The Labour Party has held Barking and Dagenham and Rainham in a decisive defeat for UKIP.
Dame Margaret Hodge won Barking with 32319 votes, with Tory runner-up Minesh Talati taking 10,711 votes.
Same Margaret spoke of the importance of unity after Ukip’s Roger Gravett came third with just 3,031 votes.
“In 1994 I pledge I would represent everyone in Barking and 20 years later I’m doing the same again,” she said. “It’s amazing for the voters in Barking to put their confidence in me and I feel humbled by it.”
The Green Party’s Shannon Butterfield came fourth with 724 votes followed by Liberal Democrat Pauline Pierce came with 599. Independent Noel Falvey bagged 295 in an election with a turnout of 62.04 per cent.
Jon Cruddas held Dagenham and Rainham with 22,958 votes and thanked his “amazing team” for all their work.
“They are the most amazing group of people I have had the pleasure of working with for a long time,” he said, adding the campaign had been civil and dignified.
Tory Julie Marson took second with 18,306 and Ukip’s Peter Harris was pushed into third with 3,346.
The Green Party’s Denis R Breading came fourth with 544 and Jonathan Fryer for the Liberal Democrats was fifth with 465.
Paul Sturdy for the BNP wasn’t present at the count, but took 239 votes. Concordia’s Terry London took 85 votes in an election with a turnout of 65.02pc.
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