THE HARWICH and North Essex constituency has woken up to a Conservative MP for the second time.

The seat has only been in existence since the 2010 election after boundary changes meant the Harwich and Clacton constituency was split.

But Bernard Jenkin, an MP in the area for the past 23 years, has retained his seat.

“I’m absolutely delighted by the result,” he said.

“It was not what I expected.

“The public has leant the Conservatives their trust but we have to earn that trust in the years to come.”

In 2010 Mr Jenkin won with a majority of 11,447.

Despite forecasts which predicted the Conservatives would fail to win a majority in the 2015 election and would face strong opposition from opposing parties, particularly Labour and Ukip, Mr Jenkin has increased his hold on the area.

With a staggering 24,722 votes, Mr Jenkin has increased his majority to 15,174.

Labour’s Edward Carlsson Browne gained 9,548, Green’s Chris Flossman 2,122, Liberal Democrat Dominic Graham 3576, and Ukip’s Mark Hughes 8464.