CONSERVATIVE David Jones was celebrating beginning a second term as Clwyd West MP last night.
The constituency had been cited by Labour as a main target as they looked to reclaim the seat Gareth Thomas had lost to Mr Jones by less than 200 votes in 2005.
But they were to be left disappointed as Mr Jones, 58, strengthened his grip by increasing his majority to more than 6,000, after claiming more than 42 per cent of the share.
Mr Jones was elected with 15,833 votes, leaving him clear of Labour’s Donna Hutton who registered 9,414.
In his victory speech, former solicitor Mr Jones said: "It has been a privilege to represent the people of Clwyd West during the last Parliament and I assure them I will not let them down in the coming Parliament."
Mr Jones pledged to continue to give strong, effective representation to the people of his constituency at Westminster and to be in tune with the concerns of his constituents.
The election campaign in the constituency has been blighted by a dispute between Mr Jones and Ms Hutton, after the Labour candidate was accused of making “serious inaccurate claims” about the Conservative Party last month.
After praising his other election rivals for their conduct in his victory speech at Venue Cymru, Mr Jones again spoke of his disappointment in the conduct of Labour during the campaign.
Ms Hutton responded by hitting back at the re-elected candidate, saying it was a shame Mr Jones had chosen to make such comments while celebrating his victory.
She added: “I would think after winning so well he would not need to do this.
“We have worked hard and there is nothing to be disappointed about apart from the result.”
Plaid Cymru increased their share of the vote after Llyr Huws Gruffydd polled 5,864 votes, with Michele Jones attaining 5,801 votes for the Liberal Democrats.
Warwick Nicholson of the UK Independence Party collected 864 votes, with Rev David Griffiths of the Christian Party collecting 239 votes and Independent Joe Blakesley obtaining 96.