Ed Ball loses Morley and Outwood seats to the Tories

Amidst a dismal election night for the Labour party, their stronghold over the Yorkshire region has significantly weakened after shadow chancellor Ed Balls lost his Morley and Outwood seat by 422 votes.

Ball, who was the the highest profile Labour casualty of the election, was unable to retain his 1,101 majority, and was beaten by the Tory candidate Andrea Jenkyns.

As reported in the Guardian, after both parties “mutually agreed” to a recount, Jenkyns was declared the winner with 18,776 votes to Balls’s 18,354.

In a brief speech at Leeds’ First Direct Arena, Balls said: “The personal disappointment I feel is nothing compared to the sense of sorrow I feel at the result that Labour has achieved in the UK.”

Jenkyns, a former music teacher and amateur opera singer, has been attempting to defeat Balls full time since her selection in April 2013. After leaving her job in a secondary school and selling her home in Boston, Lincolnshire, Jenkyns moved back in with her mother to dedicate all her time campaigning for the Conservative party.

Commenting on her surprising victory, Jenkyns said: “I’ve worked my heart out in the last ten years. I couldn’t have given any more. I gave up my job, sold my house, moved back in with mum after 20 years to do this full time.”

The Conservative party are expected to win the 2015 general election after Labour have had one of the worst results in over 25 years.

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