General Election 2024: Labour secure historic win in Hexham after a century of Conservative MPs

A seat which has been held by the Conservatives for a century has turned red in a historic victory for Labour.

It is the first time Labour have ever held the rural seat of Hexham in Northumberland.

Joe Morris beat Guy Opperman, who had been the Hexham MP since 2010, with a majority of 3,713.

One of the largest and most sparsely populated constituencies in the North East, its boundaries have changed since the last election to include the Longhorsely area near Morpeth.

It has been held by the Conservatives since 1924 and was the the only part of the North East to stay blue in the 1997 Labour landslide.

The most northerly seat to remain Conservative in that election, they had held on by just 222 votes.

But this time around, Mr Opperman's 2019 majority of more than 10,000 votes was not enough to secure him a win.

The transport secretary told ITV Tyne Tees: "These are very, very difficult times to be in government."

He added: "I don't think the prime minister is to blame for anything."

Mr Morris described it as a "historic moment", adding: "This result in particular proves that Keir was right to do what he did, to get the Labour party back into the service of ordinary working people."

Hexham results in full:

CLOUSTON William Stuart James, Social Democratic Party - 1,211

COTT Nick, Liberal Democrats - 2,376

MORPHET Nick, The Green Party - 2,467

MORRIS Joe, Labour Party - 23,988

OPPERMAN Guy, The Conservative Party - 20,275

WHALEY Chris, Independent - 1,511

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