Lib Dems on for high-profile wins against Chancellor and Education Secretary
The exit poll forecast a more than five-fold increase in the party’s share of Commons seats compared to 2019.
The Liberal Democrats are confident of high-profile gains across England, unseating Cabinet ministers including Education Secretary Gillian Keegan, Chancellor Jeremy Hunt and Justice Secretary Alex Chalk.
It comes as the exit poll forecast a more than five-fold increase in the party’s share of Commons seats compared to 2019 and as the party made its first gain of the night from the Tories in Harrogate and Knaresborough.
Claiming victory in Chichester, Sussex, over Ms Keegan, a party spokesperson said: “School’s out for summer for Gillian Keegan. We are confident of clinching a win in Chichester, making her the first Cabinet Minister of the night to lose her seat.
“This seat has been Conservative for 100 years, winning here is an extraordinary achievement which has unseated the Education Secretary.”
Party sources described victory against Mr Chalk in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, as “a massive result for the Liberal Democrats and demonstrates the anger that so many Conservative voters have for this Government”.
They have also said they are confident of victory over Mr Hunt in Godalming and Ash, Surrey, where the exit poll has forecasted a Lib Dem win as 81% likely.
The pollsters have said Sir Ed Davey’s party is likely to end the night on 61 seats, while the party’s own number-crunchers said they had won “47 seats so far” shortly before 1.30am.
“The exit poll is obviously encouraging,” a party source said.
Throughout the campaign, Sir Ed has toured the country in his battle bus called Yellow Hammer 1, taking part in stunts including toppling off a paddleboard in Windermere, playing tennis in Newbury and surfing near Bude in Cornwall.
When polls closed, Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed said: “The Liberal Democrats are on course for our best results in a century, thanks to our positive campaign with health and care at its heart.
“I am humbled by the millions of people who backed the Liberal Democrats to both kick the Conservatives out of power and deliver the change our country needs.
“Every Liberal Democrat MP will be a strong local champion for their community standing up for the NHS and care. Whether you voted for us or not, we will work day in and day out and we will not let you down.”
First to oust the Tories in a Yorkshire seat, new Liberal Democrat MP Tom Gordon posted to X, formerly Twitter: “The first brick in the blue wall has come crashing down in Harrogate and Knaresborough tonight.”
He added: “We are back in Harrogate and Knaresborough, back in Yorkshire, back in the North, and back across the country.”
Mr Gordon took 23,976 votes against the Conservatives’ 15,738.
The Lib Dems won just 11 seats almost five years ago when the Conservative Party secured an 80-seat majority in the House of Commons under Boris Johnson.
