Labour and Lib Dem MP candidates for the new Bridgwater constituency which includes Burnham-on-Sea, Highbridge, and North Petherton, have thanked their supporters.

Conservative candidate Ashley Fox was elected as the constituency's MP at the general election on Thursday, July 4, despite the final YouGov polls predicting a Labour gain.

Leigh Redman, who stood on behalf of the Labour Party, received only 1,349 fewer votes than Fox, after the exit poll predicted the result was 'too close to call'.

Speaking to those who supported him, Mr Redman said: "To my supporters and my small campaign team, thank you from the bottom of my heart for your tireless efforts, dedication, and belief.

"Your passion and hard work have been truly inspiring, and I am immensely proud of what we have achieved together.

"Although this was not the result we had hoped for locally, the hard work that went into this campaign was amazing and I am thankful to everyone who voted for me and put their trust in me.

"Across the UK, we have seen an enormous shift and the result nationally has been a great one for my Labour colleagues and friends, and for the country as a whole. Now we can begin the work of rebuilding what is broken and working hard to improve lives."

Read more: Conservatives retain Bridgwater seat as Ashley Fox elected MP

Liberal Democrat candidate Claire Sully received the fourth most votes out of all candidates, and was beaten to third by Reform UK candidate William Fagg, who took 22.21 per cent of the vote (8,913), compared to 14.41 per cent (5,781) for Ms Sully.

Reflecting on her campaign, Ms Sully said: "I wanted to say a big thank you to everyone who supported and believed in me. I am very sorry I didn’t get the outcome you all deserved.

"This has been one of the biggest challenges for me, but also one of the best experiences of my life.

"I wanted to be MP for the area because of the affection I feel for the places and people I’ve met, even though I was told how tough it would be to win.

"Across Somerset and nationally the Lib Dems have had some well deserved excellent results, and I’m delighted to see my hardworking candidate colleagues get the result they deserved.

"The future is brighter with our new Lib Dem Somerset MP’s.

"I want to say thank you to a small and dedicated group of people and acknowledge what they have done for me during the campaign."