Bishop Auckland has elected its first ever Conservative MP with a majority of almost 8,000.

Outgoing MP Helen Goodman, who had held the seat since 2005, conceded to Conservative Dehenna Davison before the turnout had even been validated.

Ms Davison, who at the age of 25 is now one of the youngest MPs in Parliament, looked confident from the moment she arrived at the count in Spennymoor.

She is the first ever Conservative to win the seat, which has been held by Labour since 1935.

After the result was announced, she paid tribute to “nana Sue”, and her father, Dominic.

She said: “I stand here today as a Conservative because of the values they instilled in me; hard work, aspiration, grasping every opportunity you get.

"You have given me this opportunity to change our area for the better. And it’s an opportunity I will not waste.

"I will work tirelessly alongside our communities and build a better Bishop Auckland.

"The honour of being an MP is also a chance to shape a better Britain. This election is not about maintaining the status quo. It has been a vote for change to transform and unite our nation."

In her reply, outgoing MP Helen Goodman, who had a slim majority of just over 500 in 2017, congratulated her Conservative opponent but said the party had risked a future collapse in public trust because of raising expectations.

She said: "I'd like to thank the people of Bishop Auckland for giving me the chance to serve them for 14 years. It has been the honour of my life.

The Northern Echo:

Labour's Helen Goodman lost the seat she has held since 2005

"I'd like to congratulate Dehenna. She has made some big promises for a new bypass and on the A&E. In 2023 the public will be holding her to account."

She added: "This is my fifth general election and I have never known such a mendacious and deceitful Tory campaign. It stated with the promise of £350m on the side of the bus and the biggest lie is that the British people can have the international status of the 1950s and the standard of living of the 21st century.

"The Tories have done well but by raising expectations so high that they risk a future collapse in public trust."

Her comments were met with boos from watching Conservatives and cheers from Labour. 

Speaking earlier in the evening about the leadership of the Labour party, she said: “It’s clear now for the last two years Bishop Auckland is a marginal seat and the road to Number 10 goes through Bishop Auckland. The Labour party can’t win if it doesn’t have a leader who commands the trust of the British public.

"Until we have such a leader we are not going to win and as long as we don't we are letting down the people we were set up to support.

"I've been hearing a lot of criticism of Jeremy Corbyn. A lot of people have been saying if it wasn't for Jeremy Corbyn they would have been voting Labour."

The Northern Echo:

A total of 44,936 votes were cast in the constituency of Bishop Auckland, with many in parts of Teesdale and Weardale having to battle snow and poor weather to take part in the election.

Ms Davison won 24,067 votes, almost 8,000 more than Ms Goodman, who got 16,105 votes.

Liberal Democrat Ray Georgeson got 2,133 votes while the Brexit party’s Nicholas Brown got 2,500 votes.

The turn out was just over 65 per cent.