David Winnick: It was my privilege to be your MP for 38 years

The General Election marked the end of an era for Mr Winnick, who lost the seat he had held since 1979 to Conservative Eddie Hughes by 2,601 votes.

Despite successfully defending his seat at eight previous elections, this vote proved a step too far for 83 year old Mr Winnick.

Speaking after his defeat, the political veteran said it had been 'a privilege and an honour' to represent Walsall North for so many years.

He said: "I wish to express my gratitude to all those who voted for me as the Labour candidate for Walsall North on Thursday in the general election.

"It was of course extremely disappointing that we did not succeed this time.

"The Labour team, led by Ann Young, that fought so tirelessly day by day were wonderful for me as the candidate to work with.

"As I said at the count, it has indeed been a privilege and an honour to represent Walsall North in the House of Commons for so many years.

"I have no doubt at all that my party will regain this seat at the next opportunity.

"Nationally, the Tories have been taught yet again not to take the electorate for granted."

Mr Winnick was the MP for Croydon South from 1966 to 1970 before he unsuccessfully contested the 1976 by-election in Walsall North.

He returned in 1979, winning the seat with a majority of 5,866 and has been a fixture there ever since.

Dramatic scenes at the sports hub of the University of Wolverhampton's Walsall campus on Thursday evening saw Mr Winnick collect 16,318 votes compared to Mr Hughes 18,919 winning total.

Mr Hughes is a councillor for Streetly and was contesting his first election as a parliamentary candidate.

The leader of Walsall's Conservative group, councillor Mike Bird, said the result proved politics is 'a cruel game' but added that it is now time for 'youth to take over'.

He said: "I did say to David on the night, politics is a cruel game, it doesn't take any prisoners, it has winners and losers and unfortunately for him on the night he lost.

"I think all of us in Walsall have to thank him for his representation for such a long period of time, he has done a lot for the area.

"It is obviously sad for him but now we can let youth take over, Eddie Hughes will give his all for Walsall North I am sure."

When Mr Winnick first entered the House Of Commons, Harold Wilson was Prime Minister and England's football team was on the brink of winning the World Cup.

The Brighton born former MP started his political career in 1959 as a councillor for the London boroughs of Willesden and Brent.

Over the years he has developed a strong reputation for his commitment to human rights and his tireless constituency work.

Even in recent weeks, he had pledged to help Bloxwich Academy school, which is in need of a Government cash boost to fund improvements, try and gain access to funding after they were rejected for a second time.

On a wider scale, he voiced strong opposition against Saddam Hussain's tyrannical regime and supported the invasion of Iraq in 2003.

Arguably one of his most significant contributions during his service came two years later when his amendment to a government bill on the detention of terrorists without trial, to 28 days from 90, passed by 323 votes to 290. It was Tony Blair's first Commons defeat on a whipped vote.

Walsall Council's deputy leader and councillor for the Birchills Leamore ward, Lee Jeavons, said: "David has been a part of my life and a part of everyone's life here in Walsall North for such a long time so everyone is sad to see him go.

"It is a sad loss for us as a party but personally, I know that David is someone who very much believes in the democratic process and he will be able to deal with the result knowing that it came from a fair vote.

"I know that he brought two versions of his speech for the night with him, so he may not have felt too confident, but he was professional as always.

"What really matters is that people actually had their say and voted and I would like to thank David for all his work over the years."

When the snap election was announced by Theresa May, Mr Winnick spoke out against the decision, saying: "Many people are cynical about politics in this country, and that trend has unfortunately increased, for which perhaps all of us in the political class are responsible.

"The coming general election, which is happening purely for opportunistic reasons, will increase that cynical feeling, which is damaging to the democratic process."

Walsall's Liberal Democrat leader and Willenhall North councillor Ian Shires said Mr Winnick's defeat was a 'symptom' of a different campaigning style these days.

He said: "It is sad to see David lose his seat, I think it is a symptom of the Presidential style campaigns that are run these days, where the focus is on personality and leadership rather than the work that is put in behind the scenes without too much of a fuss.

"I have always found David to be very helpful, as a local councillor you need someone to take on these challenges for you and take residents concerns to a higher level.

"He has always acted professionally and has done a good job for Walsall North over the years.

"Personally, I think we have voted collectively for the second best option available to us."