Soubry hangs on as Mansfield turns blue

It was a night of few shocks in the East Midlands, as the General Election result ground towards a hung Parliament.

Former Cabinet Minister Anna Soubry held on to her Broxtowe seat with a tiny majority of 863.

It had been trailed that Soubry, a former small business Minister, would lose her seat, with pundits throughout the night saying that she would be part of disappointing night for the Tories which saw the country lurch towards a hung Parliament.

Elsewhere, veteran Ken Clarke retained his seat with another big majority, but there was a shock in Mansfield where Sir Alan Meale lost the seat he’d held since 1987 to Ben Bradley – a 27-year-old Conservative.

In Derbyshire, Labour Chris Williamson ousted Amanda Solloway in Derby North while High Peak went red and North East Derbyshire was taken by the Tories.

The UKIP vote collapsed across the region, with votes shared between both the Conservative and Labour parties.