HATED employment minister Esther McVey was sensationally sanctioned by voters in her Merseyside constituency yesterday morning.

The Wirral West MP zealously fronted policies such as the bedroom tax and benefit sanctions during three years as a minister at the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP).

But after a tense campaign she was pipped to the post by Labour’s Margaret Greenwood, who won 18,898 to the incumbent’s 18,481.

Ms Greenwood said it was “fantastic” to see the whole of Merseyside under Labour control.

She paid tribute to a “phenomenal campaign team” ranging from school students to pensioners.

Asked if Ms McVey had put her ambitions in national politics ahead of the interests of her constituents, Ms Greenwood said: “The national policies the Tories pursued have been really detrimental to the wellbeing of people locally.

“There’s a direct relationship between legislation passed and people’s lives. If you meet somebody who’s got a disabled child and they’re being asked to find another £700 a year or to move house, or get into hideous debt, that’s a national policy.”

Her victory was toasted by Labour shadow Commons leader Angela Eagle, who was comfortably returned for her Wallasey seat at the same count.

“People here understand how important it is to have proper public services and a proper safety net for people who are poor and vulnerable and not privileged,” she told the Star.

“And they’ve shown their hatred for the kind of government we’ve had for the past five years. It’s now our job to protect our area.”

Asked what she saw as the challenge for Labour in areas where it had failed to make gains, she said: “To speak to those people and make sure our communities support each other, and are not turned against each other by nasty tactics of divide and rule and rampant nationalism.”

Ms McVey fobbed off questions from the Star as her defeat became clear, but later told TV cameras she had suffered from a “brutal campaign” of opposition.