A former MP who lost his seat in last week’s general election has claimed that local councils will go unchecked with the new Labour majority.

Nick Fletcher was the borough’s first and only Conservative MP representing Doncaster East and the Isle of Axholme, before Labour saw a clean sweep on Friday.

Labour’s Lee Pitcher won the seat with 15,122 votes, with Mr Fletcher coming in second place with 12,811 votes.

Exit polls had marked the seat as too close to call between the two candidates and Reform UK’s Irwen Martin, who came third with 8,487 votes.

Following the election result on Friday, Mr Fletcher told the Local Democracy Reporting Service:

“I was expecting around that result, I’ve spent a lot of time on the doors and people were obviously upset with what’s happened over the last few years.

“It was close; I know people have obviously appreciated the work that I’ve done and I hoped that would carry me through but sadly not tonight.”

Known for his staunch conservative and Christian beliefs, Mr Fletcher was consistently critical of the Labour-controlled Doncaster Council and South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority (SYMCA).

He regularly criticised the mayors of both authorities over issues such as the closure of Doncaster Sheffield Airport and regional transport funding.

In his farewell speech on Friday, Mr Fletcher warned voters to “keep an eye on” Labour’s new government, claiming that he will bring about a Conservative majority in the borough in the future.

Expanding on his speech, Mr Fletcher added:

“I’m a believer in capitalism and I don’t believe in socialism, I believe socialism kills everything it touches and unfortunately now with a Labour majority I think we’re working towards a socialist state.

“That’s what Sheffield, Doncaster, Rotherham and Barnsley have been part of for such a long time. Last election we managed to have three Conservative MPs which was fantastic, and I’ve been able to hold this Labour council to scrutiny.

“Unfortunately we’ve lost that voice, so we need to be very, very careful, and if things happen the way I think they’ll happen, I think we’ll be seeing a different picture in four years time.”