Lightwood: 'Boris Johnson, your contempt for this country is no longer tolerated'
Simon Lightwood is the newly elected MP in Wakefield
New Wakefield MP Simon Lightwood has said Labour is "rebuilding the red wall" as the party reclaimed the West Yorkshire seat from the Conservatives.
Mr Lightwood was elected with a majority of 4,925 on a swing of 12.7% from the Tories to Labour.
Wakefield had been a Labour seat continuously from 1932 until 2019, when it was won for the Conservatives by Imran Ahmad Khan as part of the Tories' takeover of so-called red wall constituencies across the north of England.
In his victory speech, Mr Lightwood said: "The next Labour government has been born in this room tonight".
Speaking from the podium, he said: "Tonight, the people of Wakefield have spoken on behalf of the British people. They have said unreservedly: 'Boris Johnson, your contempt for this country is no longer tolerated'.
Here is Simon Lightwood's acceptance speech in full:
"I'd like to thank the hundreds of Labour campaigners from Wakefield and beyond. It's thanks to your tireless efforts that we have turned the page on Tory neglect and delivered a fresh start for Wakefield.
"Thank you to the returning officer, election staff and police for the smooth running of this election and count. I know it's a lot of work that often goes unmentioned - so thank you for your endless professionalism and commitment to the democratic process.
"I'd also like to take this opportunity to thank my agent and my campaign team. I can't express how much in words how much I appreciate the countless hours and sacrifices you have made to ensure we turn Wakefield red again.
"But above all, I'd like to thank the people of Wakefield who have put their trust in me to be their MP. I have made promises to you that I will keep as your member of parliament and I can not wait to get started. I will be your voice in Westminster and will challenge this government to get a better deal for Wakefield.
"Tonight, the people of Wakefield have spoken on behalf of the British people - they have said, unreservedly, 'Boris Johnson, your contempt for this country is no longer tolerated. Your government has no ideas, no plan to address the big issues facing our country.
"It's not acceptable that a quarter of our children in Wakefield live in poverty. It's not acceptable that hundreds of people leave A&E every month without being treated because of record NHS waiting times. And it's not acceptable that convictions for crimes such as robbery have fallen by almost half in the last five years.
"People in Wakefield and across the country are sick of the deceit and the dishonestly of this government.
"These are testing times for our country. Our economy is in a dangerous state right now. People are being hit by a Tory cost of living crisis which has seen energy bills soar, petrol and food prices rocket and the weekly budget stretched to breaking point.
"In this election, we offered a vision for Wakefield that was positive - full of ideas, hopes and aspiration - all guided by the principle that politics should be about creating a better country for us all. Only Keir Starmer's Labour party has the vision and the ideas to make life better for everyone in this country.
"We will restore trust and integrity in British politics and build an economy that tackles the root causes of poverty while lifting the aspirations for all.
"My message to the people of Wakefield is this - I will restore trust in politics by working night and day to address the issues that you care about. I have a plan to make Wakefield a better place for everybody to live, work, grow old in and where young people have the opportunities to thrive.
"The message from the people of Wakefield is clear - 'Prime Minster, you are unfit to lead this country'.
"The next Labour government has been born in Wakefield tonight."