SOLIHULL bucked the national trend by putting their faith behind the Conservatives in two of the borough’s constituencies.
The new constituencies, Meriden and Solihull East, Solihull West and Shirley and Birmingham Hodge Hill and Solihull North came into play this year.
Voters re-elected Saqib Bhatti as MP for Meriden and Solihull East.
Mr Bhatti has an almost 4,000 majority, a surprise for many.
The results are as follows: Saqib Bhatti (Conservative) 16,792, Sarah Alan (Labour) 12,208, Malcolm Ian Sedgley (Reform UK) 8,753, Shesh Sheshabhatter (Greens) 2,929, and Sunny Virk (Lib Dems) 3,353.
Mr Bhatti said: “It is a great privilege to have been re-elected as the MP for Meriden and Solihull East and I’m grateful to my constituents for placing their trust in me once more.
“My work continues as I focus on making the case for an Accident and Emergency in Solihull, saving our police station and protecting our precious greenbelt.
“I will also continue to support our local businesses and our high streets as well as making sure our young people have the best opportunities available to them.
“I want our home to be the best place to live, work and raise a family and I’m committed to achieving this.”
It was also a win for the Conservatives in Solihull West and Shirley, as they triumphed over Labour.
The constituency used to be held by the Conservatives, before previous MP Julian Knight had the whip removed after a police investigation.
Once again it is back under Tory control, with Dr Neil Shastri-Hurst as the new MP.
The results are as follows: Neil Shastri-Hurst (Conservative) 16,284, Deirdre Fox (Labour) 11,664, Ade Adeyemo (Lib Dems) 7,916, Max McLoughlin (Green) 3,270, Mary Ann McKenna (Reform UK) 7,149 and Julian Knight (Independent) 594.
Dr Shastri-Hurst said: “My mission is to repay the faith shown in me and to persuade those who didn’t vote for me this time that I am here to serve everyone.
“I give you my word that I will always speak out on the issues that matter and seek to be your voice in Parliament.
“As I have said repeatedly during this campaign, my focus will be on being a dedicated, hardworking, and accountable MP.
“I serve at the pleasure of the people of Solihull West and Shirley, and I must demonstrate every day how seriously I take this responsibility.”
Labour came out on top in Bimringham Hodge Hill and Solihull North with Liam Byrne holding his seat.
The results are as follows: Liam Byrne (Labour) 10,655, James Giles (Workers Party – For Britain, For Gaza) 9,089, Jamie Pullin (Reform UK) 6,456, Caroline Clapper (Conservative) 4,634, Imran Ali Khan (Green Party) 2,360 and Qasim Mohammed Esak (Lib Dems) 942.
Mr Byrne said: “It is the privilege of my life to be elected to serve the new constituency of Hodge Hill and Solihull North.
“No matter who residents voted for, I dedicate myself to serve all and, above all, to deliver for our constituency.”
