Washington and Gateshead South MP Sharon Hodgson says country is 'crying out for change'

Sharon Hodgson, a Labour MP for around two decades, was first elected to the Gateshead East and Washington West constituency in 2005 and then Washington and Sunderland West in 2010, a seat she has held since.

The results of the General Election on July 4, 2024, saw the veteran MP elected to another new constituency following a recent review of the political map.

Sunderland City Council’s website states the constituency includes seven city council wards, including five in Washington, and two polling districts from Gateshead Council, namely the Birtley and Lamesley wards.

The result in Washington and Gateshead South marks the sixth election win for Sharon Hodgson, and an increased majority compared to the 2019 General Election.

This includes a jump from a majority of 3,723 in the former Washington and Sunderland West constituency to a majority of 6,913.

Speaking after the results were announced at Silksworth Community Pool, Tennis & Wellness Centre, the re-elected MP thanked voters for their support.

Speaking after the result, the MP said: “I want to say thank you to the people of Washington and Gateshead South for once again putting your trust in me and sending me to Parliament to be your representative.

“I make that commitment that I won’t let you down and I’m going to fight every day to improve this country.

“We made those commitments in the manifesto and we’re going to stand by that.

“We can’t do it overnight and it may take a little time but we’re going to get cracking as soon as we can and gain your trust again that politics can work.

“We’re putting politics back in the service of people”.

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

Following the July 4 polls in Washington and Gateshead South, Sharon Hodgson was re-elected with 17,682 votes.

Reform UK’s candidate Paul Donaghy came in second place with 10,769 votes, pushing Conservative candidate Shaun Parsons into third place with 4,654 votes.

The Green Party’s Michal Chantkowski placed fourth with 1,687 votes followed by Liberal Democrat Ciaran Morrissey with 1,602 votes.

Independent candidate Sharon Mclafferty also came in sixth place with 627 votes.

Sharon Hodgson said several issues had worsened since Labour were last in power nationally, from hospital waiting lists and the condition of schools, to childcare and road maintenance.

She added: “We have so much to do from day one.

“But we haven’t got a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow so we’re going to have to grow the economy and then use that money as wisely as we can, so it’s going to be hard graft”.

Looking forward, Sharon Hodgson said she would continue campaigning for the re-opening of the Leamside Line and a Metro extension to Washington, and the associated economic benefits to both Washington, and the region.

She added she was “thrilled” to be re-elected and was hoping, subject to finalised national results, to form a Labour government with Keir Starmer as Prime Minister.

The MP continued: “Then the real work begins.

“If we think the last six weeks have been hard, it’s nothing compared to how hard we’re going to work to transform this country.

“The country is on its knees and was crying out for change and we’re going to deliver that change with a Labour government that is back in the service of people, rather than for the careers of politicians.

“I’m not in the business of politics to make a name for myself, it’s about wanting to change people’s lives for the better.

“What I have seen walking around talking to people during this election on the doorsteps, it just breaks your heart at times.

“To see people in pain because they can’t get a dentist appointment, people dying sooner than they should because their cancer diagnosis came too late because they couldn’t get a doctor’s appointment.

“People going to bed hungry so they can feed their kids because there’s not enough food for them to feed themselves, we have been and visited food banks and heard the stories from people there.

“That all needs to change and we’re going to get to work and it’s not going to be easy and won’t happen overnight, but hopefully give it a year and certainly by the time of the next election people will have seen that change.

“People will know that Labour is the party for them and Labour is on their side”.

General Election Results – Washington and Gateshead South

Michal Chantkowski (Green Party) 1,687

Paul Donaghy (Reform UK) 10,769

Sharon Hodgson (Labour Party) 17,682

Sharon Mclafferty (Independent) 627

Ciaran Morrissey (Liberal Democrat) 1,602

Shaun Parsons (Conservative Party) 4,654