A former Watford Grammar School for Boys pupil is celebrating General Election success.

Liberal Democrat MP Duncan Hames, 33, was elected to Wiltshire’s newly-created Chippenham seat in the early hours of Friday morning, defeating his well-fancied Tory rival by 2,470 votes.

The Oxford graduate, whose proud parents live in Carpenders Park, was fighting his third General Election campaign, having failed twice before in other minority seats.

Mum Pam Hames, an elected member of Three Rivers District Council, explained how her son’s political ambitions were nurtured at Watford Boys' Grammar School.

She said: “He was very interested in politics form a young age and took part in debating when he was at school.

“When he went to Oxford he joined the debating society and was a member of the young Liberal Democrats group.

“We are very proud of what he has achieved. He has worked so hard to over the years to get where he is.”

Mr Hames, who lives with his family in Wiltshire, worked for financial consultancy Deloitte before setting up his own business – a venture he vowed to give up if and when he was elected.

The Watford Observer has thus far been unable to speak to Mr Hames, who, like all other newly elected Parliamentarians, is currently undergoing a three-day induction process in Westminster.

Mr Hanes’ success was in sharp contrast to two other Watford-based candidates, who fell to heavy defeats while representing the Liberal Democrats.

Political campaigner Susan Gaszczak, of Queen's Avenue, West Watford, was more than 22,000 votes behind her Conservative rival Mark Francois as she finished second in Rayleigh and Wickford, while Watford borough councillor Rabi Martins finished third in Luton North, more than 15,000 votes behind Labour’s Kelvin Hopkins.

Mss Gaszczak said: “I was very pleased that I managed to move us from third to second, which was my target all along.”