The independent candidate for St Neots and Mid Cambridgeshire has said he is "proud" of his campaign, but expressed "disappointment" with his share of the vote. 

Stephen Ferguson, who serves as a councillor on Huntingdonshire District Council and Cambridgeshire County Council and previously served as the mayor of St Neots, came fifth in the national poll, securing 2,941 votes. 

Ian Sollom has officially been elected as the Liberal Democrat MP for St Neots and Mid Cambridgeshire in a landslide victory against Anthony Browne from the Conservatives. 

Speaking to The Hunts Post, Mr Ferguson said: "I'm very proud of the campaign we ran. 

"We had six weeks to form a campaign starting from the base of absolutely zero. I had no volunteers or staff, and we staged a campaign across a 20-mile long constituency with 75,000 people. 

"I'm disappointed by the number of votes that we got in the end, but it's just a hard thing to achieve against party machines where people tend to vote for parties instead of people. 

"But I'm genuinely pleased for Ian Sollom who secured an incredibly victory and I'm looking forward to working with him as a county councillor."

Reflecting on the Conservative Party's worst defeat since 1832, Mr Ferguson added the party had a "long road" before they could "redeem themselves".

He added: "I think it's just seeing every single aspect of British life and national services devastated. 

"I think it's going to be a long way back for the Conservatives because the country is in a mess. 

"They're really going to have to gain the trust to bridge public acclaim, which is going to take a long time."

Mr Ferguson said he was "concerned" about what he described as the "lack of engagement" by the electorate. 

He said: "We took part in nine and a half hours of debates and hustings, and contributed numerous news articles, but it was clear that people were voting for parties rather than people. 

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