Euro election results - thank you for your support

The full results of the European election in our region are now available here.

In a statement, Linda McAvan said;

Obviously it was a very disappointing night for the Labour Party. Yorkshire & Humber has lost a great representative, Richard Corbett, whom I have been proud to serve alongside throughout my time in the European Parliament. That Richard has been replaced by a former leader of the National Front, Andrew Brons, makes that loss even more difficult.

Reflecting on the election results, it is clear that the BNP actually received 6,000 less votes this year than they did in 2004. That election took place under an all postal ballot with a higher turnout. In 2004 the BNP took 8% of the vote in our region, this year that rose to 9.8%.

We said that every vote would count, and of course they did. If the Labour share of the vote had been just 0.85% higher, the BNP would have been beaten.

The number of people actually voting Labour this time in our region was only about 1% less than the number that supported us in the 1999 European elections – which then returned three Labour MEPs.

But it was not to be.

It was clear from my conversations with voters that events in Westminster had a real impact on the result of this election. Many voters are angry and disillusioned, and we as politicians and members of all mainstream parties cannot afford to treat that anger lightly or to disregard their concerns. To do so would only leave the door open to further extremist politicians in the future.

I should say a big thank you to everyone who took part in the campaign, delivered leaflets, made phone calls, joined our Facebook group, or simply reminded your friends and family to vote. It was not an easy campaign, which made your help and support even more important.

For my part, I will continue to work as hard as I can to represent my region, and to rebuild trust. The fightback against the far right begins here.