Gen Kitchen, the new MP for Wellingborough, said she was “ecstatic” at the result, and the double by-election win for Labour shows people are “fed up” and want change.
The candidate said she cut short her honeymoon to begin campaigning when she was told former Conservative MP Peter Bone had been suspended from the Commons.
She was announced as the winner just over two hours after Labour also triumphed at Kingswood and she achieved the second largest swing from Tory to Labour at a by-election since the Second World War.
“I hope Damien (Egan, new Labour MP for Kingswood) is as ecstatic as I am, and I’m sure the Labour leadership will be as well,” she said.
“This shows that people are fed up, they want change, they want competency, they want pragmatism and they want politicians to under-promise and over-deliver, which is what I am hoping to do.
“It shows how much hard work we put in and the real positive message we were putting out. There is a real appetite for a fresh start and change.”
When asked whether she could replicate her win at the next general election, she said: “There’s a lot of try before you buy, a lot of people lending their votes.
“I have to make sure they buy again, so I will be out door-knocking, campaigning and delivering on our pledges.
“I will be working incredibly hard to secure their votes whenever the general election comes and I will be working really hard on our case work that we have picked up on at the doors.
“We have had so many people say they haven’t had a politician knock on their doors in the last 20 years. It means we have to make sure we deliver on the promises we have made.”
The Reform party finished third with 13% of the vote, its best performance at a by-election, and candidate Ben Habib hailed it as “remarkable”.
Asked why people voted for him, he said: “People are absolutely fed up with the manner in which this country is being governed.”
On whether Reform is letting Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer into Number 10, he said: “The only reason Labour win, if Labour win, is because the Tory party is utterly useless.
“The Conservative Party is the problem and they need to go.”
The Conservative candidate, Helen Harrison, left quickly after the results were declared without commenting as the party’s vote plummeted from 32,277 at the last general election to just 7,408.
Her selection as candidate was controversial as she is the partner of Mr Bone, who received a six-week suspension from the Commons when an inquiry found he had subjected a staff member to bullying and sexual misconduct.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak last month declined to say whether he would be campaigning for her.
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel