On A disastrous night for the Conservatives nationally, their East Yorkshire candidate Greg Knight bucked the trend by holding on to his seat and even boosted his majority by 1,525 votes.
At one point during the count - held at Driffield's Sports Centre - Mr Knight appeared nervous, while his Labour opponent, York councillor Tracey Simpson-Laing, was all smiles.
But as the result was declared at 2.30am, Mr Knight's pocket of supporters cheered the news that East Yorkshire would remain true blue.
He took the seat with 19,861 votes to Labour's 15,179. In third place were the Liberal Democrats with 6,300, followed by the UK Independence Party on 1,661 and the Independent candidate Paul Dessoe on 313.
After the announcement, Mr Knight vowed to serve all of East Yorkshire's electors whether they had voted for him or not.
He played down comparisons with controversial outgoing MP John Townend, saying he was looking forward to bringing his own style of politics to East Yorkshire.
Mr Knight said: "I work differently. That is not me being critical of John or anyone else, it is just me. Perhaps my training as a lawyer is a factor which helps me to see the many different views that can be attached to an issue, training I am confident will be a big asset to me as I serve the people of East Yorkshire."
Mr Knight said he will stand up for the rights of his new constituents in Parliament on the issues important to them. He said these include the crisis in the farming industry, problems with the common fisheries policy and problems with the East Coast tourist industry.
He also said he is aware of Stamford Bridge's flooding problems and will press for the River Derwent to be dredged.
"The people of Stamford Bridge have suffered terribly because of the floods. I have already met with Yorkshire MEP Timothy Kirkhope to discuss the issue, and look forward to working closely with him and others to bring about a resolution," Mr Knight said.
He conceded it was a bad night for the Tories. But he said Labour's huge majority makes it even more important for his party to be an effective opposition.
"I intend to do everything I can to make sure we are just that."
* 72052 people were registered to vote, with 50.026 per cent of them turning out.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereComments are closed on this article