Smethwick election result: Labour's Gurinder Singh Josan takes newly-reformed seat

The Smethwick constituency was abolished in 1974 but returned for this election with a 48.49 per cent turnout for the new constituency, which was created from the Warley ward and the addition of most of Blackheath.

The outgoing Warley MP and soon to be peer John Spellar was in attendance to offer his support to Labour candidate Gurinder Singh Josan and look ahead to his new life as a peer in the House of Lords.

It was a big night for Gurinder Josan after his comprehensive victory, a victory he said was a triumph for democracy. He offered his own thanks to John Spellar for his years of service.

Mr Josan said he was relieved that the country had voted for change and wanted to hit the ground running.

He said: "I'm pleased to see that the country has voted for change, which is what this election has been about because we have had 14 years of Tory misrule.

"There is so much in this country that doesn't work and on the door step, this is the complaint we were hearing from people and I think that people have voted for change.

"I would like to thank John Spellar for his years of service as he has been a dedicated public servant and a respected figure within the Labour party."

Mr Josan was flanked by dozens of supporters, including many of his friends and family, and they let out a loud and raucous cheer when he was announced as the winner.

He said the campaign had been hard work, but had been rewarding.

He said: "The campaign has been gruelling, it's been exciting and it's been fun, while the weather has been great and having an election in the summer is far better than having one in the autumn and the winter.

"Getting out there and talking to voters has been really exhilarating and the best part of this role so far has been getting out there and speaking to people and hearing from them what concerns them and what their aspirations are."

Mr Josan's victory in Smethwick was also notable for being in a constituency which was notorious for a 1964 election which was won by the Conservative candidate Peter Griffiths, running on a campaign of severe racial overtones.

Mr Josan said Smethwick was a modern, diverse area and said he was looking forward to getting on with the role immediately.

He said: "I want to be a good constituency MP and Smethwick is where I was born and raised, where I raised my family and it's my community and where I live.

"It's who I am and it's part of my heart, so I just want to be a good constituency MP for the people of Smethwick and I'm going to hit the ground running and work for the people of Smethwick."

Nine candidates stood in total.

The full results are:

Jay Anandou - Independent: 1,322

Ravaldeep Bath - Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition: 163

Pete Durnell - Reform UK: 5,670

Kate Fairhurst - Conservative: 4,546

Christopher Graham - Independent: 348

Gurinder Josan - Labour: 16,858

Roderick MacRorie - Green Party: 2,741

Oliver Patrick - Liberal Democrats: 1,018

Nahim Rubani - Workers Party of Britain: 2,449