THE only true blue in Tory sensation Becky Brunskill's life yesterday was the huge celebration bouquet sent by her proud mother to mark her election win.

After a long night at a tense election count, the 20-year-old politics student woke up not quite believing what she had achieved.

County Durham's youngest councillor is also the only Conservative in living memory to win a seat in her home town of Willington, a diehard Labour former pit community where she has been on the town council for the past year.

On Thursday, Becky stunned Labour and Lib Dems by taking more than 1,200 votes in a poll where nothing could be predicted and personalities seemed to count as much as parties for many voters.

She stood on the Conservative ticket, but was a long way from toeing her party's line.

For the down-to-earth student who works in the Woolworths store, in Durham City, to pay her way through Northumbria University, P stands for people rather than politics, and especially the people of Willington who voted her in.

She did not even wear a blue rosette for the election count and made no mention of Tory leader David Cameron or of national policies.

Instead, her self-produced, campaign leaflets promised: "No Politics, No Promises, No Spin."

She did not expect to get in and threw away the information sheets outlining the dos and don'ts for new councillors.

She said: "I am truly overwhelmed.

I can't believe it even now, but I will work as hard as I can for the town.

"I am really passionate about people and I want to change things for the better so, so badly.

"Although I am proud to be a Conservative, my campaign wasn't based on national policies because I think people should choose the best person regardless of any party.

"I am very keen to tackle the antisocial behaviour that we see every day.

"Not all young people are bad and we desperately need activities for them to get them off the streets and become part of our community. That is the sort of thing I will be fighting for."

Her career as a crusader started when she was a pupil at Parkside School, in Willington, and organised a petition for an all-weather sports pitch.

In July, she faces a private campaign to pay tribute to her parents, running The Race for Life in memory of her father, Dennis, who died of cancer 14 years ago, and in celebration of her mother Tracey's recovery from the disease.