FOLLOWING last week’s general election, Central Devon MP Mel Stride has revealed his key priorities for Okehampton during his next term of office.

Mr Stride said: ‘I am honoured and delighted to have been re-elected for the central Devon constituency and with an increased share of the vote. I will continue to fight for a local communities throughout my constituency and for all my constituents irrespective of their political persuasion.

‘For the Okehampton area health, education, farming and local rail transport will remain key priorities for me.’

The election saw Mr Stride secure 31,278 votes, finishing comfortably ahead of Labour candidate Lisa Robillard-Webb, who finished second on 15,598.

Liberal Democrat’s Alex White finished third with 6,770 votes. The Green Party’s Andy Williamson secured 1,531 votes, ending the night ahead of UKIP candidate Tim Matthews on 1,326.

John Dean of the National Health Action Party received 871 votes and Lloyd Knight of the Liberal Party won 470 votes. Voter turnout was 77.9% in the constituency.

Despite being the biggest party in the House of Commons, the Conservatives failed to win the seats necessary for a majority, leaving a hung parliament.

The Conservatives won 318 MPs, 13 fewer than before the election. Labour were up by 30 seats by winning 262 constituencies.

The Scottish National Party won 35, the Liberal Democrats 12 and the Democratic Unionists 10.

The Tories have been holding discussions with the Northern Ireland party the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP), about having its support in key votes through a ‘confidence and supply’ agreement.

Such an agreement, which is more casual than a formal coalition, would see the DUP back the Conservatives in key votes, such as on the Budget or a confidence motion, but are not tied into supporting them on other measures.

Following the election, Mr Stride was appointed financial secretary to the treasury, replacing Jane Ellison who lost her Battersea seat.

Despite Mr Stride’s dominant win locally, his rivals for the Central Devon seat said the election result showed that large parts of the electorate rejected the Conservatives as their voice in upcoming Brexit negotiations.

Andy Williamson of the Green Party said the result was ’an attempt by the electorate to assert some intelligence over the catastrophic incompetence of this Tory government.’

Notable in his absence at the election count at Parklands Leisure Centre in Okehampton was UKIP candidate Tim Matthews, who announced on the stroke of midnight that he was leaving UKIP in order to join the Conservatives.

Mr Matthews, speaking to Alan Quick of the Crediton Courier, said he was grateful and humbled by the support he received from people who voted for him in the election but said UKIP had ‘veered into extremism and racism’, which was ‘not morally or politically acceptable’.