JOHN Woodcock has described winning a second term as MP for Barrow and Furness as “the proudest moment of my working life".

But the Labour candidate saw his majority slashed in a closely fought battle that saw him gain 18,320 votes and Conservative Simon Fell 17, 525.

UKIP’s Nigel Cecil came third with 5,070 votes, followed by Lib Dem Clive Peaple with 1,169 votes, the Green Party’s Robert O’Hara got 1,061 votes, and Independent candidate Ian Jackson gained 130 votes.

The turnout in the constituency was 63.56 per cent, with a total of 43,434 votes cast.

In his winning speech, Mr Woodcock said to the people of Barrow and Furness: “You have put your faith in me – I won’t let you down.”

He drew both cheers and boos by saying, “I have made no secret of my disdain for the deceit on which the Tory campaign was based nationally, in lying about the strength of the shipyard.”

But he said that in person, the local candidates had run an ‘amiable campaign’.

Tory candidate Simon Fell said he was ‘disappointed’ about the result but said his team had done ‘an incredible job’.

“We got sucked into a national issue with the SNP but we have tried to fight a positive campaign,” he added.

The constituency had drawn national attention after a row erupted over Trident, which Mr Fell said had become "the issue of the campaign."

Mr Woodcock, who won the seat in 2010 with an 11.8 per cent majority, had vowed to resign from the party if Labour get into power and do not renew Trident.