Houghton and Sunderland South MP Bridget Phillipson says voters 'have chosen a brighter future' after winning first seat of the night

Bridget Phillipson, who was first elected as an MP in 2010, was re-elected to serve the area last night (July 4) with 18,837 votes, a majority of 7,169.

The result marks the fifth election win for the Labour MP, who has also served as Labour’s shadow secretary of state for education since November 2021.

Thursday’s polling figures showed an increased majority for Labour since the 2019 General Election which saw Phillipson narrowly win with a 3,115 majority over the Conservative Party.

Speaking after the results were announced at Silksworth Community Pool, Tennis & Wellness Centre, the returning MP thanked residents for their support.

In a victory speech at the counting hall, she referenced national polling and said that “after 14 years the British people have chosen change”.

She continued: “They have chosen Labour and they have chosen the leadership of Keir Starmer.

“Today our country, with its proud history, has chosen a brighter future”.

The MP said the Labour Party offered “hope and unity, not decline and division” and “stability over chaos”.

She also said that a Labour government would be “powered by hope”, would “change our society for good” and would be “determined to build Britain where background is no barrier”.

Speaking after the result was announced, Bridget Phillipson thanked Houghton and Sunderland South residents for “putting their trust in me once more”.

A Labour government, she explained, would “usher in a new era of hope for our country and Sunderland would be right at the heart of that”.

The MP added: “Tonight people across our country have voted for change and here in Sunderland they have put their trust in Labour to deliver.

“Working with a Labour council and a Labour Mayor we’re determined to deliver on the priorities of the British people, more police on our streets, more teachers, tackling those huge NHS waiting lists and we will get to work on day one on making that happen.

“I know how hard the last 14 years have been for so many families in my community, they’re worse off and they’re really struggling.

“We’re determined to make sure that working families are better off if we get our economy growing once more and that we tackle the big issues in our NHS that so many local residents have raised with me during this election campaign.

“My message to the people of Houghton and Sunderland South is that however you voted, or whether you didn’t vote at all, I will serve you everyday working on the commitments that we have set out.

“I will be a visible, accessible local MP and will make sure the people of Houghton and Sunderland South have their voice heard at the heart of government”.

The MP also said it would be “the honour of my life” to serve as education secretary in a Labour government and she set out three main priorities.

This included “getting more teachers in our classrooms, delivering universal free breakfast clubs for our primary school children and providing better support for our young people and their mental health”.

The 2024 General Election saw the Houghton and Sunderland South constituency amended with new political boundaries following a national review.

Sunderland City Council’s website states this included “the addition of the polling districts from one ward in the previous Washington and Sunderland West constituency”.

The general election result follows several weeks of intense campaigning in the North East, including visits from national party figures including Reform UK’s Nigel Farage.

In the July 4 polls in Houghton and Sunderland South, Reform UK candidate Sam Woods-Brass came in second place with 11,668 votes.

He was followed by Conservative candidate Chris Burnicle, a Conservative city councillor on Wearside, with 5,514 votes.

Liberal Democrat Paul Edgeworth, a city councillor and leader of Wearside Liberal Democrats, racked up 2,290 votes coming in fourth place, followed by the Green Party’s Richard Bradley with 1,723 votes.

Runner-up Sam Woods-Brass said the result was not the end for Reform UK and that the “sky was the limit”, with the party being “on the way up”.

The Reform UK candidate, who is also a town councillor on Hetton Town Council, said: “I’m feeling ecstatic with the result itself.

“This is the first General Election for Reform UK and what we set out to be was the opposition.

“Policies may be controversial to the public but to give an actual opposition to the national standard of what has been put out there from Labour, we are the only opposition.

“We have proved this tonight to show that people who voted for what they have wanted, whether it’s gone Labour or Reform, they’ve voted from the heart.

“It’s all I can ask for and I feel great to be part of that for this year”.

Conservative candidate Chris Burnicle added he was “disappointed to lose” but that he “remains committed to serving the St Chad’s ward as councillor”.

He added: “Thank you to all who came out to vote.

“Your support and engagement are vital to our democratic process”.

The constituency turnout this year was also 51.2%, a decrease from 58% in the 2019 General Election.

General Election Results – Houghton and Sunderland South

Richard Bradley (Green Party) 1,723

Chris Burnicle (Conservative Party) 5,514

Paul Edgeworth (Liberal Democrats) 2,290

Bridget Phillipson (Labour Party) 18,837

Sam Woods-Brass (Reform UK) 11,668