Wolverhampton residents speak of scepticism after Labour wins

One Tory voter, Jimmy Singh, owner of Jack’s Cafe, said: “I voted Conservative. Obviously we knew Labour was going to win.

“My concern was they’re going to put minimum wage up which is all right but [when] minimum wage goes up, everything else is going to go up.”

Reform UK came second in Wolverhampton South East, a constituency where 71% of voters in the Brexit referendum voted Leave.

In Wolverhampton North East, where the same percentage of voters had voted Leave, Reform came third with 1,100 votes fewer than the Conservatives.

Graham Wood told the BBC he had voted for Reform, rejecting the idea that it was a protest vote and a one-off.

“Why shouldn’t we have a change? The Tories and Labour promise everything, we never get it,” he said.

“They’re gonna say taxes won’t go up but they will go up. We will be taxed.”

Alan Jackson, who had voted Labour ever since he was able to vote, believed the country needed an alternative to Labour and the Conservatives so he voted for Reform.

“I’m not a great fan of Keir Starmer and I don’t think they are going to do anything about one of the biggest things, immigration,” he said.