DARTFORD Tory winner Gareth Johnson says he is honoured to have won the seat.

The Tories snatched back the seat from Labour in the election, polling 24,428 votes.

Mr Johnson said: “It is a real honour to become the Member of Parliament for Dartford.

“I intend to represent Dartford in Westminster and I want to put the town first.

“I am really pleased and I am determined to live up to the trust the people of Dartford have put in me.”

Meanwhile, Lib Dem candidate James Willis was pleased despite not winning.

He said: "We are pleased to have gained 2,400 more votes than in the previous election.

"We are a new party in Dartford and we now have to continue fighting.

"We have gained but Labour has moved backwards."

Mr Willis said the one improvement he would like to see for the next election is to see more supporters on the ground.

He added: "We did the campaign on a low budget and at street level.

"It is now time for Gareth as the new MP to stop the Dartford Crossing being sold, which is what we have petitioning to do."

Labour candidate John Adams gained only 13,800 votes, meaning his party lost the seat it had held since 1997.

Mr Adams said "Naturally I am feeling disappointed but we fought this campaign as hard as we could.

"This was a strong seat for the Conservatives and they put a lot of resources into this campaign."

Independent candidate Stephane Tindame gained only 264 votes but remained upbeat.

He said: "The participation is the most important thing. The people have voted and we have to accept their vote."