General election 2010: Fifth term for Labour in Oxford East
By Sabine Klensch
Labour candidate Andrew Smith has won the race for Oxford East, defying heavy Lib Dem campaigning with a swing towards the incumbent.
This was a predictable outcome since Labour has held the seat with Mr Smith since 1987.
This time, the Labour party won by a larger victory than in 2005, gaining 21,938 votes over its main challenger, the Lib Dem candidate Steve Goddard, who was second with 17,357.
During the 2005 elections, Labour was leading with just over 0.5%.
This was thought to be a close battle in this urban seat, which contains the vast majority of Oxford itself and a large proportion of students living in the area.
