Tan Dhesi has been re-elected as Slough’s Labour MP – but with a much-reduced majority, with Independent Network candidate Azhar Chohan coming second.

Mr Dhesi won with 14,666 votes while his closest rival Mr Chohan took 11,019. Speaking to the Observer after the result Mr Dhesi said he was ‘honoured’ to have been re-elected. He said Labour’s win nationwide showed people ‘want change.’

He said: “We know there are so many things not right with our country, whether it’s the crisis in our NHS, whether it’s in terms of our economy not working for everybody, whether it’s the cost of living crisis.

“It is the job of a Labour government led by Sir Keir Starmer to deliver upon our manifesto to ensure that everybody has a better fairer, brighter future.”

READ MORE: Election night in Slough - as it happened

But the result also means that Labour’s majority in Slough has fallen by nearly 10,000 votes.

In 2019 Mr Dhesi had 13,640 more than his closest rival the Conservative candidate. He now has 3,647 more than Mr Chohan. His share of the vote has fallen from 57.6 per cent to 33.76 per cent.

Turnout in Slough also fell to its lowest in 19 years. Some 53 per cent of people eligible to vote turned out in Slough. That’s that lowest since 2005, when 50.5 per cent turned out.

Mr Dhesi said the falling turnout – echoed nationally – suggests people have ‘lost faith’ in politics, pinning the blame on the Conservative government.

He told the Observer: “If we look at how many people have not voted that shows to me that I need to work very, very hard to ensure that those individuals have their faith in politics, in the system, re-instilled.

“Because of the various scandals engulfing this Conservative government a lot of people didn’t turn out to vote.”

But Mr Chohan said the result also showed people in Slough had ‘lost faith in the Labour Party.’ His campaign combined strong support for Palestine with frustration over issues such as the struggling town centre, directed at Labour.

He told the Observer: “There are so many things that people feel very bitter about, very hurt, betrayed. Labour’s been making these promises and not delivered.

“Most of the problems we have here in Slough were due to the local Labour administration, also nationally.”

Meanwhile, Conservative candidate Moni Nanda came third with 7,457 votes. She said she thought her party could have done better if it had a ‘stronger campaign.’

Reform UK candidate Robin Jackson took 3,352 votes – which he said was a ‘good start’ for his party.

Liberal Democrat candidate Chelsea Whyte came fifth, The Green Party came sixth and the Workers Party of Britain seventh. They were followed, in order, by independents Chandra Muvvala, Diana Coad and Jaswinder Singh. Nick Smith of the Heritage Party came last.