No surprises in Chipping Barnet (From Richmond and Twickenham Times)

No surprises in Chipping Barnet

5:43am Friday 6th May 2005

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There were no surprises in Chipping Barnet as Conservative candidate Theresa Villiers comfortably held on to the seat which for so long had belonged to Sydney Chapman.

In truth, this result was never in doubt. Mrs Villiers, 37, even marginally increased the Tory majority in the Conservative strong-hold. She beat Labour candidate Pauline Coakley-Webb into second place; Sean Hooker, the Liberal Democrat, came third.

Mrs Villiers, who lives in Arkley, said: "It's a huge honour to have been nominated as the MP for Chipping Barnet. I've waited a long time for this moment. I would like to thank the people of Chipping Barnet for choosing me."

Mrs Villiers, who becomes an MP for the first time having been an MEP, said after her victory she was "very excited" at the prospect of walking into Westminster on Monday morning for the first time as an MP. "I was very optimistic, but I got more votes than I expected. I still can't quite believe it. It's still sinking in," she said.

Mrs Villiers said she would put more police on the streets at the top of her list of priorities. She also said she will campaign "to get a better deal" for pensioners and will strive to protect the Green Belt.

Mrs Coakley-Webb, who got some 6,000 less votes than Mrs Villiers, said she would continue to work in Chipping Barnet on local issues and hoped to play a part in helping the Barnet Labour Group to beat the Conservatives at next year's local elections.

She added: "I won't disappear, I'll still be around helping in the community and for all the people to come and see me."

As for Mrs Villiers, this is where the hard work begins. "I will work for the people of Chipping Barnet with dedication, diligence and determination," she said.

Audrey Poppy, of the Green Party, came fourth; Victor Kaye, for the UK Independence Party, came fifth.

Full List of Results Theresa Villiers (Conservatives) 19,744 Pauline Coakley-Webb (Labour) 13,784 Sean Hooker (Lib Dems) 6,671 Audrey Poppy (Green) 1,199 Victor Kaye (UKip) 924

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