ONE of the most dramatic election battles for years saw the 1992 Barrow victor able to lap up the cheers of his supporters from the town hall balcony like a rock star or a sporting hero.

The Mail, on Friday, April 10, noted: “Labour’s John Hutton is the new MP for Barrow and Furness.

“He swept to a 3,578 majority over Conservative Cecil Franks early today to end nine years of Tory tenure in the constituency.

“The victory represented a 6.8 per cent swing to Labour.

“A jubilant Mr Hutton became the first MP for many years to walk out on to the town hall balcony, met by the deafening cheers of more than 100 Labour supporters.”

The 1992 result was 26,568 for Labour, 22,990 for the Conservatives and 6,089 for Liberal Democrat Clive Crane.

More than 82 per cent of the electorate cast a vote.

Mr Hutton said: “It has been a victory for common sense, a triumph of hope over fear and a day that will live long in the memories of this constituency.

Former Barrow and Furness MP Cecil Franks offered his congratulations and made a pledge to fight on.

He said: “I loan you this constituency, I only loan it.”

Mr Hutton, now Baron Hutton of Furness, was to hold the seat until he stepped down in 2010. He served as Defence Secretary and Business Secretary.

In 1992 he became the 13th MP for Barrow and the fifth Labour MP to represent the town.

Among new voters in 1992 was Vickers coppersmith Andrew Bowes – who celebrated his 18th birthday on the day of the election.

Mr Bowes, of Devon Street, Barrow, cast his vote at the Greengate polling station .

On a lighter note, the Thorntons section of the Coombs flower shop on Dalton Road was doing a roaring trade in lollies shaped as political party rosettes.

Labour and Conservative lollies were outsold by those for Screaming Lord Such – but his Official Monster Raving Loony Party didn’t field a candidate in Barrow.

Marjorie Coombs said: “People seem to be taking them into offices as a joke.

“Screaming Lord Such has sold out.”