Former Pensions Minister Paul Maynard lost his seat as Labour won both Blackpool seats in the 2024 General Election.
Maynard had been Blackpool North and Cleveleys MP since 2010 and had hoped to be re-elected in the modified Blackpool North and Fleetwood.
However, he was one of more than 200 sitting Conservatives to lose out as Labour enjoyed a night of historic success.
Lorraine Beavers, a long-serving councillor, won with a margin of around 4,000 votes. In her victory speech, she thanked her family and paid tribute to Maynard and Cat Smith, the Labour MP who represented Fleetwood under the old boundaries, for their service.
She continued to promise to “work tirelessly” to serve those who did and didn’t vote for her, adding she was proud to be the first MP from Fleetwood.
Beavers said: “For too long, we’ve been forgotten and I will make sure that stops right now.
“This Labour Party will work for working people, we will fight for people who have worked for everything they have, with cheaper bills, safer streets, the NHS back on its feet, secure borders and better opportunities for our children.
“Politicians and politics should serve the people. Otherwise, what is it for?”
In Blackpool South, Chris Webb held onto the constituency he had won just two months earlier in a by-election which was triggered by the departure of scandal-ridden Scott Benton.
Having won in 2019, the Conservatives found themselves relegated to third place as Reform candidate Mark Butcher earned almost twice as many votes as them.
Across the country, Labour won a historic landslide that saw a generational change in The Houses of Parliament. Keir Starmer will now become the Prime Minister.
Labour rebuilt much of its so-called ‘red wall’ that it lost in 2019 when Boris Johnson won his majority - though it was not without losing some seats, such as Blackburn and Islington North, to independent candidates. However, it was also a good night for The Liberal Democrats, The Green Party and Reform UK, who all made gains.
