PM says people ‘want change’ as he congratulates Hartlepool’s Tory MP Jill Mortimer

The Conservatives took the seat – which had been Labour-held since it was formed in 1974 – with a majority of 6,940.

Boris Johnson said people want a government focused on “delivering change” as he raced to Hartlepool to congratulate the seat’s first Tory MP in its 47-year history.

Stood next to the winning candidate Jill Mortimer, the Prime Minister said people could see that the Government had got “Brexit done”.

He told journalists: “I think what this election shows is that people want a party and government that is focused on them, focused on delivering change.”

Asked if this demonstrated a deep shift was taking place, he replied: “I think what happened in 2019 is people mandated us to get Brexit done and to begin the process of uniting and levelling up.

“I think that what’s happened now is they can see that we did get Brexit done and to a certain extent they can see that we delivered on that.

“What people want us to do now is to get on with delivering with everything else.”

Earlier today, Mr Johnson described the initial election results as “very encouraging” after hopes of a Labour revival were dealt a crushing blow when the Conservatives won the Hartlepool by-election.

Speaking to reporters in Coventry, the Prime Minister said: “I know that the results have been coming in since this morning and there’s clearly a lot more to go, and it’s early days, but it’s a very encouraging set of results so far.

“I think that’s really because we have been focusing, as a Government, on our priorities, the people’s priorities, and bouncing back from the pandemic as much as we can and getting through it.”

Ms Mortimer took the Hartlepool seat – which had been Labour-held since it was formed in 1974 – with a majority of 6,940.

Shadow communities secretary, Steve Reed, earlier called Labour’s defeat in Hartlepool “absolutely shattering” after Ms Mortimer gained 15,529 votes – more than half the total cast – with Labour’s Dr Paul Williams, trailing on 8,589.

The result has provoked a furious reaction from the Labour left who have said the party must now change direction.

However, Mr Reed insisted they would double down on the more centrist approach taken over the past 12 months.

“What this shows is that, although we have started to change since the cataclysm of the last general election, that change has clearly not gone far enough in order to win back the trust of the voters,” he told BBC Breakfast.

In her victory speech, Ms Mortimer said the result – overturning a Labour majority of more than 3,500 at the 2019 general election – was “truly historic”.

“Labour have taken people in Hartlepool for granted for too long. I heard this time and time again on the doorstep,” she said.

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