General election round up: New Banbury MP ‘This is the highest honour and I’m grateful for all those who put their trust in me’

The Labour Party's Sean Woodcock has been elected as the new MP for Banbury.The Labour Party's Sean Woodcock has been elected as the new MP for Banbury.
The Labour Party's Sean Woodcock has been elected as the new MP for Banbury.
The new MP for Banbury and Chipping Norton, Sean Woodcock has said: “This is the highest honour I could ask for and I’m grateful for all those who put their trust in me”.

The Labour Party won the seat this morning after a closely fought contest with the Conservative Party’s Victoria Prentis, who had held the seat since 2015.

It followed the national trend that has seen the Labour Party gain 211 seats across the UK, taking their majority to 174, with two seats still left to declare at the time of writing.

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The exit polls suggested it was going to be a closely contested seat, and after a long night of counting, Sean Woodcock became the constituency's first ever Labour MP.

The Labour Party's Sean Woodock speaking to the crowd after being elected as Banbury's MP.The Labour Party's Sean Woodock speaking to the crowd after being elected as Banbury's MP.
The Labour Party's Sean Woodock speaking to the crowd after being elected as Banbury's MP.

Sean secured the Banbury and Chipping Norton seat with 18,468 votes, beating the Conservatives by 3,256 votes.

The results were declared around 6am by James Macnamara, the High Sheriff of Oxfordshire, at the Spiceball Leisure Centre in Banbury.

After being elected as MP for Banbury and Chipping Norton, Sean Woodcock said: “Banbury is my home, and to be elected to represent you in Parliament is the highest honour I could ask for.

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"I’m grateful for all those who put their trust in me. I will work so hard for you as your representative in Westminster. To those who didn’t vote for me, I will work just as hard to serve you in the manner that you deserve.

"We ran this election as a changed Labour Party, thank you for putting your trust in us to change the country.”

The turnout across the country was low - and that was the same in the Banbury and Chipping Norton constituency, with a turnout of 66.04 per cent (48,374 votes from a constituency of 73,193). In comparison the turnout for Banbury at the last general election in 2019 was 69.8 per cent.

After losing the seat she held for nine years in Parliament, Victoria Prentis said: “It’s been an enormous honour to represent Banbury for the last nine years. I won’t be going anywhere, and I will remain as committed to the area and Horton General Hospital as I have been all my life.

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"We are incredibly lucky to live in a democracy where we can have our say freely without prejudice or persecution. The extent of the victory for the Labour Party shows that we must take our time to reflect, come together, and find a way forward.”

The results of the 2024 General Election in Banbury and Chipping Norton:

Sean Woodcock, Labour – 18,468

Victoria Prentis, Conservative – 15,212

Paul Topley, Reform – 6,284

Liz Adams, Liberal Democrats – 4,352

Aaron Baker- Green Party – 2,615

Cassi Bellingham, Independent – 850

Chris Nevile, Climate Party – 242

Declan Soper, Social Democratic Party – 155

Bicester and Woodstock

The 2024 General Election saw the introduction of the Bicester and Woodstock constituency, which also includes Kidlington.

Callum Miller of the Liberal Democrats became the MP with 19,419 votes.

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The results of the 2024 General Election in Bicester and Woodstock:

Callum Miller, Liberal Democrats – 19,419

Rupert Harrison, Conservative – 14,461

Veronica Oakeshott, Labour – 8,236

Augustine Obodo, Reform – 5,408

Ian Middleton, Green – 2,404

Tim Funnell, Social Democratic Party – 291.

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