Tameside’s First Lady

NEW Ashton MP Angela Rayner

ANGELA Rayner swept to victory with a 10,756 majority in the safe Labour seat of Ashton to become Tameside’s first female MP.

The Tories snatched second from UKIP which increased its vote from 1,686 in 2010 to 8,468.

The constituency, which includes the electoral wards of Failsworth East and West, has been held by Labour since 1935.

The Liberal Democrats, with only 943 votes, were last behind the Greens.

Mrs Rayner (35) succeeds former Oldham councillor David Heyes who stepped down after three terms.

She said she was proud to be Tameside’s first female MP and paid tribute to her late “nana” who helped bring her up.

“It’s important in what’s considered safe Labour seats that we are visible and we do the work. We were not complacent, we went out and listened to voters and we had a really good response on the doorstep.”

The mother-of-three has another race on Sunday when she takes part in the Greater Manchester 10k run to raise money to support the neo-natal ward at St Mary’s Hospital, Manchester, where her premature son was cared for.

UKIP’s Maurice Jackson described the response from voters during his campaign as excellent: “There were very few negatives. We are now the party of the working man, the family party.”

Conservative Tracy Sutton polled 8,610 and said: “I am feeling incredibly positive. It looks like we are going to have a Conservative PM.”

Liberal Democrat Carly Hicks said: “I am disappointed, but in the context of the national picture it would be naive to expect more.”

Green candidate Charlotte Hughes, a local activist and campaigner who plans to open a homeless centre, polled 1,531 votes. She said: “I am a voice for the people and I will stand again.”