Michael Knowles

George Galloway failed to hold on to the Rochdale constituency for the Worker's Party of Britain after pulling off a shock by-election victory back in February.

George Galloway failed to hold on to the Rochdale constituency for the Worker's Party of Britain after pulling off a shock by-election victory back in February.

Grant Shapps has been the MP for Welwyn Hatfield since the 2005 General Election, and was defending a majority just shy of 11,000 votes.

Jeremy Corbyn ran as an Independent after being expelled from the Labour party, having represented Islington North since the 1983 General Election.

The Reform UK leader, who took over from Richard Tice in June, enjoyed huge success in the lead up to the General Election as the party surged in the polls, with one shock MRP poll even predicting that they could win up to 18 seats in the House of Commons.

The Prime Minister was fighting to hold on to his Yorkshire seat which is traditionally safe for the Tories.

Reform UK focused its resources on a handful of key seats, but it now hopes its success across the country, with significant clusters of support in every corner of England, will be a springboard for further success in 2029.

The Reform UK leader insisted he will introduce tough new vetting procedures to ensure racist, homophobic or misogynistic candidates cannot stand for the party.

Kevin Saunders urged Home Secretary Yvette Cooper to convince Paris to deploy the Gendarmes Maritime to "intercept and return" small boats.