The outgoing Conservative MP for St Austell and Newquay has spoken of his pride for Cornwall and hopes his replacement will put the interests of what he believes is the "very best constituency in our nation" about any party. Steve Double lost his seat to newcomer 29-year-old Noah Law, in what turned out to be a landslide victory for Labour after 14 years of Conservative government.

In a long letter to constituents, Mr Double, who was first elected to represent St Austell and Newquay in 2015 then again in 2017 and in 2019, said there is a lot to be proud of in terms of what has been achieved for constituents and for the people of Cornwall as a whole. Mr Double said: "Over the past nine years I have always sought do my best to be an effective Member of Parliament, consistently speaking up for and working on behalf of local people.

"I will always be proud of what I, and my team, were able to achieve. Securing more government investment into Mid-Cornwall than any previous MP. Funding for new roads, new schools and a new college campus, upgrading our railway, flood defences and the creation of new job opportunities, and much more. Including the £137million of Shared Prosperity Funding which many projects across our constituency have benefited from.

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"Almost every part of the constituency has seen funding for local projects. I am also pleased to have been able to assist more than 40,000 individuals, households and businesses with a wide and varied range of issues."

The outgoing MP lost his set after Noah Law secured 15,958 votes (34.1 per cent of the vote) while he secured 13,488 votes (28.9 percent). Stephen Beal from Reform came third with 9,212 votes (19.71 per cent) ahead of Joanna Kenny (Liberal Democrats) and her 4,805 votes (10.28 per cent), Amanda Pennington (Green) - 2,337 (five per cent), Jay Latham (Liberal) - 490 votes (1.05 per cent) and Angie Rayner (Independent) - 442 votes (0.95 per cent).

Mr Double said he and his wife Anne will take the summer off to relax, recuperate and consider the future, but he insisted he has no plan whatsoever to leave the area. He said: "I have often said being the MP for St Austell and Newquay was always much more than a job for me. It was also about much more than politics. This is the place I belong and feel a strong connection to. My whole life has been invested here in a variety of roles.

"Although there are aspects of politics today that are ugly and brutal, I have loved every moment of my time and will carry this with me for the rest of my life. I am not going anywhere. This place is my home and that is not going to change."

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Looking at the past nine years as the MP for the local area, he had a parting swipe at the Labour party saying he worries the new Government might completely ignore Cornwall even though they now have four out of the six MPs representing the county - the other two having swung Lib Dem's way.

Mr Double said: "I leave having secured funding for a number of projects that are still to be developed. Particularly the Mid-Cornwall Metro that will revolutionise public local transport and the redevelopment of Cornwall College that will provide new state of the art further education facilities for generations to come.

"I sincerely hope that the new government will confirm funding for these and other projects such as school improvements and the new Women and Children's hospital in Truro. I will be looking to our new MP to do everything he can to ensure they are completed. I very much hope the new Labour government does not do as they did in 1997 and withdraw funding for local projects in Cornwall.

"I sincerely hope our new MP will become an effective champion for our constituency and continue to deliver for local people the way I have been able to do. I have already been working to ensure a smooth hand over and assisting him to get off to a positive start. I am now one of his constituents so very much want him to be successful."

He added: "Finally, I want to say a huge thank you to my wife Anne and our family. Few people outside of politics ever appreciate the price the family of an MP pay. The missed times together, the family events interrupted by phone calls, the strange looks you get when you are out together.

"I have been very fortunate in having a wife who has not only supported me but to actively work with me. We have been a team and will continue to be so. Both of our sons have also been a tower of support for us. I simply would not have got through the past nine years without them. I am so grateful and one of the things I am looking forward to now is having more time to spend with them and support them and their families.

"This part of Cornwall is a very special, and unique, place. We should all feel incredibly proud of the place we call home and count ourselves lucky that we get to live here. Yes, we have our challenges, but we also have some amazing opportunities that I hope we will realise to the full for future generations.

"I will always be proud of the fact I got to represent what I believe to be the very best constituency in our nation and have left my mark. But it is now time for someone else to take up the baton."