IT was champagne for breakfast for Labour MP John Grogan, who today achieved victory in a nail-biting Selby election battle.

The margin between Mr Grogan and Tory challenger Mark Menzies was so slim that bundles of votes had to be recounted at the eleventh hour.

But after a tense five-hour count, Mr Grogan clung on to a wafer-thin majority over Mr Menzies, winning a total of 22,623 votes - 467 more than the Tory hopeful.

The Labour MP was defending an already tight 2,138 majority in a seat targeted as a key marginal by Tory chiefs.

The count in Selby Abbey Leisure Centre began at 1.45am, but it was not until nearly 7am that the result was announced by acting returning officer Martin Connor.

The night of high drama saw an initially confident Conservative Party grow increasingly despondent, while Labour gloom turned to delight.

Earlier in the evening, senior Tories were even privately predicting their party would win with a comfortable margin.

The candidates' agents agreed to a recount of ballot paper bundles because the margin between Mr Grogan and Mr Menzies was less than 500.

But as daylight broke, Mr Grogan was returned victorious for a third election term in a one-time Tory stronghold.

A delighted Mr Grogan said: "I am proud to be a third-term Labour MP for Selby.

"I want to thank the people of Selby who put their trust in me and in the Labour Party.

"We have a chance to entrench our values of social democracy here in Selby.

"I want to thank the people of Selby from the bottom of my heart for giving me that chance."

A total of 52,549 constituents voted out of 77,971. The turnout was 67.5 per cent, up from 64.5 per cent in 2001.

Mr Menzies, accompanied to the election by his 70-year-old mother, Mary, polled 22,156 votes, while Liberal Democrat candidate Ian Cuthbertson won 7,770.

The defeated Tory candidate said: "I'd like to thank all the people who voted Conservative - 22,000 people is a lot of people, but not enough.

"I've had disappointments before. I'm young enough and determined enough to bounce back."

Mr Cuthbertson said: "I have to admit that Mr Grogan has a good record as a constituency MP and has done a good job for Selby.

"We have got a better result than last time - something to build on."

:: Selby Election result

John Grogan (Labour) 22,623 (43.1%)

Mark Menzies (Conservative) 22,156 (42.1%)

Ian Cuthbertson (Liberal Democrat) 7,770 (14.8%)

Updated: 10:33 Friday, May 06, 2005