EU Referendum: Hartlepool 'no longer a Labour town' claims Leave campaigners

The Leave campaign claims Hartlepool is "no longer a Labour town” after massive 69.5 per cent vote to leave the EU.

The UKIP group leader for the town, Cllr John Tennant, told ITV News Tyne Tees Vote Leave won the ballot because Hartlepool is “a forgotten town”.

Pointing to the recent local elections, he claimed Labour no longer had a hold on the town.

He added: “It’s no longer a Labour town. They’ve changed their minds, they’ve finished, they’ve had enough of Labour and they’re turning to UKIP in large numbers. The May local elections reflected that and tonight we’ve seen even bigger numbers.”

Remain campaigner Hartlepool Labour Party Secretary, Martin Dunbar, conceded the result was a vote against the establishment, but claimed Labour are still strong in the town and will bounce back.

He added that the demise of SSIsteel works in nearby Redcar would have had an impact on the EU referendum in Hartlepool.