General Election 2019: re-elected Kenilworth and Southam MP Jeremy Wright calls housing, HS2 and healthcare some of key issues facing constituency

Mr Wright retained his seat for a fifth term with 30,351 votes.

The candidate with the second place votes went to the Liberal Democrat candidate Richard Dickson who had 9,998 votes.

Third place for Kenilworth and Southam went to the Labour candidate Anthony Tucker who had 9,440 votes.

The Green Party candidate Alison Firth had 2,351 votes.

The Official Monster Raving Loony Party candidate Nicholas 'Blunderbuss' Green had 457 votes.

After the results were announced Mr Wright spoke to the Kenilworth Weekly News and said: "It's an immense privilege to be elected once, to be elected this many times is an even greater privilege. The people have put their faith in me, which is deeply appreciated and I need to recall as all members of parliament do need to recall we that we are elected to represent the whole constituency those that voted for us and those who didn't and I'll do that to the best of my ability.

"It's also apparent to you when you've been an MP for a while that a lot of this job is reactive it's not proactive. You don't set out what you intend to do for the next four years and stick rigidly to that, you find that people will raise with you their concerns and their problems and you do your best to help resolve them.

"Certain things we know, we know that housing will continue to be a huge issue in this constituency. We know that HS2 will continue to be a huge issue during the construction phase, and we know that people will want to see the next government spend more on health, on education, on policing and on other things. But we need to make sure that we have an economy that's strong enough to sustain that kind of spending.

"So these are things that I think people in Kenilworth and Southam will want and I think people across the country will want and it's what the next government needs to deliver."

The cold wet rainy weather didn't keep people away from the polls as there was a 77 per cent turnout for the Kenilworth and Southam constituency during the 2019 General Election.

Mr Wright added during his results speech at Stoneleigh Park in Kenilworth: "I also want to thank all those candidates who I've shared the campaign trail with.

"I think we can be justly proud in Kenilworth and Southam not just in this election but in other elections I have fought that we maintain a standard of debate and discussion that is to the most part honest, respectful and enables the people of this constituency to hear the arguments clearly.

"I would like to think that is something we will see more of in politics in the future. Politics I believe has become too fractious, too hostile, too argumentative, and it is time we move past that. I hope that the picture not just in this constituency, but nationally too shows that the electorate want us to move that and work better together in the future."

Mr Dickson said: "I would like to thank everybody who voted in this election no matter who you voted for. It is a vital part of our democratic process. I would like to thank my fellow candidates for the healthy and lively debate that we have and I congratulate Jeremy on his success.

"This has been a very strange election in some ways we spoken a lot about Brexit, climate change and the state of our public services. But at its heart its been about trying to build peace in our country, peace that has been shattered in my view in the last four years. Peace between nations. Peace between generations, peace also with our international partners and indeed peace with our own families.

"If we have learned anything from history it's that peace can never be imposed. Peace will certainly not be done by 31st of January of next year. It will take a lot longer than that.

"This election has meant a huge amount, it has however also meant absolutely nothing to one family in this constituency who's situation I highlighted two and half years ago and I'm afraid I will highlight again tonight. This election has meant nothing to the family of Nazanin Zaghari Ratcliffe.

Nazanin Zaghari Ratcliffe has relatives in this constituency. Nazanin Zaghari Ratcliffe continues to live in a prison in Iran. She has been left incarcerated there. She longs to come back as a British citizen to this country to see her husband, who she has not seen for three and a half years.

"If there is one thing that all of us could perhaps celebrate this evening it is the return of Nazanin Zaghari Ratcliffe back to this country. The challenge I have for the new government is to ensure that by her 41st birthday on Boxing Day that Nazanin Zaghari Ratcliffe is back home in this country so that she can continue her life in peace and then perhaps the rest of us can as well."

Anthony Tucker, the Labour candidate, said: "I would like to thank every single person who voted for me and that voted for the Labour alternative. Now whilst tonight's result may depress us, may sadden us in many ways we have to remember we have a positive position and a positive platform in which to build. Hopefully when we stand here in five years time I can announce a more positive result."

Alison Firth, the Green Party candidate, said: "I'm just pleased for the people who voted for me, and what I'm really pleased about is to see the Green message filter into the other parties manifesto. So we're getting there gradually."

Nicholas Green, for the Official Monster Raving Loony Party, said: "Congratulations to Jeremy on his victory here tonight. Just like four years ago he has given me a damn good thrashing.

"And I'd like to dedicate this election to my mother who passed away on the first of November. Rest in peace mother. Rest in peace. I'll see you all in five years time."