Wyre Forest: Garnier holds on – just
Mark Andrews
Mark Garnier retained his Wyre Forest constituency – but suffered a fright as his majority was slashed to just 812.
/pf/resources/icons/favicon-es.ico?d=211
Mr Garnier, who has held the seat for the Conservatives since 2010, polled 14,489 votes, ahead of the Labour candidate, Sandwell councillor Vicki Smith on 13,677.

Mr Garnier had been defending a majority of 21,413. But Reform UK's Bill Hopkins took 9,682 votes, eating into his majority.

Mr Garnier said: "This is a fantastic victory for us, although I do completely understand that people are angry with my party.

"But that doesn't stop my resolve to work incredibly hard for Wyre Forest."

He also thanked his wife Caroline, who was recovering from surgery.

"I do want to thank more than anybody else my wife Caroline, who during the course of this campaign found herself diagnosed with a condition which needed medical treatment and is recovering now from an operation she had on Tuesday.

"She’s been an absolute rock."

Councillor Smith praised her opponents for a 'clean and respectful' campaign.

Mr Garnier also paid tribute to his predecessor Dr Richard Taylor, who died last week aged 89.

He said: "Richard was an individual who I think epitomised all that is good about politics. His was an example of decency and an example of action."

Mr Garnier, the cousin of former solicitor-general Sir Edward Garnier, first contested Wyre Forest in 2005.

He lost to independent hospital campaigner Dr Taylor, although he succeeded in reducing his majority from 17,630 to 5,250. Mr Garnier stood against Dr Taylor again in 2010, securing a majority of 2,643.

Before the election, Councillor Smith, 55, told how she was born on the floor of a Walsall police house and had only met her biological father, a Conservative Councillor, on one occasion.

She was adopted as a child, and credited her adoptive parents for giving her the best start in life.

She met her American husband on a Levellers internet chat forum and convinced him to relocate to Cradley Heath.

Shazu Miah took fourth place for the Liberal Democrats, polling 2,809 votes, followed by Green candidate John Davis on 2,443.

The final two places were taken by two independent candidates, Leigh Waterhouse on 1,573 votes, and Nigel Geary on 523.

Turnout in the poll was 58.75 per cent, a sharp drop compared to 64.8 per cent at the last election.