Business greets new era for UK with cautious optimism

As the UK gets used to a Labour government for the first time in 14 years, Gloucestershire's business community gently reminds the party of the key ingredient it needs to deliver economic growth.

Dear Readers,

There seems only one story of interest today - the general election. So we have shelved the feature we had planned and gone all in on some post-election reaction.

In Gloucestershire our votes mean the blanket of Conservative blue that lay across the county has all but disappeared to be replaced by not just Labour but the Liberal Democrats too.

Across the county the results looked like this (the reactions are contained in our main story below).

In Gloucester Alex Mcintyre (Labour - 16,472) replaced Richard Graham (Conservative - 13,041); in Cheltenham Alex Chalk (Con - 17,866) moves aside for Max Wilkinson (Lib Dem - 25,076); in Stroud Simon Opher (Lab - 25,630) replaces Siobhan Baillie (Cons - 14,219), in Tewkesbury Cameron Thomas (Lib Dem - 20,730) trumped the closest contender Damola Animashaun (Lab - 4,298); in the Forest of Dean Matt Bishop (Lab - 16,373) narrowly beat Mark Harper (Con -16,095); in the North Cotswolds Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown (17,426), survived to beat…