Conservative Gillian Keegan swept into victory in Chichester with a large majority but the night was perhaps most notable for Labour registering their biggest vote count in 51 years.

Mrs Keegan became a candidate less than two months ago, taking over the role from political heavyweight Andrew Tyrie who had held the role for 20 years.

Conservatives received 36, 032 votes, an increase of almost 4000 from 2015. Labour doubled their 2015 result with 13, 411 votes. Labour candidate Mark Farwell said his party's increased popularity was a result of "Remainers biting back" after Theresa May's bungled Brexit negotiations.

Liberal Democrats won 6,749 votes, a slight increase on 2015 when their share plummeted by 18%. The Green Party took 1992 votes and UKIP 1650.

Mrs Keegan said that Brexit was a key issue in Chichester, a narrow Leave city. She said "there was no such thing as a hard or soft Brexit - we have to start again with a fresh look at it."

She cited the A27 and greater support for schools as the two issues at the top of her agenda going forward.

Mr Farwell was revelling in achieving the highest result for Labour in Chichester since 1966. "My heart was pounding," he said. "It's the best result in the modern era for us."

On the national picture, he added: "People keep writing Jeremy Corbyn off but once again he's proved them wrong and made a real statement."