As David Cameron sweeps to victory, Esther Mcvey loses her seat in Wirral West

The result was revealed to elated Labour supporters following a recount shortly before 5am on Friday.

Ms McVey, who was elected as MP for Wirral West in 2010, was behind in the polls in most of the build up to General Election, but many had expected she would retain the seat.

But it was not to be.

Winners: Wallasey MP elect Angela Eagle congratulates Wirral West's new Labour MP elect Margaret Greenwood

With just 417 votes between the two candidates. Esther attracted 18,481 while Margaret got 18,898.

However, it appears David Cameron has secured an extraordinary victory as "shy Tories" came out at the last moment to keep him in Downing Street, with a 6am results forecast suggesting he will win 325 seats - exactly half of the Commons.

With Sinn Fein not taking their seats and the Speaker not voting, it effectively gives the Tories a majority.

Mr Cameron said it was "too early to say" what the final result of the General Election would be, but added that there was 'the chance now to build on the foundation' laid in the last parliament.

Everything was thrown at the seat by both parties, with high profile figures including Ed Miliband, John Prescott, George Osborne and William Hague all visiting the “kingmaker” seat in recent weeks.

Turnout was incredibly high in Wirral West at 75.86% - up from 71.52% in 2010, with 42,008 people voting out of a possible 55,377.

Despite losing the seat, Ms McVey told the Globe she would be returning to politics and was delighted to receive 2,000 more votes than in 2010.

She said that it had been a tight marginal to fight and that “the people of Wirral West have spoken”.

 Labour celebrations as the result of the recount is announced

After her defeat, Ms McVey said: “Whether it's 400 votes or it's one vote or however many votes, I've lost but I take comfort from the fact that an extra 2,000 people voted Conservative. I'm just disappointed for them that I couldn't get another 500 votes."

Ms McVey said she is going to "dust herself down" and plans to return to politics.

She added: "When I was a little girl growing up in Liverpool looking at the people in unemployment, I thought if there was any job I would like to have it would be minister for employment and I have done that.

"During that time I was in office, 1,000 people were getting a job every day."

 "I will go back into politics because I believe in politics and I believe in community. 

“You have to dust yourself down and pick yourself up again. I just think that's life and I just think that's how politics is, it's the ups and downs, it's like a rollercoaster or it can be and you have got to be prepared to go on that journey and it's about working hard and having vision and having the support from your local community if they want you."

She then vowed to return to politics following her defeat, saying: “I’m coming back - I wanna be an MP.”

New MP Margaret Greenwood said she is “delighted” to have been elected following a “hard and long fight”.

She told the Globe key issues including the NHS – particularly GP waiting times and ongoing issues at Arrowe Park Hospital – increasing economic growth in the Northwest rather than the South East and continuing to oppose underground coal gasification in the Dee Estuary would form the basis of her MP duties.

Asked whether she thought she had won or Ms McVey had lost, Ms Greenwood said: “I think we won” and cited the bedroom tax as one of the issues that helped her to victory.

She added: “People are very concerned about UCG in the Dee Estuary. They value the estuary, having the wildlife and bird life.

“The fact that the last MP didn’t really do anything on that, that’s disappointing for a lot of people.

“It feels fantastic to get the whole of Merseyside back under Labour.”

Elsewhere in Wirral, veteran Labour politician Frank Field retained his Birkenhead seat - which he has held since 1979 – with 26,468 votes. His nearest competition was the Conservative’s Clark Vasey, who secured 5,816 votes.

He said that it had been a “disappointing night” for Labour nationally but vowed to “fight and fight and fight again the unjust cuts that are being imposed on our area and particularly those who are weakest and less able to bare those cuts”.

In Wallasey, Labour’s Angela Eagle retained her seat for a sixth time, while Labour’s Alison McGovern also retained the Wirral South seat.

Ms Eagle said it's a "great honour" and humbling to be returned as MP for Wallasey for a sixth time and said she will fight to protect the people of Wallasey against cuts whichever government may take office, particularly if it's a Conservative or right wing government.

Ms McGovern said: "A huge thank you to my constituents in Wirral South over the past five years. Whether you voted for me or not last time or thus time, you have shown me a kindness beyond measure and I will be forever grateful.

"I will need your kindness and support again in the coming weeks, months and years and I know I can trust the people that I represent to tell me about their needs, when I get things wrong as well as when I get things right.

"This evening is the beginning of another fight against injustice and to support all of those who we represent in Wirral to become the things they want. We continue that fight this evening."

David Cameron has vowed to govern for the whole of the United Kingdom as he returned to No 10 at the head of a majority Conservative government while the Scottish nationalists swept board north of the border.

After a stunning election night for the Tories, the Prime Minister David Cameron paid generous tribute to his defeated rivals Ed Miliband and Nick Clegg who both announced that they would be quitting as leaders of their parties.

Following an audience with the Queen at Buckingham Palace to confirm his second term in office, Mr Cameron returned to Downing Street with a pledge to restore unity to the country after a bruising five week campaign.

Speaking on the steps of No 10, Mr Cameron - who had repeatedly warned of the dangers of a Labour government propped up by the votes of the SNP - said he would press ahead with the promised further devolution to Scotland "as fast as I can".

"As we conduct this vital work we must ensure that we bring our country together. We will govern as a party of one nation, one United Kingdom," he said.