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Winners, losers and survivors on election night Winners, losers and survivors on election night
(35 minutes later)
As election night wore on, the fates of politicians from across the political spectrum hung in the balance – and some well-known figures were among the casualties and survivors.As election night wore on, the fates of politicians from across the political spectrum hung in the balance – and some well-known figures were among the casualties and survivors.
Loser: Nick Clegg, Liberal Democrats (Sheffield Hallam)Loser: Nick Clegg, Liberal Democrats (Sheffield Hallam)
Nick Clegg, the former deputy prime minister and Lib Dem leader who was at the helm when his party were routed in 2015, has taken his fair share of political kickings. Thursday night delivered one more as his seat - one he had held for 12 years - fell to Labour. Nick Clegg, the former deputy prime minister and Lib Dem leader who was at the helm when his party were routed in 2015, has taken his fair share of political kickings. Thursday night delivered one more as his seat – one he had held for 12 years – fell to Labour.
Seven years after he became deputy prime minister and two after he resigned as leader of his party, Theresa May’s snap general election delivered a crushing blow - with Clegg losing his Sheffield Hallam constituency after failing to fight off a Labour surge. One of the biggest scalps of the night, Clegg couldn’t defend his slender majority of 2,353 in the South Yorkshire constituency, losing it to Labour’s candidate, disability campaigner Jared O’Mara, in a 4% swing to the party from the Lib Dems. Seven years after he became deputy prime minister and two after he resigned as leader of his party, Theresa May’s snap general election delivered a crushing blow – with Clegg losing his Sheffield Hallam constituency after failing to fight off a Labour surge. One of the biggest scalps of the night, Clegg couldn’t defend his slender majority of 2,353 in the South Yorkshire constituency, losing it to Labour’s candidate, disability campaigner Jared O’Mara, in a 4% swing to the party from the Lib Dems.
Clegg looked visibly saddened as the results were read out, facing the fact of a successful political career coming to an end at a time not of his choosing. In a speech following the result he said it had been the greatest privilege of his political career to serve Sheffield Hallam as MP. Clegg urged politicians of all political stripes to work together to bridge divides that he said threatened to seriously damage the country. “We must try and reach out to each other to find common ground to heal those divisions,” he said. “If we do not our country will endure unprecedented hardship.” Clegg looked visibly saddened as the results were read out, facing the fact of a successful political career coming to an end at a time not of his choosing. In a speech following the result, he said it had been the greatest privilege of his political career to serve Sheffield Hallam as MP. Clegg urged politicians of all political stripes to work together to bridge divides that he said threatened to seriously damage the country.
“We must try and reach out to each other to find common ground to heal those divisions,” he said. “If we do not our country will endure unprecedented hardship.”
Winner: Tom Watson, Labour (West Bromwich East)Winner: Tom Watson, Labour (West Bromwich East)
The seat of the Labour deputy leader, Tom Watson, was believed to be under threat, but Watson took 58% of the vote, increasing the Labour share by 7.8 points. Seeming to enjoy himself as the night progressed, he said that whatever the final breakdown of seats it was a “very, very bad result for Theresa May”. Watson accused May of running a negative campaign, adding that far from being “strong and stable” she was “weak and wobbly”. Watson said: “May said she was a bloody difficult woman. The public saw a woman who found it all a bit too bloody difficult.” The seat of the Labour deputy leader, Tom Watson, was believed to be under threat, but Watson took 58% of the vote, increasing the Labour share by 7.8 points. Seeming to enjoy himself as the night progressed, he said that whatever the final breakdown of seats it was a “very, very bad result for Theresa May”. Watson accused the prime minister of running a negative campaign, adding that far from being “strong and stable” she was “weak and wobbly”. He said: “May said she was a bloody difficult woman. The public saw a woman who found it all a bit too bloody difficult.”
Loser: Angus Robertson, SNP (Moray)Loser: Angus Robertson, SNP (Moray)
Robertson has been a force to be reckoned with in Westminster, pugnacious as the Scottish National party’s leader in the Commons, but he lost his seat in Moray to the Tories as polls had predicted. Robertson has been a force to be reckoned with in Westminster, pugnacious as the Scottish National party’s leader in the House of Commons, but he lost his seat in Moray to the Tories as polls had predicted.
In 2015 Robertson took more than half the votes from a 68% turnout in 2015 which saw sweeping gains for the SNP across the board. Robertson had a 9,065 majority, with the Tories in second place, so Moray was considered to be a testing ground for Ruth Davidson’s success north of the border and whether her message of pro-unionist tactical voting had hit home. For weeks polls have been suggesting that he would lose his seat to Tory Douglas Ross, the man he vanquished that time around. But after a real dogfight in the north-east of Scotland, Ross was triumphant, with Moray seeing a 14% swing to the Tories. Robertson took more than half the votes from a 68% turnout in 2015, an election in which the SNP made sweeping gains across the board. Robertson had a 9,065 majority, with the Tories in second place, so Moray was considered to be a testing ground for Ruth Davidson’s success north of the border and whether her message of pro-unionist tactical voting had hit home. For weeks, polls have been suggesting that he would lose his seat to Tory Douglas Ross, the man he vanquished that time around. But after a real dogfight in the north-east of Scotland, Ross was triumphant, with Moray seeing a 14% swing to the Tories.
Loser: Jane Ellison, Conservatives (Battersea)Loser: Jane Ellison, Conservatives (Battersea)
Battersea was the first major Labour success of the night, with the Tory minister Jane Ellison a bona fide high-profile scalp taken by Jeremy Corbyn’s party. The former public health minister had held Battersea in south London since 2010 and in 2015 saw her share of the vote increase by 5%, giving her a 7,938 majority. But Labour’s Marsha de Cordova pipped her to the post, taking 25,292 votes to Ellison’s 22,876 – a 10% swing to Labour in an area that was 80% in favour of remain.Battersea was the first major Labour success of the night, with the Tory minister Jane Ellison a bona fide high-profile scalp taken by Jeremy Corbyn’s party. The former public health minister had held Battersea in south London since 2010 and in 2015 saw her share of the vote increase by 5%, giving her a 7,938 majority. But Labour’s Marsha de Cordova pipped her to the post, taking 25,292 votes to Ellison’s 22,876 – a 10% swing to Labour in an area that was 80% in favour of remain.
Survivor: Mhairi Black, SNP (Paisley and Renfrewshire South)Survivor: Mhairi Black, SNP (Paisley and Renfrewshire South)
Mhairi Black has been the “baby of the house” – the youngest member of the Commons – since she pulled off one of the biggest shocks of the 2015 election and took Paisley and Renfrewshire South from the then shadow foreign secretary, Douglas Alexander. Black has become a high-profile figure in Westminster, which she has repeatedly accused of being out of touch with the rest of the country. She faced a challenge from Scottish Labour newbie Alison Taylor, a senior director and chartered surveyor, and it was thought to be a close-run race, but Black held the seat for the SNP with 16,964 votes. That’s down 10 points on last time, but Labour in second place was also down four points. The Conservatives were up by 12 points to third. It’s Black’s second win and she is still only 22.Mhairi Black has been the “baby of the house” – the youngest member of the Commons – since she pulled off one of the biggest shocks of the 2015 election and took Paisley and Renfrewshire South from the then shadow foreign secretary, Douglas Alexander. Black has become a high-profile figure in Westminster, which she has repeatedly accused of being out of touch with the rest of the country. She faced a challenge from Scottish Labour newbie Alison Taylor, a senior director and chartered surveyor, and it was thought to be a close-run race, but Black held the seat for the SNP with 16,964 votes. That’s down 10 points on last time, but Labour in second place was also down four points. The Conservatives were up by 12 points to third. It’s Black’s second win and she is still only 22.
Survivor: Justine Greening, Conservatives (Putney)Survivor: Justine Greening, Conservatives (Putney)
Eyes were on Justine Greening, a minister and a high-profile woman in the Tory ranks although her position was never seriously considered to be under threat. And she held on to her seat, but with a much reduced majority. Greening had a 10,000 majority after 2015 but on Thursday that was slashed to 1,500 – a whopping 10% swing to Labour.Eyes were on Justine Greening, a minister and a high-profile woman in the Tory ranks although her position was never seriously considered to be under threat. And she held on to her seat, but with a much reduced majority. Greening had a 10,000 majority after 2015 but on Thursday that was slashed to 1,500 – a whopping 10% swing to Labour.
Winner: Jenny Chapman, Labour (Darlington)Winner: Jenny Chapman, Labour (Darlington)
The Conservatives had been hopeful of winning Darlington after the shock victory of their party’s candidate, Ben Houchen, in the Tees Valley mayoral election in May. But the sitting Labour, MP Jenny Chapman, took 50.5% of the vote, significantly up from the 42.9% she managed in 2015. The Tory candidate, Peter Cuthbertson, got 43.2% of the vote, up on the 35.2% he won last time. “I had no speech for this outcome. What a shock,” Chapman told the audience. “What I need to say to the people of Darlington is: you have stepped up. You’ve turned out in bigger numbers than last time and you’ve shown the country that you believe in a future for Britain that is not the one that was put on offer to you by the Tory government.”The Conservatives had been hopeful of winning Darlington after the shock victory of their party’s candidate, Ben Houchen, in the Tees Valley mayoral election in May. But the sitting Labour, MP Jenny Chapman, took 50.5% of the vote, significantly up from the 42.9% she managed in 2015. The Tory candidate, Peter Cuthbertson, got 43.2% of the vote, up on the 35.2% he won last time. “I had no speech for this outcome. What a shock,” Chapman told the audience. “What I need to say to the people of Darlington is: you have stepped up. You’ve turned out in bigger numbers than last time and you’ve shown the country that you believe in a future for Britain that is not the one that was put on offer to you by the Tory government.”
Winner: Kirstene Hair, Conservatives (Angus)Winner: Kirstene Hair, Conservatives (Angus)
The constituency of Angus has never voted anything other than SNP since being established in 1997 – until last night. Long a Tory target seat, four separate Conservative candidates failed to defeat the incumbent, Mike Weir, who replaced Andrew Welsh in 2001. But Kirstene Hair, buoyed by a 12.4% swing towards her from the SNP when she stood in Angus South at last year’s Holyrood election, won on the day in an extraordinary night for the Tories. Angus was only 126th on the Tory target list and was only one of six seats held by the SNP before 2015 – yet it saw a 16% swing from SNP to the Conservatives.The constituency of Angus has never voted anything other than SNP since being established in 1997 – until last night. Long a Tory target seat, four separate Conservative candidates failed to defeat the incumbent, Mike Weir, who replaced Andrew Welsh in 2001. But Kirstene Hair, buoyed by a 12.4% swing towards her from the SNP when she stood in Angus South at last year’s Holyrood election, won on the day in an extraordinary night for the Tories. Angus was only 126th on the Tory target list and was only one of six seats held by the SNP before 2015 – yet it saw a 16% swing from SNP to the Conservatives.