LABOUR won the hotly contested new seat of Hammersmith this morning in the face of poor results across the country after a delayed announcement due to missing postal votes. Andrew Slaughter MP for Hammersmith took the seat with 20,810 votes with Conservat

LABOUR won the hotly contested new seat of Hammersmith this morning in the face of poor results across the country after a delayed announcement due to missing postal votes.

Andrew Slaughter MP for Hammersmith took the seat with 20,810 votes with Conservative candidate, Shaun Bailey, second on 17,261.

Liberal Democrat, Merlene Emerson, took 7,567 of the votes and Green candidate, Rollo Miles, 696.

Hammersmith and Fulham Council's returning officer, Alex Karmel, announced the results an hour later than expected after postal votes had been accidentally dropped off at local polling stations rather than the Town Hall on King Street, Hammersmith.

During the count, Labour candidate, Andrew Slaughter, had remained coy over his chances of victory after Conservative candidate, Shaun Bailey, and Liberal Democrat candidate, Merlene Emerson, had all but conceded defeat.

In his acceptance speech Mr Slaughter said: "If there are lessons here and in many other parts of the country it is that people prefer a Labour future."

But Mr Bailey disagreed saying the country had decided to move towards a Conservative Government reflecting the large gains they made nationally.

Ms Emerson said: "We have been fighting a really difficult race but we tried to make it a three horse one. We will carry on fighting for the reform of Britain."

Reflecting on the campaign, Mr Slaughter said the response during canvassing had been good but that the new constituency had created obstacles.

"We have had to build this consensus from scratch. The new boundaries have made it a lot more difficult to canvass. I had to run my old seat as well," he said.

It hasn't been helped by the attitude of the Conservative party. Anything I did in the Hammersmith area in the last three years has been the subject of complaints to the Commons or the Parliamentary Commission. But it's an area I know well and grew up in so it's all swings and roundabouts."

Asked if he will stay in politics, Mr Bailey said: "We'll have a look. It's just where and when and how. Let's see if the Conservative party would like me to run again, I'd like to think so."

However he expressed concern over a hung parliament.

"That's a major concern. I don't think a hung parliament will get anything done and you'll see the worst elements of career politicians. I'd be surprised if it didn't lead to a re-election before the full five year term," he said.

Turn-out for the constituency of Hammersmith was 66 per cent.