NEWLY-crowned Barrow MP Simon Fell has spelled out his three immediate priorities after chopping the seat from Labour for the first time in 32 years - scorching home with 23,876 votes.

Get to the House of Commons on Monday to be sworn in, sort out an office in the centre of Barrow and start delivering for all those who gave him a 5,789 majority over Labour’s Chris Altree.

Mr Fell, aged 39, is acutely aware that many traditional Labour voters in Furness pushed him over the line at the third time of asking when they have voted red here for 27 years, or seven general elections on the bounce.

Speaking in the bar of the Holiday Inn Express with a celebratory whisky in hand as Labour strongholds fell like dominoes on TV, Mr Fell said: “I am incredibly grateful to everybody who voted for me. I know a lot of people did so, perhaps against what their natural inclination is, so that’s fantastic.”

“But the proof will be in the pudding. We are going to have to work for them and deliver for them. For Barrow that means making sure we are on the political map and that Westminster listens to us. I do believe this is a town that has been left behind and our community should not feel left behind anymore - that job is on me now.”

He becomes the first Conservative to win an election in Barrow and Furness since Cecil Franks in 1987. The brusque Manchester solicitor’s original campaign slogan asked: “What’ll The Lads Do On Monday?” - stoking questions about the shipyard’s future under a left wing Labour leader.

But it wasn’t just the BAE System vote at play in 2019, said Mr Fell.

“I think we won it on a combination of things. Brexit - people being so incredibly frustrated with this process, how long it has taken, the fact that the vote they had where they rejected the establishment was being rejected by the establishment.”

And of Jeremy Corbyn, he felt the Labour party had focused too much on ‘London issues’ - favouring the idealism of a ‘Metropolitan elite' rather than on working class parts of the country.

“The results have played out,” said Mr Fell. “We have seen the north west and Midlands fall to the Conservatives for the first time in generations, which says that Labour is failing them and our message is working for them - but we have got to deliver on it.”

Mr Fell now has the small matter of handing in his notice to his London employer where he works in fraud prevention. He took two weeks holiday and a fortnight’s unpaid leave to hit the campaign trail. On a personal level, the other pressing priority is to buy a Christmas tree - a job abandoned as a result of the festive election - the first in nearly 100 years.

His wife Pippa, nursing their second child, four-month-old baby Fitz, was among those to cheer him home, as was Simon’s Dad Peter, of Ulverston. Mum Meriel staying at home.

Pippa said: “I am incredibly proud of him. He has worked for five years to get to this point and it is going to be such an exciting time ahead.”

Dad Peter, aged 72, said: “We are incredibly proud of what he has worked for. This is his third attempt and the first time round he got a majority of 5,200 down and then he got it down to 209 last time.”

“He’s a very logical person, keeps calm, has a cool head and is a very good organiser. I know I am biased but I just think he will make a really, really good MP for Barrow and Furness.”

Local Conservative party chairman Cllr Andrew Butcher said: “John Woodcock gave us a damn good letter of support and a lot of people on the doorstep over these last couple of weeks, even hardened Labour voters were turning towards the Conservatives.”

Long before the result was announced, it was plain to see on Chris Altree’s face that the night was not his.

The proud Barrovian arrived at the town hall in the early hours of Friday the 13th having watched a horror show roll out for Labour on national TV.

“I’m not going to lie, I am deflated,” said the Ormsgill railway worker who polled over 18,000.

“It’s depressing but people have had their say. At the end of the day, you have to respect that. We have had tremendous amounts of support on the doorstep and from friends, family, volunteers and the Labour movement - it has blown me away.”

The turnout of 46,155, or 65 per cent, was not far off the June 2017 election,

“It’s very sad and it hasn’t brought the result that we wanted, but it’s been an honour to represent the people of Barrow and the Labour party - our time will come, at some point.”

Mr Altree, aged 32, added: “Although I personally have had lots of positive comments on the doorstep, people have expressed their feelings to me about the party nationally. They told me they would vote for me but did not like where Labour is at the moment. They were people who wanted Brexit and wanted Brexit delivered.”

Of Simon Fell, Mr Altree said he had been a ‘gentleman’ but added: “His priority has to be the poverty here. There’s people that really need help and I hope he reflects on that when he’s at Westminster and voting.”

Walney Labour councillor Frank Cassidy, added: “Chris was a good candidate and we gave this campaign everything we had. All our team can hold their heads high.”

Lib Dem Loraine Birchall finished third with 2025 votes. She said: “It’s the usual flip-flop here and unless people change the way they vote, they are never going to get change in Barrow.”

Ged McGrath, the Brexit Party candidate got 1,355 votes while Chris Loynes, of the Green Party got 703.