and its is Mr Norris’s who is responsible for commissioning them. It has led to a major row between him and Liberal Democrat-run Bath and North East Somerset Council about who should fund them.
Candidates nominated for North East Somerset and Hanham are:
Monster Raving Loony Party: Barmy Brunch
Green: Edmund Cannon
Independent: Nicholas Hales
Reform UK: Paul MacDonnell
Labour: Dan Norris
Conservative: Jacob Rees-Mogg
Liberal Democrat: Dine Romero
FOLLOW EACH OF THE COUNTS BELOW WITH OUR DEDICATED LIVE BLOGS AND RESULTS
BATH
BRIDGWATER
FROME AND EAST SOMERSET
GLASTONBURY AND SOMERTON
NORTH EAST SOMERSET AND HANHAM
TAUNTON AND WELLINGTON
TIVERTON AND MINEHEAD
NORTH SOMERSET
WELLS AND MENDIP HILLS
YEOVIL
WESTON-SUPER-MARE
SOMERSET ROUND-UP
Daniel Clark
North East Somerset and Hanham
Interactive
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Results
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North East Somerset and Hanham General Election results in full as Jacob Rees-Mogg beaten
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The full results
Lab win - gain from notional C
Dan Norris (Lab) 20,739 (40.57%)
+Sir Jacob Rees-Mogg (C) 15,420 (30.16%)
Paul MacDonnell (Reform) 7,424 (14.52%)
Dine Romero (LD) 3,878 (7.59%)
Edmund Cannon (Green) 3,222 (6.30%)
Nicholas Hales (Ind) 231 (0.45%)
Barmy Brunch (Loony) 211 (0.41%)
Lab maj 5,319 (10.40%)
Notional 19.47% swing C to Lab
89.40% boundary change
Electorate 73,887; Turnout 51,125 (69.19%)
2019 notional: C maj 16,389 (28.53%) - Turnout 57,437 (78.56%)
C 31,435 (54.73%); Lab 15,046 (26.20%); LD 8,625 (15.02%); Green
1,370 (2.39%); Others 961 (1.67%)
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The full results
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Watch the declaration
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The result is imminent
We shall see who has won
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Jacob Rees-Mogg has arrived
Phil Norris
Lib Dem candidate hails national picture for party
Phil Norris
Candidate seeks mandatory brunch hour
Phil Norris
Jacob Rees-Mogg's seat on a knife-edge
Sir Jacob Rees-Mogg’s seat is “too close to call”, exit polls said. There is a 53% chance Labour gains Somerset North East and Hanham, in which the former leader of the Commons stood.
Earlier, the former Tory minister said it is “clearly a terrible night”, adding that the party has taken votes for granted.
Sir Jacob told the BBC: “It’s clearly a terrible night for the Conservatives.”
He added: “There’s no way of describing this as anything other than a bad night for the Conservative party.”
Asked where it went wrong for the Tories, Sir Jacob said there were “issues with changing the leader”, adding: “Voters expect the prime minister they have chosen to remain the prime minister and for it to be the voters who decide when that person is changed.”
He continued: “I’m afraid I think the Conservative Party took it’s core vote for granted, which is why you see so many people who may have voted Conservative previously, going off to Reform.”