CONSERVATIVE Mark Harper has been re-elected as the Forest of Dean’s MP and said the area’s public voted for the candidate who ‘respected’ the 2016 Brexit referendum vote.

Mr Harper, who increased his majority over Labour by over 15,000 from the 2017 General Election, has now got five more years as the constituency’s representative, having had 14 years in the role since being first elected in 2005.

He said the campaign in the Forest of Dean had a ‘national and local’ flavour after polling 30,680 votes ahead of Labour’s Di Martin on 14,811, the Green Party’s Chris McFarling on 4,681 and Independent Julian Burrett, who totalled 1,303.

Mr Harper said: “The country and this constituency voted to leave the European Union three-and-a-half years ago and two years ago, at the General Election, the Conservative Party and Labour Party candidates in this constituency stood on manifestos to respect the result.

“I meant what I said about respecting the result and I think the people of the Forest of Dean voted for the candidate who meant what he said about respecting that result.

“The result nationally is clear that we are going to be able to get Brexit done and leave the European Union by the end of January as we promised three-and-a-half years ago.

“This was also about leadership and about the country deciding that it liked the positive, one nation vision of the Prime Minister Boris Johnson and rejected the alternative vision of the Labour Party.

“Locally, I think this, my best result, was a clear verdict from the people of the Forest of Dean on my 14 years as the Member of Parliament. I will serve the people of the Forest of Dean to the best of my ability.”