Conservative politician Helen Whately has retained her Faversham and Mid Kent seat.

In the face of a devastating night for the Tories, the 48-year-old edged the seat by a small majority of 1,469 – a significant decrease from her previous majority of 21,967.

In second place was Labour’s Mel Dawkins who won the votes of 13,347 people – 28.5% of the share.

Completing the list was Reform’s Maxwell Harrison with a 21.1% share, Hannah Temple of the Green Party with a 9% share, Lib Dem Hannah Perkin with 8.9% of the vote and British Democrat Lawrence Rustem with just 0.4%.

Speaking to KentOnline following her success, Ms Whately said she was delighted to stay in the seat but acknowledged it had been a tough battle to retain the seat.

She said: “I felt on the doorstep that it was going to be a very different picture at this election than at the previous one, that was very clear.

“But it was also very good to hear on the doorstep people who said that they were voting for me based on my reputation locally, the things that I've done for the area or for individuals.

“I really appreciated that, and we fought a hard campaign as well.

“I think our job is to stick to our values as Conservatives. We're true to people, committed to serving people. We are always on the side of leaving more people, money in people's pockets, keeping taxes down, while making sure that you have good public services, invest in security, and clearly we need to make sure we control immigration.

“One of the big issues that came up from people who chose to vote Reform rather than Conservative was clearly immigration. That was something significant at the election, and people told me they basically wanted to vote for Farage.

“I don't think that Reform has the right answer.”

Mel Dawkins declined to give interviews to the media following the result being declared.

The news comes as no surprise following a major exit poll released at 10pm on Thursday which suggested the Tory had a 97% chance of retaining her seat.

Turnout figures showed 62.94% of the electorate cast 46,763 ballots.

Labour is celebrating huge wins over the Tories in Kent, with the Lib Dems also picking up their first-ever seat in the county.

The victories come amid a Labour landslide nationally - putting Keir Starmer in Downing Street with a huge majority.

New Liberal Democrat MP for Tunbridge Wells Mike Martin described the night’s results as a “political earthquake” in Kent.

In Kent, Labour have won 11 seats, the Conservatives have kept hold of six and the Lib Dems have gained one.

It means the Tories have lost in 10 seats in the county they previously held - and even came third in Dover, with Reform finishing second.

Speaking to KentOnline before the result was announced, Hannah Perkin - the Lib Dem candidate – said it was possible tactical voting designed to remove the Conservatives from power impacted her bid to become MP but was clear the issue lay with the first-past-the-post system.

She said: “I think potentially [tactical voting impacted proceedings] but unfortunately, we exist within a first past-the-post scenario, that's something the Liberal Democrats are very passionate about changing.

“If the voting system was fair, people would have more options to look at, really kind of look into the policies and we wouldn't be pushed into voting against something we don't want rather than for something that we do.

“Obviously, I am more well known in Faversham, I'm a councillor there, that's where I spend a lot of my time, but I think that doesn't mean that there are no messages that reach people in the Mid Kent area as well.

“There's been lots of people that are telling me they appreciate Liberal Democrat policies, I think there is a huge fondness for the amount of work that we've done.”

Her feelings were echoed by the Green Party’s Hannah Temple, who admitted the party knew it was unlikely to take the seat tonight - but reaffirmed her belief she could have taken Ms Whately's seat if the system was reformed.

Mrs Temple said: "If every single person who told us that they wanted to vote Green, who said that the Green message aligns with their heart and their vision for the future, voted for us then I think we could have absolutely taken Helen Whately out this time.

"As ever, smaller parties are really squeezed by our first-past-the-post system in national elections.

“I think, given the size of her majority, given the huge increase that that would require, we're not expecting to take the seat this time.

"But I am expecting to see an increase in support for us here and across the country, and absolutely looking to take and win this seat.

"I do think people are really having a wonderful experience with local Green councillors and electing more of them and finding that it's really refreshing to have principled, hardworking, honest politicians working for them locally.

"We will be going hard for elected Greens in Kent in the next general election."

Reform’s Maxwell Harrison, a 24-year-old ballroom dancer who was competing in his first election, told KentOnline he felt by 2029, there would certainly be Reform MPs in Kent.

"This is a Conservative stronghold and these sort of seats in Kent are the last sort of seats that will flip the switch. You've got to remember, even in the Blair years, you know, the Tories were still winning here in Kent.

"All the candidates in Kent have done a terrific job. In the last three, four weeks, we've really gone out above and beyond. We've been a voice for the silent majority and, yes, for sure, we might not win seats herebut by George, we're definitely causing a shock.

"I promise you, in 2029, my prediction will be you will start seeing some Reform MPs in Kent.

"I absolutely intend to run again in 2029. I've loved it. I loved it going around, seeing, you know, all the parts of the constituency, talking to a different variety of people.

"So yes, absolutely, I'm running in 2029. 100%. Sign me up tomorrow."

And Lawrence Rustem – one of two British Democrats standing in the county – confessed early on his party would not likely to upset the apple cart but felt the group was making positive progress.

He said: "It's not about tonight, it's never been about tonight, it's not about the result, it's about sinking roots, it's about growing and it's about developing the British Democrats and rebuilding nationalism, not just here but across Kent and throughout the country.

“We've been received very well and we have and we do present a positive image – that's the only image you can present.”

The lack of support nationally for the Tories following a series of scandals and perceived shortcomings did not translate to a changing of the guard despite many pollsters backing Labour to gain the seat.

It was a relatively tame campaign, with hustings held early on in the proceedings providing a solid, if not spectacular, introduction to the candidates.

The only blot on the trail came when the incumbent Tory MP Helen Whately saw her campaign boards vandalised in and around Faversham – with the 48-year-old calling for “kinder politics” as a result.

Mixing rural areas to the east of Maidstone and the west of Swale with the traditional market town of Faversham, the constituency has always voted Conservative – bucking the trend of this election and the 1997 election when Tony Blair’s Labour Party scored a landslide.