Who won the Rutland and Stamford seat in the general election 2024
Conservative candidate Alicia Kearns has won the Rutland and Stamford seat in the general election with 21,248 votes.
She is the first MP for the newly formed constituency, established during last year’s boundary review.
Speaking about the election in which she gained 44% of the ballots cast, she said: “For the past four years I’ve not taken a single part of our community for granted and in the run-up to the election we could not have done more.
“We have been knocking on doors in all weathers - in hail, and getting sun burnt. Fifty per cent of the constituency is a new area for me and it is hard when people don’t know who you are.”
Mrs Kearns faced opposition in the area from five other hopefuls:
Joe Wood (Labour) - 10,854 votes
Christopher Clowes (Reform UK) - 7,008 votes
James Moore (Lib Dem) - 6,252 votes
Emma Baker (Green) - 2,806 votes
Joanna Burrows (Rejoin EU) - 409 votes
The total number of votes cast in the area was 48,747 although 170 of them were spoiled ballot papers.
In the December 2019 election, Mrs Kearns won the Melton and Rutland seat with 63% of the vote.
Fellow Conservative Gareth Davies won in the Grantham and Stamford constituency, which incorporated Bourne, with 66% of the vote. He has won the new Grantham and Bourne seat.
Commenting on the Labour landslide elsewhere, Mrs Kearns added: “Nothing changes for me,” adding that she would continue to to fight for ‘the common ground and one nation’ to bring the country back behind the Conservatives.
Speaking in the lead-up to the result, Labour candidate Joe Wood said at he previous election in 2019 they couldn’t have imagined being back in government but this time it was different.
“Alicia Kearns is a known MP - there’s a lot of support for her already in Rutland and talking to people in Stamford, her reputation is recognised. If I were up against some of the other Conservative MPs the outcome could be different.”
Mr Wood works as a researcher for the Crime Survey of England and Wales, which involves a lot of knocking on doors - a skill he’s needed in the past six weeks.
With the canvassing over, he said he’s looking forward to spending more time with his six-year-old son.
James Moore, the Lib Dem candidate, has also worked throughout the campaign, alongside a team he praised for their dedication and hard work.
The Leicester University lecturer in history, politics and international relations said he was pleased to see some early seats won by his party.
Speaking before the local winner was announced, he said: “We’re looking at the largest Liberal parliamentary party for some time - possibly the 100 years since Lloyd George.
“It’s very gratifying. A good result for us makes it a lot easier for Liberal Democrats to make their points in parliament and push the things we care about - the NHS, social care and national defence.”
Green candidate Emma Baker, a teacher of performing arts, will return to Stamford Welland Academy today, while Reform UK’s Christopher Clowes is about to embark on a new role focused on carbon offsetting.
For full results from across the area visit our election section
