Flamboyant Boris Johnson was returned as Tory MP for Henley with a greatly increased majority of 12,793 compared with 8,458 four years ago.

The MP, who has a home in the constituency near Thame, said: "I am truly delighted to be part of the revived and reviving Conservative party. This is the beginning of the end of the Blair Government.

"Now it is time to knock this election on the head and go home for breakfast."

Mr Johnson was returned to Parliament as much for his personality as for the party he represents.

People all over the constituency told him they would vote for him as a personality rather than as a representative of the Conservative party.

He has become a well-known and well-liked figure because of the amount of time he puts into meeting local people and visiting local schools and businesses.

The television personality and editor of The Spectator beat into second place Liberal Democrat challenger David Turner, from Chalgrove, a member and former chairman of both South Oxfordshire District and Oxfordshire County Councils.

Mr Turner is hoping for better results in the county council election which will be counted later today.

He said: "I believe Henley is not the safe Conservative seat that everybody feels it is. The Liberal Democrats can win it and I hope to do so in future elections."

Trailing them both were Labour's Kaleem Saeed. He felt his party had a reasonable showing and he said he did not feel that living outside the constituency -- he is an accountant in Glasgow -- had unduly dampened the vote. He plans to stand again for Labour at the next general election.

UKIP's Delphine Gray-Fisk said she felt there was a lot of support for her party's policies which are aimed at getting Britain from under the red tape imposed by Brussels.

She said: "We are a sovereign country and should be masters of our own fate."

Mark Stevenson, an organic farmer from Littlemore, felt he did well and that his Green party's policies were becoming more welcomed in the country.

Returning officer Steven Lake announced the result at Icknield Community School at 5am, after seven hours counting.