General Election 2024: Conservative MP Shailesh Vara deposed after 19 years by 22-year-old Labour candidate

On a night in which the Conservatives suffered heavy losses, Labour snatched the North West Cambridgeshire parliamentary seat for the first time ever.

Sam Carling returned a victory by a margin of just 39 votes.

There had to be a recount with initial reports suggesting the difference between the candidates was just 23 votes.

This meant that the result was announced until almost 6am.

Mr Vara had defended his seat in four elections having first won the constituency in 2005.

The seat had only ever been held by the Conservative Party since it was created in 1997.

In Peterborough, Andrew Pakes defeated previous Conservative MP Paul Bristow.

The overall turnout was 58.76, an almost 10% drop from 68% at the last General Election in 2019.

It was the constituency’s lowest ever turnout beating the 61.6% in 2005.

Full result: Shailesh Vara (Conservatives) 14,746

Sam Carling (Labour) 14,785

Elliot Tong (Green) 2,960

Bridget Smith (Lib Dem) 3,192

James Sidlow (Reform) 8,741