Leigh. An impenetrable Labour stronghold for almost a century, many Leythers shed lifelong allegiances to elect a Conservative MP for the first time.The result wasn't even close.Tory candidate James Grundy won comfortably on the night, amassing almost 2,000 more votes than Labour's Jo Platt.The historic result was one of many in so-called 'Red Wall' seats that helped to secure a majority for Boris Johnson's party and highlighted how Labour had lost its grip on its traditional heartlands.In Leigh, the message was loud and clear - people wanted change.
That clamour for something different was highlighted by the Manchester Evening News during a visit to the town in the weeks beforehand .
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