General Election 2024: 'Red Wall' rebuilt in North East as Labour secures near clean sweep

The symbolic 'Red Wall' that crumbled and turned blue five years ago has been rebuilt by Labour as it secured a near-clean sweep across the North East.

The seats, which form a band across County Durham and Teesside, were regarded as a traditional Labour heartland before the 2019 General Election saw them fall significantly into Conservative hands.

But in the early hours of Friday 5 July - and after voters from the region had their say at the polls - control was returned to Labour in all but one of the seats - Stockton West.

Elsewhere, Bishop Auckland, Newton Aycliffe and Spennymoor, Darlington, Hartlepool, Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland and Redcar were regained by Labour.

Arguably the most significant return to Labour among the 'Red Wall' seats came at about 2.20am when Jonathan Brash was declared Hartlepool's MP.

It marked a drastic turn of events for both Conservatives and Labour since a by-election three years ago.

The election of Conservative Jill Mortimer there in 2021 was hailed a victory for the party as she won by more than 7,000 votes with 51.9% of the vote - while Labour secured just 28.7%.

She became the first woman and Tory to hold the position since the creation of the seat in 1974.

The contest garnered national attention, helped along by a 30ft inflatable Boris Johnson which appeared in the town, while so much so was the shock of the result that Sir Keir Starmer reportedly considered resigning.

Despite this, Labour scooped an impressive 46.2% overnight - and Jill Mortimer won just 21.9% of the vote.

Mr Brash told ITV Tyne Tees: "Here in Hartlepool we've worked very hard to change our Labour party locally. We've had successes in our local elections. And given the by-election was 2021 when we lost very badly here in Hartlepool I think we've had an amazing turnaround and I'm very proud about that."

Nearby in Darlington, the Tories had already swallowed a big defeat.

The poster town for 'Levelling Up' since the last election - with the town now home to part of the Treasury - was the first of the so-called 'Red Wall' seats to return to Labour.

Lola McEvoy was elected the town's new MP after beating Peter Gibson by 2,298 votes.

In Redcar, it was a story of redemption for Labour's Anna Turley. After losing her seat in 2019, she reclaimed it from former Levelling Up Minister Jacob Young.

Ms Turley said she was "delighted" by the result, as she reflected on the political tussle between her and the opposition.

"That is the third time we have faced each other now," she continued. "We know each other well. It's a bit like sport. You play on the pitch but we have a lot of respect for each other.

"We disagree on a lot of things but I think it is important to disagree agreeably in politics these days and we will continue, I'm sure, to engage with each other on many issues."

In Bishop Auckland - a seat previously held by Conservative Dehenna Davison - was won by Labour's Sam Rushworth.

Then in Newton Aycliffe and Spennymoor - the seat which replaces Tony Blair's old seat of Sedgefield - Labour's Alan Strickland beat Paul Howell.

The defeat was another stark contrast for the Tory party - which sent in Boris Johnson to join Mr Howell's victory parade in 2019.

In his speech, Mr Howell remarked on how things have changed.

"I came in in 2019 on a high blue tide," he said. "I'm going out on a low blue tide."

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