Votes for the six Sheffield constituencies were counted at the English Institute of Sport into the early hours of Friday 13 December.
Despite major losses nationally, Labour managed to hold on in five of the six constituencies, with the Conservatives gaining a seat in Penistone & Stocksbridge.
After a lengthy recount, Sheffield Hallam was declared for Labour at 5:10am. Olivia Blake, the newly elected MP, enters parliament with a slim majority of 712.
She has promised to work hard in restoring the trust of constituents after the previous incumbent, Jared O’ Mara was expelled from the party over a series of unsavoury allegations. In her victory speech she praised the work of her campaign team and the positive, hopeful message she believes won her the seat.
Following the Penistone and Stocksbridge count, the newly elected Miriam Joy Cates told journalists that her first priority as incoming MP is to “get Brexit done” before moving her focus to improving transport links and bringing high quality jobs to the community for young people. She gained 23,688 votes, overturning a Labour majority of 1,322.
Paul Blomfield was re-elected as the Labour MP for Sheffield Central with a healthy majority of 33,968, gaining five more votes than in 2017.
Speaking to Forge after his victory speech, Blomfield thanked the students of the city for giving him their mandate but accepted that in parts of the region, the party’s narrative simply failed to cut through.
In Heeley, Louise Haigh (Labour) was re-elected on a reduced majority of 21,475. She gave a powerful valedictory speech on a painful night for her party, stating:
“For those of you who didn’t vote for us, I want to say sorry that you didn’t feel that you could trust us. Politicians haven’t delivered for you too long.
“Another path for this country is possible. It is our job to restore hope and to reconnect with the people who have lost their faith in us.
“We must reflect and listen. For now once again, know that we will fight for each and everyone of you. For our city and our country, in the weeks and months to come.”
Elsewhere, Clive Betts was re-elected as Labour MP for the South East constituency and Gill Furniss also held onto her seat in Brightside and Hillsborough.
Slightly further afield, Mayor of Sheffield City Region, Dan Jarvis retained his Barnsley seat but had his majority slashed by over 12,000 votes due to a squeeze from the Brexit Party.
Mary Creagh was less lucky in Wakefield, losing out to the Conservative candidate. Similarly, Caroline Flint’s open criticism of her party’s Brexit stance proved insufficient in helping her retain Don Valley where her vote share plummeted by 17.8%.
To see our detailed coverage of the election night, check out our live blog here: http://localhost/old_forge/2019/12/12/general-election-2019-live-from-the-sheffield-count/
