Nigel's Welsh wizardry stems tide

TRIUMPHANT Tories toasted a further reign in the Ribble Valley as Nigel Evans bucked the national trend and held on to his Parliamentary seat.

The 39-year-old Welsh whizzkid overcame Liberal Democrat and Labour challenges to continue the Conservatives' political domination in the area, albeit this time as a member of the Opposition.

An excellent turn-out of 78.65 per cent across the new and sprawling 22-mile-long Ribble Valley constituency saw Mr Evans returned to Parliament with a majority of 6,640.

Labour's Marcus Johnstone had always billed the Ribble Valley election battle as a three-cornered contest but, amassing just 9,013 votes out of the 57,351 votes cast in the constituency, it was obvious the contender with the red rosette was not at the front line of this battle - although his party won the war. It was up to Liberal Democrat candidate Michael Carr to try to loosen the Tory grip on the Ribble Valley but with just 20,062 votes he too was out for the count.

Boundary changes, which had been redrawn to include more voters in the constituency, had given Mr Evans a notional majority increased by at least a couple of thousand, but at 3.35 this morning he was simply glad to hang on an increased majority of just 98 votes.

He said: "From what I have seen on television this evening I didn't think I would be going to give a victory speech.

"The result here has bucked the national trend. I am completely humbled by the faith that the people of Ribble Valley have had in me and I pledge that I will serve my constituents to the best of my ability."

Liberal Democrats were crestfallen at polling 2,000 votes fewer than in 1992.

Father of eight Mr Carr, who won the Ribble Valley by-election in March 1991 to become the area's first Liberal Democrat MP, was disappointed at being unable to recapture the constituency for Paddy Ashdown. But he said: "I want to wish Tony Blair all the best - there are a lot of hopes resting on him."

The swelling Labour vote was expanded over 5,000 and Marcus Johnstone said: "The message is that Labour is back and back to stay."

Referendum Party candidate Julian Parkinson had1,297 votes with the Natural Law Party's Nicola Holmes polled 147.

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