Conservative candidate Nick Gibb has retained his Bognor Regis and Littlehampton parliamentary seat with 24,185 votes.

Mr Gibb beat UKIP candidate Graham Jones into second place with 10,241 votes.

Labour leapfrogged the Liberal Democrats into third place with Alan Butcher receiving 6,508 votes while the LibDems’ candidate, Francis Oppler, received 4,240 votes. Green Party candidate Simon McDougall finished fifth with 1,942 votes. 

Mr Gibb thanked constituents for “rising above the tide of cynicism and getting out to vote”. He said: “Tonight’s election results present a challenge to all political parties.

"Labour have yet to demonstrate that they are ready for government. The Conservative party’s task is to continue the work of economic recovery, to renegotiate our relationship with the European Union and to restore faith in politics across the United Kingdom.”

UKIP saw support in the constituency trebled from 2010. Candidate Graham Jones said: “Naturally I am disappointed, but I am flattered that so many people did vote for me.

“I’ve taken UKIP from being the last party at the last election to the second party at this one.”

Labour’s Alan Butcher thanked the candidates for a “good fight and an election fought in the spirit of British democracy”. He said: “I would like to express my pride and pleasure at being able to represent the Labour Party.”

Francis Oppler, representing the Liberal Democrats, said: “Clearly tonight was going to be a difficult election for us and it’s proved to be even worse than some of the projections.

“The Liberal Democrats have got a proud record in government and I am proud of what we have achieved. But clearly we now have a lot of rebuilding to do.”

The Green Party’s Simon McDougall, who represented the Liberal Democrats in this constituency in 2010, said: “We’ve done tremendously well after only four and half months from a standing start.

“We have gone from 30 members to 170 plus in the constituency. The Green Party will be back and rest assured so will I.”