Grant Shapps loses his seat
Grant Shapps is the first Tory big beast to lose their seat. The former Defence Secretary was one of the most experienced Cabinet Ministers standing at the election and had been expected to throw his hat in the ring for leader.
Shapps concedes defeat
Shapps looked shaky as he conceded defeat and was the first Tory to admit his party has lost it. Laying into the Conservatives, he fumed about the importance of unity within the party.
Results and reactions
Conservative seats across Britain are falling to Sir Keir Starmer’s party as it makes unprecedented gains. Labour has clawed back constituencies lost to Boris Johnson in the Red Wall in 2019. The reds have also booted out Tory mainstays, including Sir Robert Buckland and Justin Tomlinson. Sir Keir’s party has gained the bellwether seat of Nuneaton, Warwickshire.
Exit poll and predictions
Tonight’s all-important exit poll shows Sir Keir thundering into Downing Street with a 170 seat majority. Labour is predicted to have bagged 410 seats, with the Conservatives on 131, the Lib Dems on 61 and Reform on 13.
Changing of the guard
The election marks the end of 14 years of Tory rule after Rishi Sunak’s early election gamble failed to revive the party’s fortunes. Among the Conservative big beasts set to lose their seats are Jeremy Hunt, Grant Shapps, and Penny Mordaunt.
Next steps
Barring a spectacular overnight upset, the PM will formally resign to King Charles on Friday morning before Sir Keir is asked by the monarch to form the next government. Sir Keir will then appoint his Cabinet before finalizing a blizzard of new laws to be announced to Parliament on July 17.
Campaign criticisms
The Tories have been heavily criticized for running one of the most disastrous campaigns in the party’s history. It included a string of unforced errors and controversies.
