IT would have taken an electorate change of heart of swingometer-busting proportions for William Hague to have been ousted yesterday from his North Yorkshire seat.

Despite the party he led being trounced in the 2001 election, Mr Hague managed to increase his own majority to 16,319, making Richmond one of the safest Tory seats in the country.

With the ban on fox hunting only increasing opinion that Labour cares little about the countryside, the odds of Tony Blair's pack taking the predominately rural constituency this time around were not good.

The Labour candidate selected for one of the most hopeless tasks in British politics was 27-year-old businessman Neil Foster.

He says he has thoroughly enjoyed his first time standing for election and knew from the start he was never likely to win.

"There's nothing better than having a one-on-one chat over a cup of tea," said the Northallerton-born former Parliamentary aide to South Shields MP David Miliband.

"And the constituency is so beautiful, it's more like sightseeing than work."

He continued: "I would be deluding myself if I thought I could win.

"What I tell people is it's not healthy for William Hague to have such a big majority and there needs to be a credible alternative to keep him on his toes."

Mr Foster said he had received a surprisingly friendly reception on the doorstep.

"The response I got has been very good considering it's one of the safest Conservative seats in the country," said the politician, who never told his family or friends he was applying to be a candidate until after his selection.

"It must be difficult if you're in an area where people are more hostile to you.

"Here people are too polite to be rude - the most disheartening thing is when they say they're not voting at all."

If, as expected, the returning officer did not declare Mr Foster the winner at about 4am this morning, the project director who runs his own marketing firm said he would take a step back from political life.

"After the election, the most important thing for me is to get married, start a family and build my business up.

"Maybe in ten years' time, I will look to stand somewhere more winnable than Richmond."