Former cabinet minister Sir Jacob Rees-Mogg is one of the biggest Tory beasts to be disposed of as Labor returns to power after 14 years in a crushing victory.
In a humiliating night for Rishi Sunak’s party, some of the Conservatives’ biggest names – including a record number of Cabinet members – lost their seats as Labor stormed to a landslide victory.
Among those to be swept up in the bloodbath of a brutal election night was Mr Rees-Mogg who lost the Somerset North East & Hanham seat to Labour’s Dan Norris by more than 5,000 votes.
Afterwards, he said he had ‘no one to blame but myself’ and that it had been a ‘very bad night for the Conservatives’.
Sir Keir Starmer boasted ‘we did it’ today after Labor’s victory made him the next Prime Minister.
After early exit polls predicted a Labor landslide, Sir Keir’s party roared for victory as senior Tory figures fell like dominoes.
A glum looking Defense Secretary Grant Shapps suffered a ‘Portillo Moment’ as he was beaten by Labor in Welwyn Hatfield by around 3,000 votes.
Jacob Rees-Mogg lost Somerset North East & Hanham to Labour’s Dan Norris by more than 5,000 votes
Grant Shapps looked dejected as he lost his seat in Welwyn Hatfield on a devastating night for the Tories
Not long ago Penny Mordaunt – another former Conservative leadership contender – missed out by the same margin in Portsmouth North, admitting the party had ‘broken trust’ with voters.
Keir Starmer claimed victory at a rally in central London after his party officially reached the 325 seats needed to control the Commons.
The devastated PM admitted that Sir Keir won because he nervously won the very safe seat of Richmond & Northallerton.
The ‘Portillo’ moment is a reference to Conservative cabinet minister Michael Portillo who lost what he thought was a safe Tory seat in a landslide to Labor in 1997.
In a parting shot, Mr Shapps said the Conservatives had ‘lost’ the election more than Labor had won – and were ‘trying the patience’ of the public being divided.
And shortly after Penny Mordaunt – another former Conservative leadership contender – missed out by the same margin in Portsmouth North, admitting the party had ‘broken trust’ with voters.
Many other government ministers were kicked out of Parliament by voters, with Education Secretary Gillian Keegan losing out in Chichester to the Liberal Democrats – who also took on Justice Secretary Alex Chalk.
Former Justice Secretary Sir Robert Buckland, Veterans Minister Johnny Mercer, Education Secretary Gillian Keegan, Culture Secretary Lucy Frazer, Chief Whip Simon Hart were all sacked – as were Tory deputy leader Jonathan Gullis, former deputy PM Therese Coffey and Michael Fabricant.
Welsh Secretary David Davies, Science Minister Michelle Donelan and Attorney General Victoria Prentis were all kicked out of their seats.
Senior Tory Liam Fox, who has been MP for North Somerset since 1992, also lost to Labour. He lost by only 639 votes to Labor candidate Sadik Al-Hassan.
Mr Rees-Mogg congratulated Sir Keir Starmer on ‘what appears to be a historic victory’.
Speaking at the University of Bath after the results were announced, Sir Jacob said: ‘Let me start by giving my best wishes to Dan Norris, who has served in North East Somerset or Wansdyke as before and I’m sure he will. to be a loyal constituent MP in the future.
‘And congratulations to Sir Keir Starmer who has led the party to historic victory. And this is the great virtue of our democracy, so I salute him.’
Sir Jacob went on to thank agents, campaign directors and constituency staff for their ‘hard work over the past 14 years’.
A glum looking Defense Secretary Grant Shapps was beaten by Labor in Welwyn Hatfield by around 3,000 votes.
Sir Keir and his wife Victoria came to count in the Holborn and St Pancras constituencies in north London
Rishi Sunak and his wife Akshata Murty arrive to vote at Kirby Sigston Village Hall in Northallerton, North Yorkshire, on Thursday morning
He said: ‘And one last thought, from Caractacus Potts, is that from the ashes of disaster grows the rose of success. So thank you very much, and good night.’
Ms Mordaunt admitted Parry’s Conservatives had taken a ‘battering’ for failing to respect ‘the trust that people have placed in’.
Labour’s Amanda Martin ousted the Leader of the House of Commons from Portsmouth North, winning by just 780 votes.
Ms Mordaunt, 51, would have been hotly tipped to run for party leadership again if she could keep her seat.
He said: “Tonight, the Conservative Party has been battered for failing to respect the trust people have placed in it. You can talk all that stuff about security and freedom, but you can’t have it if you’re afraid.
‘Fear about the cost of living or accessing health care, or whether the responsibilities you take on will be recognized and rewarded. That fear steals the future, and only creates problems in the present and that is why we lose.
‘Our renewal as a party and country will not be achieved by talking to a small piece of ourselves, but guided by the people of our country. And if we want to become the natural party of government again, then our values must belong to the people.
‘I have lost many good colleagues tonight, but I hope that like me, they want to serve the community with a stronger heart, our country needs us all.’
Ms Mordaunt, who has held the seat since 2010, also said she would ‘never stop caring’ for the people of Portsmouth.
It comes after Mr Shapps became the first confirmed victim in the Cabinet and he attacked the Tory ‘soap opera’ which killed voters.
“It’s not so much that Labor won this election, it’s that the Conservatives have lost it,” he said.
“In door after door, voters have been disappointed that they can’t overcome their differences in private and do it and then unite in public.
‘But we have tested the patience of traditional Conservative voters with their propensity to create endless political soap operas out of internal rivalries and divisions that have become increasingly indulgent and entrenched.’
He said there was a danger the Tory party could ‘go off on some tangent, condemning itself to years of lackluster opposition’.
Education secretary Gillian Keegan was ousted from her Chichester seat by the Lib Dems
In a rare positive for the Tories, Mr Sunak and Mr Hunt held seats in Richmond and North Allerton and Godalming and Ash.
But the Prime Minister conceded defeat in his victory speech and said: ‘The Labor Party has won this General Election, and I have called Sir Keir Starmer to congratulate him. Today, power will change hands in a peaceful and orderly manner, with goodwill on all sides.
“This should give confidence in the stability and future of our country.
‘The English have given us a disappointing verdict tonight, there is a lot to learn from… and I take responsibility for the loss. For many good and hard-working Conservative candidates who lost tonight, despite their tireless efforts, their local record and delivery, and their dedication to their communities. Sorry.’
Mr Sunak is expected to announce he will step down as leader later in the morning, although he will stay on until a replacement is chosen.
Former home secretary Suella Braverman, in her account, said she was ‘sorry’ for the party’s behavior and how it had abandoned the values of its core supporters.
Nigel Farage has won the seat of Clacton, the eighth time he has tried to become an MP
‘I’m sorry that my party didn’t listen to you,’ he said.
‘(The) Conservative Party have let you down. You – the people of Great Britain have voted for us for over 14 years and we have not kept our promises. We have acted as if we have the right to vote for you no matter what we do, no matter what we don’t do, even though we promise every time to do that and we have to learn a lesson because if we don’t. ‘t, bad as this night has been for my party, we will have many worse nights to come.’
Thanking voters in her constituency, Ms Braverman said she was ‘patriotic, common sense, kind, dedicated, enterprising’.
The Hampshire MP wrote a Telegraph article earlier this week headlined: ‘It’s over, we’ve failed.’
Ex-home secretary Suella Braverman, in her account, said she is ‘sorry’ for the behavior of the party and how it has abandoned the values of its core supporters.
