CONSERVATIVE Adam Holloway has swept to victory to be re-elected MP for Gravesham, winning almost half the total votes.

He achieved an 18.2 per cent swing and gained a majority of 22,956 of the 47,412 total votes, beating second placed Kathryn Smith of Labour by 9,312 votes.

After the announcement, he said: “I am stunned by the size of the majority.

“Over the next five years I will continue to do what a good constituency MP does, which is represent the people of the borough.”

He added: “I would like to thank the people of Gravesham.

"I found it very moving to see people going in their ones, twos and threes, holding their polling card.”

Mr Holloway got 3,217 more votes than when he was first elected in 2005, while Labour's Kathryn Smith received 5,441 votes less than her party achieved in the borough in 2005.

She said: “We are disappointed we lost some of our votes. It has been a very strange election this time.

“Clearly there was some impact by the Clegg-mania.”

Liberal Democrat Anna Arrowsmith came third with 6,293 votes, which is 1,442 more than the party received in 2005.

The porn director said: “We have upped our votes, so we have done well.

“From a personal point of view I can say my career has not been a hindrance and I shall definitely be standing in the next election.”

Mrs Arrowsmith said she felt Labour lost votes because Ms Smith was arrested on suspicion of drink-driving last week.

She said: “Labour should have come out and made a statement at the time, because it has been reflected in the vote.”

UKIP candidate Geoffrey Clark polled 2,265 votes, the English Democrats' Steve Uncles received 1,005 votes, and the Green Party's Richard Crawford got 675 votes.

Independent candidate Alice Sakura Dartnell got 465 votes, and the 23-year-old said she is “gutted”.

She said: “I am very disappointed but at the same time very proud I have managed to get some people who had never voted before involved in politics.”