ELECTION 2010: Bradshaw holds off Tory challenge
CULTURE secretary Ben Bradshaw narrowly held on to Exeter for the Labour Party.
Mr Bradshaw had his majority reduced from 7,665 to just 2,721, ahead of Hannah Foster of the Conservatives in second place.
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The general election count 2010 at the Corn Exchange, Exeter. Labour's Ben Bradshaw smiles as he awaits a TV interview.
The Liberal Democrats came third with Graham Oakes polling 10,581.
It will be the fourth time Mr Bradshaw has represented Exeter since first winning the seat for Labour in 1997.
The turnout of 67.7 per cent was up by more than three per cent on the last general election in 2005.
As the announcement was made at the Corn Exchange just after 2am, a huge cheer went up from the red corner on the left hand side of the hall.
Mr Bradshaw confessed he was the most vulnerable cabinet member, but he showed little emotion as the result was read out. The Tories considered him so vulnerable he was named among a list of targets in a so-called decapitation strategy.
Exeter was 167th on the Conservative target list, but the party was optimistic it could win and David Cameron visited the city twice during the campaign.
Shortly after the result came in Mr Bradshaw told the Echo: "It is an enormous relief and a great result. Exeter is a fantastic city and it is a huge privilege to represent the people here. I am humbled they have put their faith in me again and it is a good result locally.
"Everyone knew I was the most vulnerable cabinet minister but in spite of all the Conservatives efforts and the Ashcroft money that was thrown at Exeter there has been a very small swing for the Conservatives, one of the smallest in the country.
"I would like to think my record of delivery for the city shows that I have stood up for Exeter and I will continue to serve the city to the best of my ability."
With the national poll pointing towards a hung parliament there are reports that Labour and the Liberal Democrats are already in talks about a possible coalition.
Mr Bradshaw said this was a prospect he would relish. He said: "Let's not prompt the actual result. It is going to be a long night but if there is a chance to work with another party to carry out progressive and fundamental reforms then that is a challenge I would relish."
He paid tribute to the other candidates for what he declared as a "clean, positive and energetic campaign."
And his main rival Mrs Foster, who looked visibly upset after being told the result, said: said: "I am disappointed obviously but I love this city and I love the people. My home is here and I am here to stay.
"The result shows that Exeter can be won. Maybe not this time but sometime soon. I am here in Exeter to stay. I love this city. There is a lot of good work I can do outside of politics and I intend to do this."
Mr Oakes for the Liberal Democrats said his party has suffered again because of the first past the post voting system. He said: "This election should have been about hope but it was fear, which was shame."
16 Comments
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by J Roberts, Pinhoe
Saturday, May 08 2010, 11:44AM
“Mike S - not bitter then!!
I presume the "Trotsky City" reference is one you've just invented in your small minded rage, I've never heard anyone say it.
Where you one of those Tories who deliverted leaflets in Exeter in 1997 telling people that Ben Bradshaw was a friend to child molesters and terrorists?”
by brin, exeter
Saturday, May 08 2010, 8:31AM
“But hopefully we will get another election in the autumn and Labour will get it back, because there aint no way wishy-washy Clegg and the Nosferatu incarnate Cameron are going to be able to steer us out of this mess. I look forward to the unrest.”
by brin, Exeter
Saturday, May 08 2010, 8:16AM
“I agree with Jim !!!!!! He has pointed out the only policy the LDs have which is sensible. Although I do think the country will now go to the dogs. Hey, poor people, gonna rise up like the Greeks when it goes pear-shaped with massive VAT increases that will cripple the poorest and most needy in society. Well done GB voters, you screwed up, BIGTIME !”
by W.Palmer, North Vancouver, Canada
Saturday, May 08 2010, 1:47AM
“PR..... be careful what you wish for.
A "hung" parliament or in Canadian terms, a "minority" government, we get along with remarkably well. It gets things done and keeps out the "off the wall" wacko's.
We have our own Mayor "Moonbeam" here in Vancouver, a bicycling, hemp sandled, hair shirt and an advocate of PR... he will for sure end up in politics one day, enough already!! We will get nothing done until he has counted all the fish.
Canada is no different than any other country, there are plenty of these people and all they do is clog things up and make themselves a nuisance.
Freedom of speech, choice, etc: absolutely but sometimes you have to get down to business, sensible business.”
by Jim, Exeter
Saturday, May 08 2010, 12:40AM
“A smith - I guess most places i go are outside of exeter which explains why i saw mostly conservative signs, and i live around alphington area which seems flooded with libdem. I voted libdem even though i prefer the vast majority of labour and conservative manifesto pledges. There is however one libdem pledge that makes any other pledge irrelevant for me. Being a lifelong sufferer of a condition to which only cannabis provides relief, any party offering a fair look at the drug is a promise of releasing me from a life of pain. Alternatively i could just move back to the netherlands where they actually respect citizens rather than treat them as dirt.”
by Mike S, Exeter
Friday, May 07 2010, 11:39PM
“Bradshaw; what a waste of space, a disingenuous ambitious twit. Exeter is heavy in Public Sector workers hence why he got re-elected, utter farce. No wonder Exeter is called the Trotsky City!”
by Voter, Exeter
Friday, May 07 2010, 11:15PM
“Comment below re Pr is worth considering seriously. Under strict PR we would have continual hung parliaments and lose constituency link for MPs (evidence: how many peoiple can name any of our MEPs?).
I think I would prefer the Alternative Vote system belatedly proposed by Labour, but used inter alia, in Australia, where voters mark candidates 1,2,3 in order of preference and the winning candidate has to get 50% of the vote, which is achieved by successively eliminating the lowest polling candidate.”
by PR Peril, Exeter
Friday, May 07 2010, 10:27PM
“Careful those that ask for PR.
That is a proportion of seats reflecting the percentage of votes cast.
If we take Thursdays votes for an example;
Con 36% =235 seats not 306
Lab 29% =189 seats not 258
Lib 23% = 150 seats not 59
More worrying
BNP 2% of votes potentially equates to 12 seats.
Very careful negotian on how PR may or may not work needs to be done before any decisions are made.”
by A Smith, Exeter
Friday, May 07 2010, 9:34PM
“Jim - what parts of Exeter were you visiting? I travel around (mainly central) Exeter quite a bit and saw:
four Conservative placards and one window bill, plus some very large signs on the by-pass (which isn't even in the Exeter constituency!).
I saw two large Lib Dem signs and two window bilsl.
I saw four houses with Green posters.
I saw dozens of Labour window bills and at least half a dozen placards, including a row of placards in gardens just up the road from the Tory candidates house.
Two UKIP placards.”
by Exonian, Exeter
Friday, May 07 2010, 9:27PM
“Congratulations Mr Bradshaw. I wonder how much the following local issues influenced the result in Exeter, which seemed to buck the national trend:
1. The sheer volume of Ashcroft funded literature deposited through our letterboxes over the election campaign (In excess of 20 items to my household). Were voters turned off by these Tory attempts to buy Exeter with Ashcroft money?
2. The Tory candidate's reluctance to give straight answers to simple questions posed in the Echo Letter page. Her devious responses on Ashcroft funding, her evasiveness about revealing her views on fox hunting, and her rather patronising and over the top attempts to demonstrate that she was a 'local', when clearly she wasn't.
4. The Lib Dems insulting voters with clearly misleading analysis of the race in Exeter. How many more times will they try to con us into believing they are one of the competitors in a two horse race, when they are in fact the third placed donkey.
4. The fact that, like him/his party or not, Mr Bradshaw has been an effective and high profile representative for Exeter.”