IT is rarely the case that the incumbent MP is the underdog at the general election, but the shock over Neil Carmichael being re-elected shows that, in Stroud, he was almost being written off in the run-up to polling day.
David Drew was the 11/4 odds on favourite to win on May 6 and there was a strong sense the Labour stalwart would reclaim the seat he lost in 2010.
So, for Mr Carmichael to not only win but also increase his majority shows just how unpredictable politics can be – and, perhaps, that thousands of people chose an MP who would help give the country a majority government.
After all, Mr Drew actually increased the roughly 22,000 votes he achieved in 2010 but still came second as Mr Carmichael picked up some of the almost 7,000 the Lib Dems lost.
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