THE Labour Party thinks it has a real chance of challenging The Conservatives at the next general election in the South West Wiltshire constituency after an impressive result on Thursday night.

With 14,515 votes, more than double the number the party received in 2015, candidate Laura Pictor is hopeful for the future.

Speaking after the announcement at County Hall on Thursday, she said: “"It feels brilliant, we are ecstatic. This proves that Labour are a force in this part of Wiltshire and we will build on this result for next time.

“We don’t have many staff or much money in this area of the country, especially so soon after the local elections, which makes this result even better for us.

“Our manifesto focuses on areas that need attention such as reversing cuts to vital public services, and we also have the fairest policies on immigration.

“We have a strong manifesto; people are clearly fed up of seven years of austerity aimed at pensioners and the most vulnerable in society.

“People have seen Jeremy Corbyn first-hand during this election and he's led an outstanding campaign, despite constant media bias."