AS LABOUR’S parliamentary candidate for North Swindon I would like to say thank you to everyone who voted for me and those people who helped me in the election.

Also those who contacted me to wish me well. I am very lucky to be surrounded by such a wonderful group of people.

It would have been a privilege to have been elected as the MP for North Swindon.

It is a great constituency and I felt we had a strong plan that would have taken our town forward.

I congratulate Justin Tomlinson on his victory. I would also like to pay tribute to all the other candidates and their campaign teams for the way in which the campaign was conducted.

Although we have different values and visions, the contest showed that politics can be conducted with decency; dignity and respect, and be what it should be – a battle of ideas.

I would also like to thank those people who supported and helped me during my time as a councillor for Walcot and Park North. It was an honour to serve you and a privilege to be a member of Swindon Council.

Finally, I wanted to say politics makes a huge difference. We are right to hope and work for a better future and even in the most difficult times, I know hope will keep burning brightly, strongly and deeply in each and every one of us.

MARK DEMPSEY Thornhill Drive, Swindon