The Conservatives’ blue wall in Essex crumbled on election night after they lost eight seats.

Labour won five, Reform UK gained two and the Liberal Democrats took one, making for a much more colourful map of parties in the county.

Richard Holden – Basildon and Billericay

Mr Holden is chairman of the Tory party and had previously been the MP in North West Durham – which is about 300 miles away.

He won by just 20 more votes than Labour’s Alex Harrison.

Mr Holden graduated from the London School of Economics (LSE) in 2007 and went on to work in public and private sectors as well as politics.

Mr Holden first became an MP in 2019 and is part of national campaigns to regulate gambling and provide better mental health services.

The constituency had a voter turnout of 55%, which was down 6.1% from 2019.

Basildon and Billericay result:

• Conservative, Richard Holden – 12,905
• Labour, Alex Harrison – 12,885
• Reform UK, Stephen Conlay – 11,354
• Liberal Democrat, Edward Sainsbury – 2,292
• Green, Stewart Goshawk – 2,123
• British Democratic Party, Christopher Bateman – 373
• Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition, Dave Murray – 192

Conservative Alex Burghart managed to retain his seat.

He was first elected in 2017 and is a former teacher.

He worked at the Department for Education (DfE) on the Munro Review of a Child Protection.

After that he spent four years as a Director of Policy at the centre for Social Justice where he led research on housing, welfare, education and family policy.

Between 2016 and 2017 he was a special adviser to the prime minister on social justice.

The constituency had a voter turnout of 64%, which was down 6.4% from 2019.

Brentwood and Ongar results:

• Conservative, Alex Burghart – 17,731
• Reform UK, Paul Godfrey – 11,751
• Labour, Gareth Barrett – 11,082
• Liberal Democrat, David Kendall – 5,809
• Green, RJ Learmouth – 1,770
• English Democrats, Robin Tilbrook – 189

James Cleverly – Braintree

Former Home Secretary James Cleverly held Braintree with a majority of just under 4,000.

Mr Cleverly was born in Lewisham Hospital in London where his mother worked as a midwife.

He said he spent most of his childhood in Chelmsford before he left school to join the army, which was a tradition in his family.

He left the army following an injury and went back into education and got a business degree before joining the Territorial Army (TA).

The Braintree constituency had a voter turnout of 63%, which was down 5.3% from 2019.

Braintree results:

• Conservative, James Cleverly – 17,414
• Labour, Matthew Wright – 13,744
• Reform UK, Richard Thomson – 11,346
• Liberal Democrat, Kieron Franks – 2,879
• Green, Paul Thorogood – 2,878
• Independent, David Heather – 767

Rebecca Harris – Castle Point

Ms Harris has served Castle Point as the Member of Parliament since 2010, covering South Benfleet, Hadleigh, Thundersley, Daws Heath and Canvey Island.

She fought to save green belt sites in Castle Point from development.

The constituency had a voter turnout of 57%, which was down 6.5% from 2019.

Castle Point results:

• Conservative, Rebecca Harris – 15,485
• Reform UK, Keiron McGill – 12,234
• Labour, Mark Maguire – 9,455
• Green, Bob Chapman – 2,118
• Liberal Democrat, James Willis – 1,341

Marie Goldman – Chelmsford

The single Liberal Democrat gain in Essex came in Chelmsford, where Marie Goldman took the seat from Vicky Ford, the city’s previous Tory MP.

Mrs Goldman has lived in Chelmsford for over 20 years and runs a small business with her husband.

The constituency had a voter turnout of 66%, which was down 4.5% from 2019.

Chelmsford results:

• Liberal Democrat, Marie Goldman – 20,214
• Conservative, Vicky Ford – 15,461
• Reform UK, Darren Ingrouille – 6,754
• Labour, Richard Parry – 6,108
• Green, Reza Hossain – 1,588
• Independent Network, Richard Hyland – 230
• Monster Raving Loony Party, Mark Lawrence – 187
• Workers Party of Britain, Mark Kenlen – 105
• Independent, Kamla Sangha – 69

Nigel Farage – Clacton

At the eighth time of asking, Mr Farage won the support of voters in Clacton to finally make his way to Parliament as a Reform MP.

Mr Farage overturned a Conservative majority of more than 25,000 to comfortably win in Clacton.

The constituency had a voter turnout of 58%, which was down 1.7% from 2019.

Clacton results:

• Reform UK, Nigel Farage – 21,225
• Conservative, Giles Watling – 12,820
• Labour, Jovan Owusu-Nepaul – 7,448
• Liberal Democrat, Matthew Bensilum – 2,016
• Green, Natasha Osben – 1,935
• Independent, Tony Mack – 317
• UK Independence Party, Andrew Pemberton – 116
• Climate Party, Craig Jamieson – 48
• Heritage Party, Tasos Papanastasiou – 33

Pam Cox – Colchester

Ms Cox was first elected as a city councillor in 2021 and said she has worked to attract more visitors to Colchester as her role as portfolio holder for Culture and Heritage.

She said she went to university and did a PhD to become an academic. Ms Cox specialised in the history of marginalised women and girls and their treatment by the criminal justice and care systems.

The constituency had a voter turnout of 57%, which was down 6.8% from 2019.

Colchester results:

• Labour, Pam Cox – 18,804
• Conservative, James Cracknell – 10,554
• Reform UK, Terence Longstaff – 6,664
• Liberal Democrat, Martin Goss – 6,393
• Green, Sara Ruth – 2,414
• Climate Party, James Rolfe – 74

Neil Hudson – Epping Forest

Neil Hudson successfully defended the seat vacated by his Tory predecessor Dame Eleanor Laing.

He is a veterinary surgeon and says he is passionate about boosting rural mental health.

The constituency had a voter turnout of 58%, which was down 9.6% from 2019.

Epping Forest results:

• Conservative, Neil Hudson – 18,038
• Labour, Rosalind Doré – 12,356
• Liberal Democrat, Jon Whitehouse – 5,268
• Independent, Ed Pond – 3,037
• Green, Simon Heap – 2,486
• Shared Ground, Thomas Hall – 568

Chris Vince – Harlow

Chris Vince gained Harlow from the Conservatives with 16,313 votes and a majority of 2,504 – making him the first Labour MP for the bellwether town for almost 20 years.

The constituency had a voter turnout of 58%, which was down 6.4% from 2019.

Harlow results:

• Labour, Chris Vince – 16,313
• Conservative, Hannah Ellis – 13,809
• Reform UK, Malcolm Featherstone – 9,461
• Green, Yasmin Gregory – 2,267
• Liberal Democrat, Riad Mannan – 1,350
• UK Independence Party, Lois Perry – 157

Bernard Jenkin – Harwich and North Essex

Veteran Tory MP Sir Bernard Jenkin retained his seat in Harwich and North Essex.

Bernard has worked as an MP since 1992.

He was elected as MP for North Colchester in 1992, North Essex in 1997, 2001 and 2005, and Harwich and North Essex in 2010, 2015 and 2017.

Mr Jenkin received a knighthood in 2018 for his contribution to politics and public service.

The constituency had a voter turnout of 63%, which was down 9.6% from 2019.

Harwich and North Essex results:

• Conservative, Bernard Jenkin – 16,522
• Labour, Alex Diner – 15,360
• Reform UK, Mark Cole – 9,806
• Liberal Democrat, Natalie Sommers – 3,561
• Green, Andrew Canessa – 2,794

John Whittingdale – Maldon

Rt Hon Sir John Whittingdale managed to retained his seat in Maldon.

Mr Whittingdale has been a MP for Maldon in Essex since 1992, and as of April 2022, has represented his constituents in Westminster for 30 years.

He previously served as Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport from May 2015 until 14 July 2016.

Mr Whittingdale received his knighthood in 2022 for his service in the public and political sector.

The constituency had a voter turnout of 64%, which was down about 6.2% from 2019.

Maldon results:

• Conservative, John Whittingdale – 19,374
• Reform UK, Pamela Walford – 12,468
• Labour, Onike Gollo – 9,817
• Liberal Democrat, Simon Burwood – 5,882
• Green, Isobel Doubleday – 2,300

Kemi Badenoch – North West Essex

Kemi Badenoch was elected for the party in the newly formed North West Essex seat but said her party had lost the trust of voters.

Ms Badenoch has served as the MP for the Saffron Walden constituency since 2017, and was re-selected in 2019.

The constituency had a voter turnout of 68%, which was down 4.4% from 2019.

North West Essex results:

• Conservative, Kemi Badenoch – 19,360
• Labour, Issy Waite – 16,750
• Reform UK, Grant StClair-Armstrong – 7,668
• Liberal Democrat, Smita Rajesh – 6,055
• Green, Edward Gildea – 2,846
• Independent, Andrew Green – 852
• Independent, Erik Bonino – 699
• Independent, Niko Omilana – 156

Mark Francois – Rayleigh and Wickford

He attended Bristol University and King’s College, London, where he read History and War Studies respectively.

The constituency had a voter turnout of 63%, which was down 6.6% from 2019.

Rayleigh and Wickford results:

• Conservative, Mark Francois – 17,756
• Reform UK, Grant Randall – 12,135
• Labour, James Hedges – 11,823
• Liberal Democrat, Stewart Mott – 4,068
• Green, Chris Taylor – 2,196

South Basildon and East Thurrock results:

• Reform UK, James McMurdock – 12,178
• Labour, Jack Ferguson – 12,080
• Conservative, Stephen Metcalfe – 10,159
• Independent, Neil Speight – 1,928
• Green, Elizabeth Grant – 1,718
• Liberal Democrat, Dave Thomas – 1,071
• Independent, Steven Burnett – 275
• Social Democratic Party, Simon Breedon – 140

Bayo Alaba – Southend East and Rochford

Mr Alaba is a former Parachute Regiment soldier and has also worked as a school governor.

He has pledged to stand for creating greener jobs, affordable housing, economic regeneration and reviving Southend.

The constituency had a voter turnout of 57%, which was down 5.1% from 2019.

Southend East and Rochford results:

• Labour, Bayo Alaba – 15,395
• Conservative, Gavin Haran – 11,368
• Reform UK, Leslie Lilley – 7,214
• Green, Simon Cross 2,716
• Liberal Democrat, James Allen – 2,269
• Confelicity, Lee Clark – 488
• Heritage Party, Bianca Isherwood – 206

David Burton-Sampson – Southend West and Leigh

Former Basildon mayor David Burton-Sampson has pledged to put the work in to save the NHS.

He said: “As the population of the city and the surrounding area has grown, the facilities needed to grow with it, and they haven’t.”

The constituency had a voter turnout of 63%, which was down 4.4% from 2019.

Southend West and Leigh results:

• Labour, David Burton-Sampson – 16,739
• Conservative, Anna Firth – 14,790
• Reform UK, Peter Little – 8,273
• Green, Tilly Hogrebe – 3,262
• Liberal Democrat, Stephen Cummins – 3,174
• Confelicity, James Miller – 262
• Independent, Tom Darwood – 172
• Heritage Party, Lara Hurley – 99
• Psychedelic Movement, Jason Pilley – 99
• Independent, Robert Francis – 98

Jen Craft – Thurrock

Ms Craft was elected in Thurrock, securing 16,050 votes.

She was born and raised in Thurrock and is now raising her young children here.

“It’s time for change, and I am committed to working every day to improve the lives of families in Thurrock,” she said.

The constituency had a voter turnout of 51%, which was down 9.3% from 2019.

Thurrock results:

• Labour, Jen Craft -16,050
• Reform UK, Sophie Preston-Hall – 9,576
• Conservative, Jackie Doyle-Price – 8,009
• Green, Eugene McCarthy – 1,632
• Liberal Democrat, Michael Bukola – 1,157
• Workers Party of Britain, Yousaff Khan – 691
• Independent, Nimal Dr Raj – 443

Priti Patel – Witham

Former Home Secretary Ms Patel held her seat in Witham.

She was first elected Conservative MP for Witham in May 2010.

The constituency had a voter turnout of 64%, which was down 5.4% from 2019.

Witham results:

• Conservative, Priti Patel – 18,827
• Labour, Rumi Chowdhury – 13,682
• Reform UK, Timothy Blaxill – 9,870
• Green, James Abbott – 3,539
• Liberal Democrat, Ashley Thompson – 3,439
• Independent, Chelsey Jay – 1,246