Nottinghamshire: Robert Jenrick is county's last remaining Tory MP

Jenrick 'could be next Tory leader'BBC Radio Nottingham

He's the only Tory MP left in Nottinghamshire, but Robert Jenrick's already being suggested for bigger things.

Kay Cutts, who previously led Nottinghamshire County Council, said Newark's representative could lead his party should Rishi Sunak step down after a sobering night, adding she had faith her party could recover.

"I think [Jenrick] has the capabilities," she said.

"He's a very clever man, he's taken the Newark seat and looked after it extremely well.

"He's come out recently - I think we've seen the real Robert Jenrick stand up, he's felt that the policies we've been following are probably not Robert Jenrick's policies, and not Conservative policies."

'Bitter blow' for Conservatives in RushcliffeLauren Monaghan Local Democracy Reporting Service

Rushcliffeâ€TMs formerly safe blue seat has turned red after more than five decades of Conservative rule, marking an historic political shift for the borough and delivering one of the Tory partyâ€TMs bitterest blows of the General Election.

James Naish (Lab) won the seat from Ruth Edwards (Con), marking the end of 54 years of Conservative domination previously typified by former chancellor Lord Kenneth Clarke, who stood down in 2019.

Ms Edwards was elected in his place, but with a shrunken majority of just over 7,500.That majority evaporated overnight on Thursday, with Mr Naish winning a margin of 7,426.

The last time a Labour MP was elected in Rushcliffe was in 1966.

Mr Naish said: "Iâ€TMm really pleased for the people of Rushcliffe that weâ€TMve decided to make that change and now hopefully a Labour government can deliver on the change that people have been looking for."

Ruth Edwards faced a tense night, after exit polls predicted an almost certain defeat for her.

She said: "Youâ€TMve put your heart and soul into it… Itâ€TMs a brutal, brutal game.

"I think the overriding factor has been the division in the party at a national level.

"Of course people want a united party to run the country and I donâ€TMt think we have presented them with that."

Defeated MP 'will go back to driving his tractor'BBC Radio Nottingham

Some newly-defenestrated Conservative MPs may be wondering what to do with themselves now they're out of a job, but one may be ploughing on in a different direction.

Mark Spencer, who lost out in the race for the new Sherwood Forest constituency to Labour's Michelle Welsh, is also a farmer, with his family owning land in the county.

Kay Cutts, the former Tory leader of Nottinghamshire County Council, said the Reform party "has cost [him] his seat", but she thinks he'll find ways to keep himself busy.

"It's a very local seat pertaining to local people who work locally, but Mark's a working farmer, he'll go back to farming again, and be quite happy driving his tractor and looking after his cattle," she said.

"He's got a future ahead of him."

Jenrick the last Tory standing in NottinghamshireLiam Barnes BBC News

It's been a night of heavy losses for the Conservatives across the UK as Labour has swept to victory in the general election.

In Nottinghamshire the Tories have also suffered badly, with Ben Bradley, Brendan Clarke-Smith, Ruth Edwards, Darren Henry, Tom Randall and Mark Spencer all losing their seats.

With Lee Anderson having defected to Reform in March and then winning for his new group, that leaves Newark's Robert Jenrick as the last MP in the county sporting a blue rosette.

After holding his seat, he thanked his local team for their work, saying it was "a huge compliment" to them that his constituents offered their backing "against almost every poll".

'You can't get rid of me', jokes defeated ToryLiam Barnes BBC News

It's been quite a few months for Ben Bradley.

He started the year not only as Mansfield's Conservative MP - the first Tory in nearly a century to take the seat when he was first elected in 2017 - but also Nottinghamshire County Council's leader.

He was also the party's candidate for the new East Midlands mayor role, but he was defeated in that election back in May, and now he's just lost his seat in Parliament to Steve Yemm.

His county council seat is safe for now, though, and while telling everyone how it had been "an immense privilege and honour" to serve as an MP, he wasn't going anywhere.

"You can't get rid of me that easy," he joked.

'Last time Labour won, I was eight'Liam Barnes BBC News

It's been described as a historic election already, but for Nottingham East's Nadia Whittome a Labour victory is something very new.

The 27-year-old comfortably retained her constituency, but her party's projected victory in the national polls is something new.

"The last time Labour won a general election, I was just eight years old," she said.

"What we are seeing is truly historic."

Ms Whittome said the win is "a resounding mandate" to continue work "for justice and equality for everyone, regardless of their background and identity", and called for a ceasefire in Gaza.

Triple Labour wins gives MP hope for cityLiam Barnes BBC News

Alex Norris is the MP for the new constituency of Nottingham North and Kimberley, but he's also toasting the success of the party around the region and the UK.

He told Nottingham Tennis Centre the city will benefit from having the party in power in Westminster, in the new East Midlands mayor role, and in Loxley House.

"Our city has cried out for serious change for a very long time, and it seems that we just might have got it," he said.

"I believe that with a Labour government, a Labour mayor, and a Labour council, we can do some very special things."

Lilian Greenwood 'can't stop smiling' after electionLiam Barnes BBC News

She was looking cheerful on her way in, and after holding her Nottingham South seat Lilian Greenwood is understandably very pleased.

As she gave her acceptance speech once the results were announced, she said she was thrilled to see the party's longstanding support in Nottingham replicated across the country.

"We've waited 14 years for this, so you'll have to excuse me if I can't stop smiling," she said.