A newly elected Bolton MP has pledged to “deliver changes” after winning what was expected to be one of the closest contests in the country.

Labour’s Kirith Entwistle was elected MP for Bolton North East with more than 16,000 votes.

The seat had previously been won with one of the narrowest majorities in the country at the last election, but this week was won by Ms Entwistle by thousands ahead of her nearest rival.

Ms Entwistle said: "People have voted for change.

"We are realistic, Keir Starmer has been realistic, about delivering those changes and I wanted to thank people for putting their trust in me." 

The count took place overnight at Bolton ArenaThe count took place overnight at Bolton Arena (Image: Phil Taylor)

She said that her victory had come about thanks to a "really impressive campaign" by her election team and she thanked her family, friends and supporters for their work.

Ms Entwistle was joined by her party colleagues Yasmin Qureshi and Phil Brickell in claiming all three Bolton seats for Labour.

In the previous election in 2019 Conservative Mark Logan had defeated Labour’s David Crausby less than 400 votes, making it one of the most marginal in Britain.

By the general election of 2024 it had become one of Labour’s top target seats anywhere in the country.

Mr Logan had not stood again for the seat in this election, having decided instead to switch allegiances and back Labour.

In a dramatic count held at Bolton Arena on Thursday night and into the early hours of Friday morning Ms Entwistle finished with a total of 16,166 votes.

This put her several thousand ahead of her nearest rival Adele Warren, who had polled 9,513.

Speaking from the stage at Bolton Arena, Ms Entwistle said: “And after 14 years of Conservative failure, you’ve demanded change.

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“Under Keir Starmer the Labour Party has changed and is back in the service of working people.”

Reform UK's Trevor Jones won 9,428 votes while the Green Party's Hanif Alli, who had been elected as the party’s first councillor in Bolton only weeks earlier polled 4,683.

Liberal Democrat Rebecca Forrest won 1,507 votes, while Syeda Misbah Kazmi of the Workers Party polled 1,463.

There had also been two independent candidates, Kevin Allsop who won 345 votes and John Partington who won 254.