Thank you, Redcar and Cleveland, for electing me to serve as your Labour MP once again. My speech at the count this morning:

I would like to thank the returning officer and the Mayor of Redcar and Cleveland. I would also like to thank all the people in this hall for putting in an amazing shift to count the votes, the police, and all those in polling stations across Redcar and Cleveland who who have made this incredible democratic process possible.

This result belongs to my amazing team here in this hall and to the dozens of Labour members and activists who have worked so hard not just in the last few days but over recent weeks and months, to listen to people locally and to put the Labour Party back in their service.

We have spoken to over 12,000 people just since the election has been called and I believe, even in this modern age of social media, there is no substitute for meeting people face to face and listening to their thoughts and views. Thank you so much to everyone who took the time to talk with us over recent weeks.

And thank you so much to the members of Redcar Labour party who have put their trust in me again for this election and who I am proud to stand alongside in fighting for a better country.

And thank you to everyone up here who has campaigned in this election. It is no easy feat to put yourself forward for election and I am grateful for a decent campaign. And I wish Jacob all the best who I know has done his very best for the area and has worked really hard to try and deliver in a very difficult time for the country.

And most importantly of all I want to thank the people of Redcar and Cleveland who have put their trust in me. It was the honour of my life to serve you before, and to have the chance to serve you again is completely humbling.

And to those of you who didn’t vote for me, and in particular those of who have lost their faith in politics all together, I promise to work tirelessly to deliver for you and to prove to you that politics is a force for good, and that it can and will work in the interests of everyone here in Redcar and Cleveland. And that things can and will get better because that’s what you have voted for.

This is a vote for a Labour Party that is focused on your priorities. And you have voted for someone who lives here, in your town and who will always be here for you, just as I always have been.

Together we will build economic security, bring cheaper bills, safer streets, get the NHS back on its feet, secure our borders and build better opportunities for children and young people so they are not held back by the start they have in life.

We are realistic about the scale of the challenge we face, and there is no magic wand. But we will put politics back in the service of the British public, and turn the page on the chaos, greed and disfunction in Westminster.

I am really looking forward to getting on with the job you are sending me to Westminster to do, and I look forward to rebuilding the country together.

Thank you for giving me this chance to serve you once more.