Former Hyndburn MP Sara Britcliffe has shared her sadness as she moved out of her constituency office following her July election defeat.

The ex-Conservative backbencher, whose office was in Broadway, Accrington, lost her seat to Labour’s Sarah Smith in the 2024 General Election, as Labour claimed a huge majority.

Ms Britcliffe’s former office’s keys will now be handed back to the council.

She said: “It’s a sad moment having to move out of here because you remember all of the good times.

“We’ve had fantastic times in this office.

“When I was elected I promised an open and accessible office for residents to come and visit, and I delivered that.

"I’m proud of the work me and my team have done in this office to help more than 24,000 residents.”

Ms Britcliffe was elected in 2019, defeating then Labour MP Graham Jones, as part of Boris Johnson’s 2019 ‘red wall’ Brexit election landslide.

Five years later she saw herself losing the seat by a margin of 1,687 votes, as Labour stormed home with a 174-seat majority.

Reflecting on her time in Westminster, Sara said: “It has been a privilege to represent Hyndburn and I want to thank residents for their support throughout.

“I’m now focussed on handing back the keys from the office to the council.

“I’ve been busy helping my team get new jobs as it isn’t just me who lost their job when we lost the election.”

In a statement on Facebook, Ms Britcliffe said: “And that’s a wrap!

“My last day in the Accrington office with the team.

“We will definitely miss it, but here’s to new ventures for us all.”