The country’s longest running bellwether seat has been won by Labour.

In a closely-contested election in Dartford longstanding MP Gareth Johnson was ousted by Labour’s Jim Dickson who scored 15,392 votes compared to Mr Johnson’s 14,200.

Newly elected MP Mr Dickson was jubilant at the result.

“I am elated and really delighted for my amazing Labour team in Dartford, he said.

“I am really elated for Dartford who now have a new Labour MP, a fresh start and an MP of the same stripe as the government so it will make it easier for me to take up the issues the people of Dartford are really concerned about.”

He added: “I want to get change and positive responses from the Government.

“A new big agenda for Dartford and I am really looking forward to working with everybody who wants to make Dartford a better place.”

Mr Johnson, who has held his position for the last 14 years, looked downcast when the results were announced and left without commenting.

Reform candidate Lee Stranders spoke to KentOnline to say he was “content” with securing more than 21 per cent of the vote, polling 9,523.

He saw it as the beginning of a chance for Nigel Farage’s party to be a real contender in future elections.

“I was hoping to get 10,000 but that was when we thought the turnout would be 64 percent,” he said.

“But I feel very content with that result. As a first time it is a really solid result.”

Turn-out at voting stations across the town was reported to be 59.17 percent with 44,626 desperate to have their say on the future leadership of the country.

In the past few weeks Gareth Johnson, for the Conservatives, Jim Dickson for Labour, Kyle Marsh for the Liberal Democrats, Laura Edie for the Green party and Lee Stranders have been canvassing in the hope they can secure a win.

At the last election Mr Johnson walked away with 34,006 votes, with a 19,846 majority over second place Labour candidate Sacha Gosine.

Mr Johnson has been the town’s MP for 14 years, having taken over from Labour’s Dr Howard Stoate in 2010, at the same time the Tories ran Gordon Brown out of office nationally.

But in the days leading up to this election, things were not looking good for the Tory incumbent with pollsters predicting - correctly - his huge majority in 2019 would be wiped out.