MATT RODDA has spoked of his gratitude to Reading East voters for re-electing him as their MP for the second time.
He held on to his seat with an increased majority after seeing off a spirited campaign by newcomer Craig Morley.
In a tweet, the Labour MP said: “I am deeply grateful to have been re-elected as MP for Reading East, it is a privilege to represent our community”.
And in his acceptance speech at the count, as reported by Berkshire Live, he said: “In [the] campaign I’ve made my views clear about the dangers of a hard Brexit, the need to stop austerity and the need for urgent action to tackle the climate emergency.
“I am proud to have been elected MP on that basis and I will continue to campaign rigorously and vigorously on all those fronts in Parliament.”
Mr Morley, who was standing for parliament for the Conservatives, said:”I was honoured to have had the opportunity to stand in my hometown constituency – where I was born and grew up – for the Conservative Party. I would like to thank everyone who voted for me for your support and for the fantastic efforts of my team.
“While it was a disappointing night personally, it was a brilliant night for us nationally and I’d like to congratulate my Conservative colleagues across the country for their superb successes.
“We now have an optimistic, One Nation Conservative majority government that will get us out of the EU in January and get our great country on the path to a brighter future.”
