CONSERVATIVE stalwart Caroline Spelman has held onto her Meriden seat for a fifth term.
Mrs Spelman was announced as the successful candidate at the North Solihull Leisure Centre after securing over 54 per cent (29,791 votes) of the votes.
Coming in second place Labour candidate, Tom McNeil, obtained just 9,996 votes – failing to top the number received by his predecessor, Ed Williams in 2010.
UKIP’s Mick Gee came third place with 8,908 votes, while Ade Adeyemo for the Liberal Democrats mimicked the party’s nationwide losses by coming in fourth with 2,638 votes – a dramatic fall in the party’s 9,278 votes secured by the Liberal Democrats in 2010.
Bringing up the rear, Alison Gavin secured 2,170 votes for The Green Party and Chris Booth scooping up the last 100 votes.
Mrs Spelman’s win marks her fifth victory in a row for the Conservative party in Meriden, after first taking over from fellow Tory Iain Mills in the 1992 general election.
Turnout this year saw 64.41 per cent of the 81,079 Meriden residents registered to vote making it to the polling stations – a one per cent increase on last year’s 63.3 per cent turnout.
Taking the microphone after the declaration, Mrs Spelman thanked the people of Meriden ‘from the bottom of her heart’ for placing their trust in her for another term.
Speaking exclusively to Observer reporter Lauren Clarke at last week’s count, she said she looked forward to leading the constituency through the big challenges it faces in the near future – the advent of HS2; changes at Birmingham Airport; and the need for housing.
Mrs Spelman added: “The Meriden Gap is very precious – it is the green lung between Coventry and Birmingham – and that is something I will always seek to protect and secure.
“I will return the trust the people of Meriden have place in me by giving all my energy and effort and try and make sure this constituency gets a Rolls Royce service over the next five years.”
Final results for Meriden constituency:
Caroline Spelman (Conservatives) – 28,791
Tom McNeil, (Labour) – 9,996
Mick Gee, (UKIP) – 8,908
Ade Adeyemo (Liberal Democrats) – 2,638
Alison Gavin, (Greens) – 2,170
Chris Booth, (An Independence From Europe) – 100
Turnout: 64.41%
Rejected ballot papers: 161
