Tonbridge and Malling stayed true blue as voters elected Tom Tugendhat as their MP.

Mr Tugendhat received 31,887 votes in an election with a turnout of 71.94% - slightly up on the last election of 71.6%.

A beaming Mr Tugendhat took to the stage at the Angel Centre in Tonbridge at just after 5.30am this morning for the result.

Paying tribute to the dedication of his supporters, family, council staff and the electorate, he said: "I'm extremely humbled but extremely delighted to be able to serve the people of Tonbridge and Malling."

Calling it an "extraordinary result" he said he had started the day more than 24 hours earlier, and said he'd be returning to the centre for the borough council count in the afternoon.

"I will serve as I did in the armed forces at the people's pleasure, rather than at Her Majesty's pleasure as it was then, and for as long as they want me to," he said.

"This is a great honour and a tremendous privilege and one not to be taken lightly but to be done with dedication."

Ukip's Robert Izzard received 8,153 votes, with Labour's Claire Leigh getting 7,604 and the Lib Dems' Mary Varrall receiving 3,660 votes, with the Green's Howard Porter polling 2,366.

The constituency had 64 polling stations and some 110 staff counted the votes through the night.

Mr Tugendhat takes over from Sir John Stanley, who served as MP for the area for 41 years.