I want to thank everyone across Halesowen and Rowley Regis who voted Labour.

I was blessed with the hardest working campaign team a Labour candidate could want. We spoke to tens of thousands of people over the last two years and had over 200 people volunteering on polling day. I'm proud of those Labour party members that gave their time because they believe in a fairer country. Thank you to the inspiring people who campaigned for a Labour victory in Halesowen and Rowley Regis. Their kind messages of support have meant a great deal.

I would like to congratulate James on his victory and thank all of the other candidates.

We said we would campaign on the issues and we did. We didn’t win this election but I like to think we helped local people win some battles. From bus routes to pub closures - we fought for the community to be heard.

We didn't win this time but as Bobby Kennedy once said, "Only those who dare to fail greatly can ever achieve greatly".

Stephanie Peacock