Nigel Adams has been returned to the House of Commons as Member of Parliament for the constituency of Selby and Ainsty.
The announcement came after a long night counting at the Riley Smith Hall in Tadcaster where candidates were kept waiting until after 6 o'clock this morning to hear the outcome of the area's polling.
Nigel Adams had a comfortable evening, returning to Parliament with an increased majority of 13,557. Polling 27,725 votes overall, the Tory took 52.5% of the popular vote.
Labour's challenge came from Dr. Mark Hayes who would have a mountain to climb if he was to cause an upset. Having fought a reasonably good campaign, Hayes managed to add 871 votes to the party's tally from 2010.
The UK Independence Party also managed to make considerable gains in the Selby ballot with Colin Heath leapfrogging the Liberal Democrat to take third place with a 14% share of the vote.
A disastrous night for the Lib Dems nationally translated to a 3.6% share for Nicola Turner in Selby, losing her deposit in the process. After criticism over her 'lack of visibility' during the campaign, she was heard being described as a 'paper candidate' by her own team. She lost more than 14% of the party's vote when compared against the last election.
Ian Richards took 1,465 votes for the Greens, amounting to a 2.8% share. Ian Wilson for the Trade Union and Socialist Coalition took 137 votes.
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | +/- | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conservative | Nigel Adams (elected) | 27,725 | 52.5% | + 3.1% | |
| Labour | Dr. Mark Hayes | 14,168 | 26.8% | + 1.1% | |
| UKIP | Colin Heath | 7,389 | 14.0% | + 10.8% | |
| Liberal Democrat | Nicola Turner | 1,920 | 3.6% | - 14.1% | |
| Green | Ian Richards | 1,465 | 2.8% | + 2.8% | |
| TUSC | Ian Wilson | 137 | 0.3% | + 0.3% | |
Conservatives hold Selby & Ainsty seat
Majority: 13,557 (26%)
Turnout: 53,117 (70% of electorate)
