Mark Harper took the seat with a 2,049 majority

Mark Harper took the seat with a 2,049 majority, almost the same as Labour had in the constituency at the last General Election in 2001.

Labour fared better elsewhere in the county, managing to hold on to Gloucester and Stroud.

The Lib Dems retained Cheltenham and the Tories held on to their Cotswold seat and Tewkesbury.

The Forest was the last seat in the county to declare its results.

Afterwards, Mr Harper said: "Four years ago, I was standing on this spot, I said I would stick with it and I said I would be back. I kept my promise."

Labour's Isabel Owen was standing in place of the constituency's former MP, Diana Organ, who stepped down.

Congratulating Mr Harper, she said: "Mark, you are borrowing (the seat) from us."

Cheltenham independent

Elsewhere, Geoffrey Clifton-Brown retained the Cotswold seat for the Conservatives; Laurence Robertson held Tewkesbury, also Tory, and David Drew kept Stroud for Labour.

In the Forest of Dean Labour candidate Isabel Owen, replacing retired Diana Organ, polled 17,425.

In Cheltenham, Lib Dem MP Martin Horwood - replacing the retiring Nigel Jones - saw his share drop by 6% to 18,124, pursued by Tory Dr Vanessa Gearson on 15,819 votes.

Dr Robert Hodges, standing as an independent in Cheltenham on a ticket of saving a children's ward at the town's hospital, polled 2,651 votes.

In Stroud, Mr Drew's share dropped 7% with 22,527. The Tories came a close second with 22,177 votes for Neil Carmichael, and the Lib Dems polled 8,026.

In Tewkesbury, Mr Robertson took 22,339 votes, a 3% increase, followed by the Lib Dems on 12,447 and Labour on 9,179.

In a seat that often reflects how the country votes, Labour's Parmjit Dhanda MP polled more than 23,000 votes in Gloucester.

Paul James for the Conservatives came second with almost 19,000 votes and the Lib Dems' Jeremy Hilton came third with 7,825 votes.