THE Sikh community expressed delight after the election of the first female member of the faith to Parliament.

Voters in Birmingham Edgbaston sent Preet Gill to the House of Commons with a Labour majority of 6,917.

She took Leave campaigner Gisela Stuart old seat after the former Labour decided not to stand again.

Ms Gill, who will campaign against education cuts in parliament, said: "It's a real honour to be representing the people and the place where I was born and raised."

"We've had a really strong campaign, a really good team of people here in Edgbaston and it's just been phenomenal."

She added: "I'm really excited to learn more and really connect with communities," she said.

Bhai Amrik Singh, chair of the Sikh Federation, said: "We are delighted to have the first Sikh woman MP in Preet Kaur Gill in Birmingham, Edgbaston.

"She will be a fantastic MP, a credit to the Sikh community and an excellent role model."