Labour win Ossett and Denby Dale in general election 2024

Jade Botterill wins the Ossett and Denby Dale seat for the general election in 2024

Transcript

00:00I want to begin by thanking the return officer and the camp team for their hard work and

00:12the police for keeping it safe. I also want to thank my fellow candidates, especially

00:17Mark Eastwood, for a dignified, respectful campaign. And thank you to all the volunteers

00:23that have helped deliver this historic victory. When I was selected here, we always knew it

00:28would be an uphill battle. This result is testament to the hard work of my entire campaign

00:35team, who have worked tirelessly every single day since this general election was called.

00:41To all of you, and especially my fabulous agent, Robert Gosling, thank you from the

00:51bottom of my heart. Today, hard-working people across Austin-Denverdale raise their voice

00:59to demand change. And now, the country has trusted Labour to deliver that change. But

01:07to understand the change we need, we must be honest about where we are. Eight million

01:14people on hospital waiting lists, schools crumbling down, our public services a breaking

01:21point, that quiet feeling when at the end of the month that hard about you just did

01:27doesn't quite make ends meet. That's what 14 years has done to our area. But now, we

01:35have the chance to turn the page and rebuild our community. I know this will be the first

01:42time many people across Austin-Denverdale face Labour. To those voters who put their

01:47faith in me, and put their faith in Labour, thank you for putting your trust in us to

01:53change the country. We ran this election as a changed Labour party, and we will govern

02:00as a changed Labour party. To those that did not vote for me, know that I will always champion

02:07our area. It's the honour of my life to represent the area I grew up in, and that

02:14made me who I am today. And I promise you this, I will always be straight with you.

02:21We have challenges ahead, and not everything is going to be solved overnight. But it's

02:26time to bring honesty and integrity back into politics. We will roll up our sleeves and

02:32get the job done. From economic security, to cheaper bills, to good quality green jobs,

02:40to safer streets, to slashed NHS waiting lists, to secure borders, to equal opportunities

02:46for all of our children, Labour will change things for the better. We have delivered before,

02:53and we will deliver again. Politicians and politics should serve the public. It's time

03:00to end the chaos and dysfunction in Westminster, and start to rebuild our country together.

03:07Thank you for putting faith in me, in Labour, in our community's future, in change.

03:14Thank you very much.