After a night of despair for the Labour Party candidate for Hove Peter Kyle managed to win the seat from the Conservatives.

Mr Kyle defeated conservative candidate and former city councillor Graham Cox to claim the swing seat from the Tories.

The new Labour MP won 22,086 votes as he defeated his political rival Mr Cox who achieved 20,846 in a narrow victory.

Mr Kyle is replacing retiring Conservative MP Mike Weatherly who stood down due to his health.

In a distant third place was the Green Party's Christopher Hawtree with 3,569 and UKIP's Kevin Smith acheived fourth with 3,265. 

In 2010 the third placed Liberal Democrats acheived 11,240 votes but this year candidate Peter Lambell took a battering as the party did nationally - coming in fourth with just 1,861 votes.

Independent Jenny Barnard-Langston won 322 votes, TUSC's Dave Hill won 144 and panto dame Dame Dixon came in last with just 125 votes. 

Overnight the Labour party have received a hammering from a resurgant Conservative Party and a massively successful SNP.

There was doom and gloom from Labour supporters during the count after the announcement of the final exit polls put Labour on the backfoot.

However a tremendous cheer went up when Mr Kyle was declared the winner of the traditionally vital seat.

The Hove Constituency was hailed by Tony Blair as the seat which made him realise he could win the 1997 General Election.

The Argus: