Record smashed as Pike sweeps to fourth victory

JUBILANT Peter Pike scored his fourth consecutive victory in Burnley and with it a Labour May Day record majority.

He saw his majority increased by half as much again over the last election from 11,491 in 1992 to a whopping 17,062 - the biggest ever achieved in the borough and a far cry from the original 770 majority which allowed him to scrape home for the first time in 1983.

When the victory was announced at 2.25am, after a delay for a recount of the Referendum party's vote - which fell agonisingly short of saving Richard Oakley's deposit - a national landslide Labour victory was already assured.

After thanking his agent, workers, family and voters for their support, Mr Pike promised a better Britain after 18 years of Tory rule.

He said Tony Blair would keep all the promises he had made.

Mr Pike added: "I want to see a Labour government working with a Labour Lancashire County Council and a Labour Burnley Council to make the country, council and borough a better place in which to live.''

The increased majority was achieved even though Labour workers in Burnley spent time successfully helping the Labour Party candidate in Rochdale.

All candidates referred to the friendliness of the campaign.

Conservative Bill Wiggin clung on to second place with a reduced lead over third placed Lib-Dem challenger Gordon Birtwistle.

Mr Wiggin said he had thoroughly enjoyed the experience and the warmth of the Burnley people.

He said: "We have fought a great campaign.

"I expected it to be tougher and more unpleasant and was delighted that was not the case.''

Although the Tory vote had fallen by 6,000, he claimed much work had been done to build up the Conservative Association in Burnley. It was a privilege, he said, to be a candidate, and he would be back campaigning in future elections although possibly for a different seat next time.

Mr Birtwistle said the campaign had gone well with no back-biting or bitterness between the candidates whatsoever.

His vote fell by 500 compared to 1992 and he had narrowly failed to achieve the major break-through hoped for in relegating the Conservatives to third place. As leader of the Lib-Dem opposition group on Burnley Council, Mr Birtwistle hopes that today he will also win a seat on Lancashire County Council.

Mr Oakley was pleased to have received more than 2,000 votes for the Referendum Party and asked for a recount because he was so close to saving his deposit.

He said: "I narrowly failed, but we brought the issue of Europe to the forefront of the election campaign here in Burnley."

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