CON HOLD

Alan Duncan (C) 28,228 (51.12%)

Grahame Hudson (LD) 14,228 (25.77%)

John Morgan (Lab) 7,893 (14.29%)

Peter Baker (UKIP) 2,526 (4.57%)

Keith Addison (BNP) 1,757 (3.18%)

Leigh Higgins (Ind) 588 (1.06%)

C maj 14,000 (25.35%)

3.65% swing C to LD

Electorate 77,185; Turnout 71.54%

2005 Result: C maj 12,998. (C) 25,328; (Lab) 12,330; (LD) 9,183; (UKIP) 1,562; (Others) 1,033;

Duncan takes more than half the votes to secure his return ticket

The Conservatives romped to victory in Rutland and Melton with sitting MP Alan Duncan taking more than 50 per cent of the vote as he did five years ago.

A swing of 13.1% would have been required to unseat Mr Duncan.

However, as it was, he polled 28,228 votes compared to 25,237 in 2005 and increased his majority to 14,000.

Liberal Democrat candidate Grahame Hudson pipped Labour to win second place with more than 14,000 votes.

The result represented a swing of 3.7% from the Tories to the Liberal Democrats.

Labour, who were second in 2005 with 25 per cent of the vote, finished in third place with fewer than 8,000 votes.

It was a turbulent year for Mr Duncan who faced the wrath of Conservative leader David Cameron last August after a group of activists filmed him remarking flippantly that MPs were being forced to live on “rations” in the wake of the expenses scandal.

Last night Mr Duncan said: “I’m very grateful to the voters of Rutland and Melton for putting their faith in me for the fifth time.

“I hope we can form a government because it needs rescuing from being destroyed by Labour.

Constituency Boundary

Rutland & Melton was created in 1983 from the former seats of Melton and of Rutland and Stamford. It covers all of Rutland unitary authority, Melton Borough and part of Harborough District up to the boundary of the city of Leicester, (for example Scraptoft).