Result announcement, interviews with journalists and candidates
Interviews and results anouncements from the Cambridge Guildhall on the night of the vote, and an interview the morning after with the winning candidate, Labour's Daniel Zeichner.
As described by the depositor:
Ashley Perry, the Council’s Marketing and Press Officer, gave us two minutes of his time at 10.10 pm when he was busy helping the media ensure they could get their results back to their respective bases.
Ashely told us: “Vicky is down there with her Electoral services team and working on it all. We have Sky, ITV, the BBC, local bloggers and some student reporters from student media here in the Gallery tonight overlooking the floor of the Guildhall and the count. It is a real mix, and it will be a busy evening and we are tight for space in the Gallery. We could have the first box of results coming in soon as there is a polling station very close by. “
That same night we spoke to two media studies students working for Sky, Anthony and Laura, who had been employed specially to send pictures back but not report on the count for Sky. Their camera showed just one shot all night, but it was a new innovative media practice for Sky.
Anthony said: “It is fantastic to be here. We definitely wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t’ for the fact that technology allows so many people to be given a job on the night”. Anthony also read out that first surprising Sky and IPSO Mori exit poll for us.
Laura said: “We are students working with Sky tonight and we are one of a 150 live links across the Country. We got one days training and we are media students, and we had an hour’s tuition on how to use the live links. It is an amasing opportunity to be here tonight it is going to make our future.”
The Cambridge Evening News political journalists John Vale and Chris Elliott again narrated the scene for us from the press balcony overlooking the count at the Guildhall.
John said: “I can see and feel buzz. The Exit Polls are giving the Tories a majority which has got everyone on the ropes a bit. The CEN did its own Exit Poll when between 5.30 pm and 8.30pm I stood outside a polling station and asked 150 people in West Chesterton, which is a tight seat between Lab and Liberal Democrats, how they would vote. It was 54 to LD and 53 Lab, 23 to Greens and 20 to Cons and none for the others. I stand by it. This is the practical heart of the election when you stand in the Guildhall Gallery and look down on the count.”
We listened in as Chris Elliott interviewed Daniel Zeichner for the Press Association just after 5pm when Daniel told Chris he had “quiet optimism”. Chris asked if he had in fact taken the seat? Daniel replied: “Never believe rumours, I have a fantastic team around me, we don’t know yet!”
We captured the audio of the count and proclamation being made by Ms Jackson. And then we heard Daniel Zeichner tell the people of Cambridge: “Well good morning Cambridge!”
Daniel also thanked: “Vicky Breading and her staff who worked tirelessly” and thanked “the voters of Cambridge for entrusting me with your vote in Cambridge”. Daniel also acknowledged how hard Julian had “worked for this city”, as had David Howarth and Anne Campbell the two former MPs one LD and one Labour. Daniel told the gathered supporters and activist: “I will try and follow that tradition.”
He said it was: “A tremendous victory for Cambridge Labour” and thanked his team, his colleagues and organisers and campaign manager. A loud cheer went up.
Julian Huppert also thanked his team, as did the other candidates as they took to the stage on the Guildhall floor one by one. Julian repeated what he had said at many of the Hustings meetings that he had in fact dealt with “32,000 pieces of casework” as the MP for Cambridge.
The CEN political reporter John Vale then quietly told us, as the results were being announced by Ms Jackson, that there was just “599 votes in it” and that there had been a few recounts from individual wards but that the Electoral Services team were saved from doing a full recount of all the wards and that he for one, due to the late hour of the declaration was: “grateful for that!”.
We spoke again to Richard Howitt MEP, Labour’s regional organiser about Labour’s success in Cambridge but failure nationally.
Richard told us: “There have been some difficult results tonight but it is a fantastic one in Cambridge. It was a slim margin but a clear victory for Labour. We won the City Council last year and the Parliamentary Seat this year. It has been a challenging night. Tuition fees were a milestone around the neck of Julian Huppert.
The winning candidate for Labour, Daniel Zeichner, spoke to various media outlets soon after the vote was declared about his success and we stood by his side to record his interview with BBC Radio Cambridgeshire’s Breakfast Show presenter Dotty McLeod. You will hear Daniel’s voice but not Dotty’s.
Daniel told Dotty: “Cambridge Labour has been working very hard to win the City back for Cambridge and I will now be working closely with the Labour Council. We will be tackling the problems of transport, the cost of housing for young people and many other problems the City has. We will be working Nationally with people from the other parties to sort out these problems.”
Daniel’s closing remarks to Dotty were poignant: “ I feel for people who have lost their seats all over the Country, including Julian Huppert.”
But for Daniel his first comments on hearing he had indeed won Cambridge for Labour were profound: “Good morning Cambridge”. It was for him one of our six PPCS – Prospective Parliamentary Candidates - a very good morning indeed.
As described by the depositor:
Ashley Perry, the Council’s Marketing and Press Officer, gave us two minutes of his time at 10.10 pm when he was busy helping the media ensure they could get their results back to their respective bases.
Ashely told us: “Vicky is down there with her Electoral services team and working on it all. We have Sky, ITV, the BBC, local bloggers and some student reporters from student media here in the Gallery tonight overlooking the floor of the Guildhall and the count. It is a real mix, and it will be a busy evening and we are tight for space in the Gallery. We could have the first box of results coming in soon as there is a polling station very close by. “
That same night we spoke to two media studies students working for Sky, Anthony and Laura, who had been employed specially to send pictures back but not report on the count for Sky. Their camera showed just one shot all night, but it was a new innovative media practice for Sky.
Anthony said: “It is fantastic to be here. We definitely wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t’ for the fact that technology allows so many people to be given a job on the night”. Anthony also read out that first surprising Sky and IPSO Mori exit poll for us.
Laura said: “We are students working with Sky tonight and we are one of a 150 live links across the Country. We got one days training and we are media students, and we had an hour’s tuition on how to use the live links. It is an amasing opportunity to be here tonight it is going to make our future.”
The Cambridge Evening News political journalists John Vale and Chris Elliott again narrated the scene for us from the press balcony overlooking the count at the Guildhall.
John said: “I can see and feel buzz. The Exit Polls are giving the Tories a majority which has got everyone on the ropes a bit. The CEN did its own Exit Poll when between 5.30 pm and 8.30pm I stood outside a polling station and asked 150 people in West Chesterton, which is a tight seat between Lab and Liberal Democrats, how they would vote. It was 54 to LD and 53 Lab, 23 to Greens and 20 to Cons and none for the others. I stand by it. This is the practical heart of the election when you stand in the Guildhall Gallery and look down on the count.”
We listened in as Chris Elliott interviewed Daniel Zeichner for the Press Association just after 5pm when Daniel told Chris he had “quiet optimism”. Chris asked if he had in fact taken the seat? Daniel replied: “Never believe rumours, I have a fantastic team around me, we don’t know yet!”
We captured the audio of the count and proclamation being made by Ms Jackson. And then we heard Daniel Zeichner tell the people of Cambridge: “Well good morning Cambridge!”
Daniel also thanked: “Vicky Breading and her staff who worked tirelessly” and thanked “the voters of Cambridge for entrusting me with your vote in Cambridge”. Daniel also acknowledged how hard Julian had “worked for this city”, as had David Howarth and Anne Campbell the two former MPs one LD and one Labour. Daniel told the gathered supporters and activist: “I will try and follow that tradition.”
He said it was: “A tremendous victory for Cambridge Labour” and thanked his team, his colleagues and organisers and campaign manager. A loud cheer went up.
Julian Huppert also thanked his team, as did the other candidates as they took to the stage on the Guildhall floor one by one. Julian repeated what he had said at many of the Hustings meetings that he had in fact dealt with “32,000 pieces of casework” as the MP for Cambridge.
The CEN political reporter John Vale then quietly told us, as the results were being announced by Ms Jackson, that there was just “599 votes in it” and that there had been a few recounts from individual wards but that the Electoral Services team were saved from doing a full recount of all the wards and that he for one, due to the late hour of the declaration was: “grateful for that!”.
We spoke again to Richard Howitt MEP, Labour’s regional organiser about Labour’s success in Cambridge but failure nationally.
Richard told us: “There have been some difficult results tonight but it is a fantastic one in Cambridge. It was a slim margin but a clear victory for Labour. We won the City Council last year and the Parliamentary Seat this year. It has been a challenging night. Tuition fees were a milestone around the neck of Julian Huppert.
The winning candidate for Labour, Daniel Zeichner, spoke to various media outlets soon after the vote was declared about his success and we stood by his side to record his interview with BBC Radio Cambridgeshire’s Breakfast Show presenter Dotty McLeod. You will hear Daniel’s voice but not Dotty’s.
Daniel told Dotty: “Cambridge Labour has been working very hard to win the City back for Cambridge and I will now be working closely with the Labour Council. We will be tackling the problems of transport, the cost of housing for young people and many other problems the City has. We will be working Nationally with people from the other parties to sort out these problems.”
Daniel’s closing remarks to Dotty were poignant: “ I feel for people who have lost their seats all over the Country, including Julian Huppert.”
But for Daniel his first comments on hearing he had indeed won Cambridge for Labour were profound: “Good morning Cambridge”. It was for him one of our six PPCS – Prospective Parliamentary Candidates - a very good morning indeed.