Tory MP Jill Mortimer ‘overwhelmed’ by landslide Hartlepool win

Jill Mortimer, the newly elected Conservative MP for Hartlepool, has said she is “overwhelmed” by the support of local residents after she secured a landslide victory in the constituency by-election. Mortimer gained more than 15,000 votes in the contest, almost double that of Labour’s Paul Williams, who received 8,589 votes. The win makes Mortimer the first woman MP to represent Hartlepool, and the first Tory to take the seat since its creation in 1974. Commenting on her election, Mortimer said it “confirms what we heard on the doors”, with people wanting “positive change”.