The constituency has been a staunch Labour supporter for decades, and there were no shocks tonight as Ms Long-Bailey increased her majority to 21,132 – 15,000 more than second placed Reform candidate Keith Whalley. The red rise was evident across the country, with many seats turning from the Tories towards Labour and red strongholds like Salford seeing their voter share increase.
The battle for second place on the podium was fiercely fought between the Conservatives, Reform and the Greens.
Although being infected with Covid stopped the new MP from being in attendance at the election count, that didn’t prevent the former shadow education secretary from basking in her victory.
In what was quite similar to what we all endured in the coronavirus pandemic Ms Long-Bailey appeared via a TV monitor in the counting hall of the Salford Community Stadium.
Read More: See The Full Results For Salford
She said:
“I am honoured and humbled to receive the support from the people of Salford. I am always grateful to represent them as their member of parliament.
“We could be looking at a Labour government and that represents a huge opportunity to really start and get the investment and support Salford deserves.”
The atmosphere was relaxed throughout the night as the result seemed inevitable, as the Conservative group leader for Salford Councillor Robin Garrido said it doesn’t take a magician to work out who was going to win. The city mayor was so relaxed he was pinging off letters on his laptop and taking care of busy work for a large proportion of the night.
The one thing that will make local politicians anxious is the low turnout, with only 47.7 per cent of eligible voters in Salford showing up at the polling station – that’s 14 per cent lower than 2019. This was a GM-wide trend which reflected the political disillusionment displayed by voters before polling day.
Voters specifically in Salford felt they had been forgotten and wanted to see greater investment into the areas more deprived spots. Their elected MP referenced this after her victory, and doubled down on her call for a cash injection from the government – something that might be easier now her party is in power.
Ms Long-Bailey added:
“So many areas of Salford require investment. There are so many different pots of public money available and I am ready to support any avenue we choose to go down.
“The significant impact would be in housebuilding for affordable homes as well as the regeneration of the public realms. It’s a dream to finally be working under a Labour government. I hope they will be more amenable when I go with a wish list for Salford.”
She also referenced Ingleside Birth Centre, which has not been in operation since January 2022 due to staffing issues. The new Salford MP wants to see this brought back, with mothers from Salford having to travel miles to give birth now Salford Royal no longer has a maternity unit.
Her constituency significantly altered following the boundary changes, swapping out large swathes of Eccles and Swinton for Broughton. This result alongside the neighbouring constituency win for the reds in Worsley and Eccles and Bolton South and Walkden means Labour maintain their stranglehold over the whole Salford borough.
