Tory wipeout delivers Labour a landslide victory: what the experts say


Labour has won the UK general election and is expected to achieve a landslide of around 400 seats in parliament, leaving the Conservatives on little more than 100 and the SNP set to have fewer than 10. The Liberal Democrats have won at least 60 seats and the Greens have won at least four, as have Reform which has also come second in many races.

Here you’ll find expert reaction to results as they continue to come in. We’ll be updating this page throughout election night so bookmark it and return for the latest reactions, or follow along on X (formerly Twitter) 

How the result breaks down
Tim Bale, Professor of Politics at Queen Mary, University of London

What this election shows us is that the 2017 and 2019 elections were a temporary reversal of a long term trend towards a more fragmented party system in the UK. Without taking anything away from Labour’s landslide,

The results for the Liberal Democrats, Reform and the Greens, at least in terms of vote share rather than seat share for the latter two, as well as the Conservatives collapse and Labour’s own low vote share, suggest that the UK’s progress towards truly multi-party politics is ongoing, and that the dominance of the two main parties, perhaps more than ever, relies on the country’s continued commitment to first past the post.

Whether that commitment remains a permanent one over the course of the next decade or so will be fascinating to watch.

A fragmenting party system.
Andrew S. Roe-Crines, Senior Lecturer in British Politics, University of Liverpool

The Conservatives have been removed from government with a definitive and firm verdict from voters that it is time for a change with Labour. At one stage it looked as though the Conservatives could be facing an extinction-level result of fewer than 100 seats. In the end, the Tories managed to secure 119 seats and counting. Labour, in contrast, have been gifted a mandate that will enable Starmer to do anything he wishes to govern Britain (not withstanding the financial situation of the country, which will act as a barrier to delivery).

There are, of course, certain priorities that voters will expect to see. For example, finding a solution to the Rwanda policy, addressing the financial crisis in higher education and restoring the NHS to a functional service that people can use and be proud of.

The other parties have seen something of a restoration of normality, with the Liberal Democrats returning to their pre-coalition position of strength by securing over 70 seats, alongside the cutting down of the SNP to fewer than 10. These changes return the Liberal Democrats to the position of third party, while the issue of Scottish independence appears permanently rested by the decline of the SNP.

Now joining the smaller parties is Reform, however, the extent they will be able to trouble the government remains to be seen. They could become an irritant for the Conservatives, who now have an important choice to make: renew by learning the lesson of the defeat and becoming more electable, or turning inwards and indulging the ideological comfort zones that would keep them in opposition for longer than necessary.

Tory leadership race starts to take shape
Victoria Honeyman, Associate Professor of Politics, University of Leeds

We are seeing some of the big hitters from the Conservative party lose their seats, for example, Penny Mordaunt in Portsmouth North. This leads to an interesting phenomenon where you begin to view the runners and riders for the Conservative party leadership, and you get to see whether or not they’re actually going to be in the party … If you want to challenge for the leadership of the party, then essentially you need to be in parliament.

We’re also seeing other people really begin to set the tone of the campaigns that they want to fight. So for example, Suella Braverman in her speech at the Hustings, talking about the mistakes that the Conservative Party have made.

A big night for Reform
Francesco Rigoli, Reader in Psychology, City, University of London

The rightwing populist narrative is alive and well in the UK, and Farage is its unquestionable champion.

Will the Tories seek to compete against Farage over this narrative? Or will they seek an alliance? Major reconfigurations will occur on the right, but it is no longer fanciful to picture Farage winning the next election.

The Brexit referendum and the recent elections in Europe and the US demonstrate that rightwing populist parties can suddenly surge in popularity and win elections – Farage aims

 to follow this trend and he should not be underestimated.

Lone Sorensen, Associate Professor of Political Communication, University of Leeds

Notable in this election is the Reform Party’s preference for a charismatic, personalistic leader in Nigel Farage, who, having won his Clacton seat, is promising “something that is going to stun all of you” in his acceptance speech. Reform is looking set to be able to have a significant impact in the incoming parliament with multiple seats accompanying Farage on the benches.

This will enable the Reform UK leader to capitalise on his tactic of disruption, which is one of his populist hallmarks. We can expect a much more chaotic and difficult-to-control practice of norm-breaking from Farage and his fellow MPs to make life challenging for Starmer and the more sober opposition.

Mark Garnett, Senior Lecturer in Politics, Lancaster University

Nigel Farage has won in Clacton and Reform is now likely to become the most potent rightwing force in British politics for the next five years at least, attracting the kind of populist-leaning Conservative activists who have been the dominant force in their party since Brexit. As things stand, it is very possible that there will not be a significant party claiming the toxic Tory brand at the next general election.

Greens quadruple Commons presence
Ben Williams, Associate Tutor in Politics and Social Sciences, Edge Hill University

The Green Party has won four of its target seats.

Having won only 2.7% of the vote and one seat in 2019, they were never realistically going to form the next government, especially given the UK electoral system. However, the party’s leadership expected progress, largely on the back of positive local election results over recent years.

A quadrupling of Green parliamentary representation will therefore be viewed as a welcome development, marking a further fragmentation of the traditional British party system into a more multi-party model.

What is both interesting and difficult, however is the different types of seats that the Greens have won. Bristol and Brighton have a more liberal, younger and urban electorate, while other seats gained by the Greens are in more rural and socially conservative areas, Herefordshire and Waveney Valley. The party may therefore face challenges in maintaining this fairly diverse electoral base if it is to continue its ongoing upward trajectory.

Labour surges in Scotland
Eric Shaw, Honorary Research Fellow, University of Stirling

Scotland is the only part of the UK where Labour has appreciably increased its vote and, in so doing, inflicted a major defeat on the SNP. The seat in which I reside, Stirling and Strathallan, is a measure of the party’s progress. Labour trailed a poor third in 2019 and the seat was not even on the party’s target list in 2024. The Labour candidate, Chris Kane, was chosen very late in the day and had to rely on his own resources. But Labour beat the SNP by around 2 percentage points.

Two major reasons account for Labour’s resurgence: accumulated frustration and loss of confidence in the SNP government and a restoration in faith in Labour. Since the balance of opinion over the constitutional question hasn’t altered, this means that a significant number of pro-independence voters backed Labour. That, in turn, reflects the degree to which many voters switch between Scotland’s two major parties.

Whether or not Labour can consolidate its hold in Scotland in the Holyrood elections will depend heavily on the success of the new Starmer government in tackling the myriad social and economic problems it has inherited.

Jeremy Corbyn wins his seat as an independent
Pippa Catterall, Professor of History and Policy, University of Westminster

Jeremy Corbyn has retained his seat in Islington North, this time as an independent, with a stonking majority of around 8,000 over his previous party. It’s not surprising that he has won this seat yet again, having represented it for over 40 years now. He is very popular, works hard, and is, I suspect, seen by his constituents as having been treated badly by Keir Starmer. It will be interesting to see how much of a thorn in the side he is for the new, we presume, prime minister in the coming parliament.

The result in Wales
Huw Lewis, Senior Lecturer in International Politics, Aberystwyth University

All of the results for Wales’s constituencies are now in, and so it’s possible to draw some conclusions about how the election has gone here. In terms of seats, Labour has done extremely well. It’s gained 27 seats out of a total of 32 seats elected here in Wales. And that has included gaining a number of seats back from the Conservatives that were lost at the last election in 2019.

For its part, the Conservatives have done very badly. They failed to win back any seats here in Wales, and so for the first time since 2001, Wales will be sending no Conservative MPs to the parliament in Westminster. The other seats were then gained by Plaid Cymru, who secured four seats, and one solitary seat was gained by the Liberal Democrats.

But the most interesting aspect of the election here in Wales was the percentage of votes gained by different parties. In terms of Labour, while it gained the vast majority of individual seats, we saw its percentage of the vote dropping, in a number of individual seats and also its overall percentage of the vote here in Wales dropped down to 37%. And it’s quite possible that this will be the first UK general election for almost a century where the Labour party in Wales gains a lower percentage of the vote than in England.

In terms of the other parties, while Reform failed to gain any seats here in Wales, we saw strong performance by that party in terms of its percentage of the vote, coming third overall, and coming a strong second in almost a dozen seats.

Finally then, while this election has been a very disappointing one for the Scottish National Party in Scotland, it’s been a very positive one for the Welsh nationalist party Plaid Cymru. As mentioned, it gained two seats, bringing its total of MPs to four, but also saw its vote increasing across a number of seats in Wales, meaning that it can look forward to the next devolved election in 2026 with some confidence.

What happened in Wales.

Seat count and vote share mismatch?
Phil Tomlinson, Professor of Industrial Strategy and Co-Director of the Centre for Governance, Regulation and Industrial Strategy, University of Bath

Labour is set to win a large parliamentary majority, although possibly on a lower share of the popular vote than when losing in 2017.

Labour’s victory therefore might not be as convincing as the parliamentary arithmetic suggests. It is more a case of being a beneficiary of the first-past-the-post electoral system, the widespread rejection of the Conservatives and the surge in support for the Reform Party (which has split the right-wing vote), rather than being swept into power on a wave of new enthusiasm.

Nevertheless, after 14 years, it looks like Labour will now get the chance to govern. They inherit the most challenging set of circumstances of any incoming government since 1974 – a stagnant economy, a cost of living crisis and a high tax burden alongside record high NHS waiting lists, crumbling infrastructure, and a much-diminished public realm.

Labour is pinning its hopes on generating higher economic growth to solve these problems – though its modest manifesto commitments have left many economists sceptical this can be achieved. There are no short-term fixes, and things may get worse before they get better.

Keir Starmer celebrates holding his seat, Holborn and St Pancras. Alamy/Associated Press/Kin Cheung

Low turnout
Pippa Catterall, Professor of History and Policy, University of Westminster

It is striking that turnout seems to be substantially down. Let’s take Newcastle upon Tyne Central. Because of boundary changes, we’re not of course comparing exactly like with like, but it’s interesting to note that in the 2019 election the turnout was 67%. Now it’s 53.8%. Every single seat declared so far has had a turnout below 60%. I think this is significant and I also think certainly in these, what are now Labour-Reform battles, we’re likely to see that trend continue.

Toby James, Professor of Politics and Public Policy, University of East Anglia

At 58%, turnout is the lowest it’s been since 1918, based on the results in so far. This low turnout could be explained by a perception that the election was a foregone conclusion. Disillusionment with politics and the parties may also have been a factor. Perhaps new voter ID laws have also played a role.

What the exit poll means
Victoria Honeyman, Associate Professor of Politics, University of Leeds

Victoria Honeyman on the exit poll.

An unprecedented result

Stuart Wilks-Heeg, Professor of Politics, University of Liverpool

The exit poll suggests Labour’s majority will fall just short of what the party achieved in 1997 and that the projections in MRPs before the election slightly overestimated levels of Labour support.

But this result needs to be put in context. It represents a far larger number of Labour gains than in 1997. The 1997 landslide was the product of Labour clawing its way back over the course of 14 years from a calamitous electoral defeat in 1983. Keir Starmer started as Labour leader from a position just as bad as 1983, but has managed to turn that around and deliver a landslide within a single parliamentary term. This is absolutely unprecedented.

The exit poll also points to a disastrous outcome for the Conservatives. Of course, they had reasons to fear worse, but 131 seats would be even fewer than they got in 1906, previously their record defeat. It will take a lot to turn the party around and there will be bitter recriminations within the party about the scale of this defeat and the reasons for it.

There was speculation that the Lib Dems could displace the Tories as the second party. This won’t come to pass, but they will be delighted with a result that restores their parliamentary representation to where it was at its peak in 2005.

The SNP looks to be facing a collapse in its support and this will almost certainly benefit Labour. Reform has done better than predicted, based on the exit poll, and if the party does have a dozen or so MPs, it will be able to make an impression at Westminster. The Greens will be disappointed with a haul of only two seats.

The early results should confirm whether the exit poll is correct, but there is no grounds to assume that it isn’t. It’s record in predicting the outcome is excellent and there can be no doubt that the outcome is a Labour landslide.

Exit poll: predicted seats

Table with 8 columns and 1 rows.

410	131	61	13	10	4	2	19

Source: Source: Ipsos for BBC/ITV News/Sky NewsGet the dataCreated with Datawrapper

“Extremely impressive” results for the Liberal Democrats
Paula Keaveney, Senior Lecturer in Politics, Edge Hill University

This is an extremely impressive Lib Dem performance. It is not since the days of Charles Kennedy that we have seen such a total. This is partly down to targeting – to focusing on those seats which are vulnerable to a Lib Dem attack, partly based on the evidence of some significant byelection wins in the run up to this election.

The Lib Dems said that a target in this election was to become the third biggest party in Parliament again. It has achieved this, bringing huge benefits such as an automatic right to questions at PMQs.

In 2019, Lib Dem statements ahead of and during the election were far too ambitious. Ed Davey seems to have learned from this by not over stating the case

SNP faces big losses
Victoria Honeyman, Associate Professor of Politics, University of Leeds

The SNP are not going to have a very good night in Scotland. Now, this will probably be largely overshadowed by the fact that the Conservatives are having a not very good night everywhere.

But if the numbers are to be believed, then the SNP is really paying the price for a number of things. They’re paying the price for the fact that they’ve obviously had a number of issues. There were some legal issues, Nicola Sturgeon has resigned as their leader, they have a new leader. But there’s also an issue about independence, where independence sits in the current debates, and also about the record of the SNP and government in Scotland.

And therefore I really think that keeping an eye on what is happening with those SNP MPs would be very important and very indicative of where the SNP sits now in Scottish national politics. But also where it sits in UK politics, because it’s been able to claim fairly successfully for the past decade that it is the voice of Scotland.

If their numbers really do crash, then would they still be able to say legitimately that they are the voice of the Scottish people? Probably not with the same kind of force that they’ve been able to do so far.

The SNP result.

‘Clear anger’ among the Conservatives
Stephen Clear, Lecturer in Law, Bangor University

There’s clear anger amongst some of the big names within the Conservative Party tonight, and former justice secretary Sir Robert Buckland has now been defeated in Swindon, a seat he has previously held since 2010.

The uncharacteristic anger was clear in his passionate defeat speech. His remarks tonight on the BBC that he’s had enough of circus politics are an indication of the fury that some within the party now hold towards their colleagues. The gloves are now evidently off, and scathing thoughts are being exchanged.

He is, after all, normally a mild mannered politician. His remarks that the Conservative Party need to wake up quickly and wake up now, and how he’s fed up of personal agendas of individuals, are clear that all is not well. He attributes his comments of ill discipline and unprofessional campaigning to former Home Secretary Suella Braverman and others, and offers a scathing assessment of how his own colleagues need to get to grips with their portfolios.

What is telling is that the night is not over yet and Conservatives are already looking at what the problems were within their own campaign. Buckland notes that he felt what was missing from the Conservative campaign was a narrative for younger voters to get behind. With the Conservatives predicted to slump to 131 MPs tonight, the lowest number ever, efforts to regroup and unite the Tory party are going to be extremely challenging following this election result.

George Galloway out in Rochdale
Parveen Akhtar, Senior Lecturer in Politics, History and International Relations, Aston University

Only 127 days after being elected as MP for Rochdale, George Galloway has lost the seat to Labour’s Paul Waugh. The controversial leader of the Workers Party of Great Britain, who only months earlier overturned a near 10,000 majority to win Rochdale, has lost by 1,440 votes.

After being expelled from the Labour Party in 2003 for his criticism of the Iraq War, Galloway has found success in capitalising on anger, particularly from Muslim voters, over foreign policy.

Using his campaign to criticise military action in the Middle East won Galloway the London constituency of Bethnal Green and Bow in 2005. Galvanising support around the issue of Gaza won him Bradford West in 2012. Galloway won Rochdale in February by again mobilising the Muslim vote.

Conflict in the Middle East is important in constituencies with a significant Muslim population. But while capitalising on this has provided Galloway with a winning formula, it is also a short-term one. Since leaving the Labour Party over two decades ago, Galloway has never been re-elected. Tonight means his search goes on.

Authors

Avery Anapol
Commissioning Editor, Politics + Society

Grace Allen
Education and Young People Editor

Laura Hood

Senior Politics Editor, Assistant Editor, The Conversation (UK edition)

Interviewed

Andrew S. Roe-Crines
Senior Lecturer (Associate Professor) in British Politics, University of Liverpool

Ben Williams
Associate Tutor in Politics and Social Sciences, Edge Hill University

Eric Shaw
Honorary Research Fellow in Politics, University of Stirling

Francesco Rigoli
Reader in Psychology, City, University of London

Huw Lewis
Senior Lecturer in Politics, Aberystwyth University

Lone Sorensen
Associate Professor of Political Communication, University of Leeds

Mark Garnett
Senior Lecturer in Politics, Lancaster University

Parveen Akhtar
Senior Lecturer: Politics, History and International Relations, Aston University

Paula Keaveney
Senior Lecturer in Politics, Edge Hill University

Phil Tomlinson
Professor of Industrial Strategy, Co-Director Centre for Governance, Regulation and Industrial Strategy (CGR&IS), University of Bath

Pippa Catterall
Professor of History and Policy, University of Westminster

Stephen Clear
Lecturer in Constitutional and Administrative Law, and Public Procurement, Bangor University

Stuart Wilks-Heeg
Head of Politics, University of Liverpool

Tim Bale
Professor of Politics, Queen Mary University of London

Toby James
Professor of Politics and Public Policy, University of East Anglia

Victoria Honeyman
Associate Professor of British Politics, University of Leeds

‘Keir Starmer take note’: UK’s green transition must start now, say experts

Fiona Harvey

Environment editor

THE GUARDIAN

Fri, 5 July 2024 

Keir Starmer during a visit to Whitelee windfarm in Eaglesham, Scotland, in Augus 2021.Photograph: Andrew Milligan/PA

Labour’s victory in the general election must mark the start of the UK’s transformation to a green and low-carbon economy and society, campaigners and experts have said as the scale of the election win became clear.

The Conservatives’ U-turns on the environment had been “as popular with voters as a root canal”, according to Greenpeace, as the party sank to its worst electoral defeat in modern times.

The Green party also had its strongest ever general election performance, quadrupling its representation in parliament.

This, coupled with Labour’s wide margin of victory, gives Keir Starmer, the next prime minister, a strong mandate to take bold action on net zero and nature, experts and campaigners said.

Ed Matthew, campaigns director at the E3G thinktank, said: “Dependence on oil and gas has driven the cost of living crisis. By delaying and damaging the clean energy policies that could cut energy bills, Rishi Sunak pitched the Conservatives against every UK household. It was a catastrophic political blunder.”

Starmer must fulfil his manifesto pledge, which called for the UK to become a “clean energy superpower”, said Matthew. “The landslide means Starmer now has a historic public mandate to accelerate climate action, invest in the industries of the future, and restore UK climate leadership,” he added. “The UK is back in the race to net zero.”

Mike Childs, the head of policy at Friends of the Earth, said the recent extreme weather showed how urgently the new Labour government must take action. “Given how rapidly the state of our planet is deteriorating globally, with a deadly hurricane tearing through the Caribbean as we speak, wildfires raging once more across California, farmers in the UK struggling to grow crops following an unseasonably wet winter, and nature in deep decline, it couldn’t be more imperative that the new government makes the environment a top priority,” he said.

Labour could take the lead, not just in reforming the UK’s energy system and industrial base, but also on the world stage, said Edward Davey, the UK head of the World Resources Institute. “There is a wonderful opportunity – as well as a pressing responsibility – for the new government to show its citizens, as well as the world at large, what it means to be a leader on climate, development and nature once again,” he said.

The list of tasks for Labour will include reforming planning to allow onshore windfarms in England, to boost solar farms, and to allow grid connections. More public transport, boosting the take-up of heat pumps, and home insulation will all be key. There must also be a “just transition” to help workers in fossil fuel dependent industries to move to jobs in cleaner sectors. The UK’s natural environment is also in a dire state, with sewage in rivers and on beaches, air pollution costing as many as 36,000 lives a year, and wildlife abundance plummeting.

This will require, and soon, a detailed strategy on how the UK can achieve its legally binding target of net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, said Bob Ward, policy director at the Grantham Institute on Climate Change at the London School of Economics. “The outgoing Conservative government lost its credibility on climate change by insisting it was still committed to our statutory target while weakening the policies to meet it. [Labour] needs a clear roadmap within the next few months for how to decarbonise the power sector by 2030, a hugely ambitious target that will need a national effort,” he said.

Areeba Hamid, co-executive director at Greenpeace, called for Starmer to “seize the opportunities for economic revival and energy independence” offered by renewable energy and green jobs. Despite Labour’s landslide, she warned Starmer against complacency. “Labour’s victory could have been even more emphatic, had it not been for votes cast to the Greens and Lib Dems, who stood on much bolder climate and nature pledges and fair tax reforms,” she said. “Starmer must take note.”

Before the election, there were indications that some influential people in the top echelons of the Labour election machine had doubts over the party’s net zero promises. Pat McFadden and Morgan McSweeney, Starmer’s chief campaign managers, were said to be instrumental in watering down the longstanding pledge to invest £28bn a year in the green economy, which was roughly halved in February over fears that the Tories would make it a target of their attacks.

The result of the election proved conclusively that “flipflopping” on green issues was a turn-off for the public, according to Craig Bennett, the chief executive of the Wildlife Trusts. “All the attempts to make culture wars out of the climate and nature crises in the last eighteen months did not help the Conservatives one little bit, and that’s a very important lesson for all parties,” he told the Guardian.

“All the opinion polls showed that the environment was very high on the public agenda, and that has not been tapped into by our political leaders. … Labour needs to learn this,” he said.

Reform UK also had a strong showing in many areas, winning relatively few seats but coming second in many constituencies. The party has an explicitly anti-net zero stance, and many of its candidates have denied the science of the climate crisis.

Matthew, of E3G, said other parties should not conclude from this that there is a strong anti-net zero tendency among the UK public, however. “Polling shows that people who vote Reform are mostly voting on immigration – that’s what really motivates them,” he said.

But he worried that the new grouping of Reform MPs could exert pressure on the Tory party, driving the “culture war” over the climate crisis.

 

A Labour government can now press the reset button for public services, says UNISON

Investment in communities, health and care must be at the heart of change

Commenting on the results of the general election today (Friday), UNISON general secretary Christina McAnea said:

“Goodbye and good riddance. The past 14 years of Conservative rule has been nothing short of a living nightmare.

“After an endless merry-go-round of chaos, infighting, untruths and cronyism in government, public services are in a sorry state. Fixing them and rebuilding trust in politics will be no easy task and will take time.

“Thankfully a Labour government can now press the reset button. That means investing in essential services to get communities back on their feet, ensure patients receive NHS treatment when they fall ill and the creation of a social care system that can support everyone needing help.

“For Keir Starmer to win such a historic victory and completely turn around the party’s electoral fortunes is nothing short of remarkable. The idea of a Labour government was unthinkable just four years ago, so to win by a landslide is off the scale.

“Rebuilding public services and reviving the UK must be at the heart of Labour’s mission. Now the hard work begins.”

– UNISON is the UK’s largest union with more than 1.3 million members providing public services in education, local government, the NHS, police service and energy. They are employed in the public, voluntary and private sectors.

CAPITALI$M APPROVES

 FTSE Turns Bullish as UK Voters Reject Right-Wing Conservative Rule

ByAdam Harris
Market Overview
Published 05/07/2024
Articles(46)|My Homepage

The United Kingdom has witnessed a seismic shift in its political landscape, with the Labour Party securing a historic landslide victory over the Conservative Party in the recent general election.

Election Results and Political Landscape
In a stunning turn of events, Labour, led by Sir Keir Starmer, is on course for a 170-seat majority in the House of Commons - the party's biggest win since Tony Blair's famous victory in 1997. The Conservative Party, under outgoing Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, has suffered a crushing defeat, projected to secure just 144 MPs - their lowest total in the party's history.

Market Reaction to Labour's Victory
The FTSE has responded with enthusiasm to the clear election outcome, demonstrating a strong bullish trend. Investors typically favor political stability and clear policy direction, both of which are expected under the new Labour government. The market's positive reaction underscores confidence in the incoming administration's ability to steer the economy towards growth and prosperity.

Labour's Economic Vision
Labour's economic agenda, which resonated strongly with voters, includes increased public spending on infrastructure, education, and healthcare. These policies are aimed at stimulating economic growth, creating jobs, and boosting consumer spending. Additionally, Labour's commitment to green energy initiatives and technology innovation has particularly excited investors, with renewable energy and tech stocks seeing significant gains.

Sectoral Impact and Investment Opportunities
Key sectors expected to benefit under the new government include:
1. Renewable energy and clean technology
2. Infrastructure and construction
3. Healthcare and education
4. Financial services

Investors are already positioning themselves to capitalise on these anticipated growth areas, leading to notable surges in relevant stocks.

What the charts are saying this week
Technical Analysis of FTSE daily chart.

Price is currently going sideways within a tight range. However, it has also produced a clean double-bottom bullish pattern within a larger uptrend.
Price has also moved above both its weekly and monthly pivots, and appears to be setting up for a push to achieve new highs.
The general global markets (including the U.S.) are very stable and bullish, which obviously helps. Globally, the sentiments in the markets are optimistic.




Long-term Economic Outlook
Analysts are predicting sustained growth driven by Labour's proposed policies. While challenges such as managing national debt and navigating post-Brexit trade relations remain, the overall sentiment is decidedly optimistic. The clear mandate given to Labour is seen as a catalyst for decisive action on key economic issues.

State of UK Debt and Its Relevance
While the FTSE 100 shows bullish momentum in anticipation of a Labour landslide, it's important to consider the state of UK debt. As of mid-2024, the UK's national debt remains a significant concern, hovering around 100% of GDP. This high debt level could pose challenges for the incoming government, particularly in implementing expansive fiscal policies. Investors should be aware that while short-term market sentiment is positive, long-term economic stability might be influenced by how effectively the new government manages this debt. Sustainable debt management will be crucial in maintaining investor confidence and supporting continued growth in the FTSE 100.

International Perspective
The UK's decisive shift towards a centre-left government bucks the trend seen in some other Western democracies. This unique position could potentially influence global investor sentiment towards the UK, presenting both opportunities and challenges in international markets.


International Context and the U.S. Influence
The UK's decisive shift towards a centre-left government occurs against a backdrop of global political trends, notably the perceived slide towards authoritarianism in the United States. Some analysts suggest that British voters may have been influenced by concerns over the rightward drift in American politics, viewing Labour's victory as a pre-emptive protective measure against similar trends in the UK.

The recent turbulence in U.S. politics, characterised by challenges to democratic norms and institutions, appears to have resonated across the Atlantic. British voters, mindful of the close historical ties between the two nations, may have chosen to chart a distinctly different course. This 'transatlantic caution' could have contributed to the strong support for Labour's more progressive platform, seen as a bulwark against potential authoritarian leanings.

However, it's important to note that domestic issues, including economic concerns and dissatisfaction with the incumbent government, likely played a more direct role in shaping the election outcome. Nonetheless, the global context, particularly developments in the U.S., may have reinforced British voters' desire for a change in political direction, contributing to the market's optimistic response to Labour's victory.

As Keir Starmer prepares to become the next Prime Minister, the FTSE's bullish reaction reflects a market that is embracing change and looking forward to a new era of economic policy. While the political landscape has shifted dramatically, the financial markets appear confident in the UK's economic future.

The historic nature of this election victory, coupled with the positive market response, suggests a period of renewed optimism and potential economic resurgence for the United Kingdom. As always, investors should remain informed and agile, ready to adapt to the evolving economic landscape under the new Labour government.

 

World leaders congratulate ‘friend’ Starmer on election victory

by Press Association

July 5 2024, 6

The Labour leader secured victory in the General Election in the early hours of Friday (Stefan Rousseau/PA)

Security, migration and the war in Gaza were some of the issues raised as world leaders congratulated their “friend” Sir Keir Starmer on his General Election victory.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was among the first to share a message as he said he hopes to build a “progressive, fair future” with the Labour leader – who he described as “my friend”.

“Congratulations, (Sir Keir), on a historic U.K. election victory,” Mr Trudeau posted to X.

“Lots of work ahead to build a more progressive, fair future for people on both sides of the Atlantic. Let’s get to it, my friend.”

A key issue Sir Keir will face in the early days of his premiership will be the war in Gaza, and Israeli president Isaac Herzog said he looked forward to working together to bringing home hostages taken by Hamas.

“I send my warmest congratulations to (Sir Keir),” Mr Herzog posted to X.

“As he prepares to enter Downing Street as Prime Minister, I look forward to working together with him and his new government to bring our hostages home, to build a better future for the region, and to deepen the close friendship between Israel and the United Kingdom.”

Mr Herzog also expressed his “deepest appreciation and gratitude” to outgoing Prime Minister Rishi Sunak “for his leadership and for standing with the Israeli people especially during this most difficult period”.

Eight years since the Brexit vote, European Council president Charles Michel declared Sir Keir’s election would mark a “new cycle” for the UK as he looked forward to working together on “common challenges”.

“Congratulations @Keir_Starmer on a historic election victory in the UK,” Mr Michel posted to X.

“(The European Union and UK) are crucial partners, cooperating in all areas of mutual interest for our citizens.

“I look forward to working with you and your government in this new cycle for the UK.

“See you soon in the European Political Community meeting on 18 July in the UK where we will discuss common challenges, including stability, security, energy and migration.”

Sir Keir will also be scrutinised over his approach to Russia after its invasion of Ukraine, and Kaja Kallas, the prime minister of Russian neighbour Estonia, shared a message highlighting “common security”.

“Congratulations on your historic election victory, (Sir Keir),” Ms Kallas posted to X.

“Estonia and the UK are the strongest of allies and the closest of friends. The UK’s commitment to our common security is valued by every Estonian.

“I’m sure our excellent cooperation will only continue to thrive.”

Australian prime minister Anthony Albanese said he is looking forward to working constructively with Sir Keir, describing him as his “friend”.

“Congratulations to my friend and new UK Prime Minister (Sir Keir) on his resounding election victory – I look forward to working constructively with the incoming (Labour) Government,” he posted to X.

London and Westminster

‘Two Cities' turns red for first time in history

'It's five o'clock in the morning and you're asking me that?!'

Friday, 5th July — By Tom Foot

Rachel Blake at 5am 

LABOUR’S Rachel Blake was elected Labour MP for Cities of London and Westminster turning the constituency red for the first time in its history.

The result around 5am at the Lindsey Hall, a short walk from the Houses of Parliament, as Sir Keir Starmer’s landslide general election victory brought the curtain down on 14 years of Conservative rule.

Ms Blake polled 15,302 to the Tory candidate Tim Barnes’ 12,594, with a 39 percent share of the vote.

In her speech, she said: “Elections are a time for people to make a choice. A decision has been made. It’s time to move forward. We have endured 14 years of Conservative led government. They have presided over chaos.”

She later told the Extra that she was determined to make housing and homeless at the top of her agenda as her first order of business, adding: “Getting Britain building again is something that is so important.”

Asked about different models of social housing, she said: “It’s 5 o clock in the morning and you’re asking me that.”

“No but I think we need to get developers to build more when they are building. Getting more out of Section 106 is something Labour is already talking about.”

“It’s an amazing feeling, right now I feel pretty weird.”

The “Two Cities” constituency boasts some of wealthiest residential areas of London including Mayfair, Belgravia, Marylebone and the City itself – and has always been considered a Conservative fortress.

It was last held by the former Westminster Council leader Nickie Aiken, who chose not to stand again after one term in office.

Mr Barnes, who stood for the Conservatives against Keir Starmer in Holborn and St Pancras in 2017, told Extra the results across the country showed Reform had not materialised as a significant political force, and the relatively small majority held by Ms Blake showed the constituency would be up for grabs next time round in “a two horse race”.

He criticised former Home Secretary Suella Braverman for using her acceptance speech to suggest her own credentials as a new leader of the Conservative Party, on what he described overall as a “terrible night”.

In the north of the borough, Georgia Gould won the redrawn Queen’s Park and Maida Vale constituency with 20,196 votes – more than 15000 votes ahead of her closest rivals.

The Green Vivien Lichtenstein came in second place with Samia Hersi the Conservative in third.

Ms Gould had been selected as the candidate to replace Karen Buck with the veteran MP standing down after 27 years representing the constituency, formerly Westminster North.

After the result was announced, Ms Gould told Extra the “fundamental challenge” for her MP would also be tackling housing and homelessness.

The constituency was called just before 6am in a long night for all concerned at the Westminster count.

Georgia Gould at 6am

Officials who appeared baffled by the delay in results as everyone else has suggested cause could be connected to serious road traffic accident in Park Lane, Mayfair – and a concert in Hyde Park – although there was no real evidence of this.

In 2019, Ms Buck held her constituency with a substantial majority in the Boris Johnson landslide in 2019 with a majority of 10,759.

Lab – Rachel Blake – 15,302.

Con – Tim Barnes – 12,594.

Lib – Dem Ed Lucas – 4,335.

Green – Rajiv Sinha – 2,844.

Reform – Tarun Ghulati – 2752.

LABOUR DEFIES EXIT POLL IN TEESSIDE GENERAL ELECTION FIGHTBACK

Reform UK were projected to win Hartlepool at 10pm - but that did not play out

July 05 2024, 07.05am
By Jamie Lopez

Labour fought back in the so-called Red Wall of Northern seats during a night of huge electoral success.

As the party romped home to a landslide win across the country, it won back four Teesside seats which it had lost since 2017. In the end, the Conservatives finished with just one North East MP as deputy party chairman Matt Vickers won in the newly formed Stockton West.

Another senior Tory endured an extremely narrow defeat, becoming one of several high profile defeats across the party. Sir Simon Clarke, a former Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, lost his Middlesbrough South & East Cleveland to Labour’s Luke Myer by just 214 votes.

In Hartlepool, the 10pm exit poll pointed towards a likely Reform win but the reality proved different. Instead, Labour won the seat with a margin greater than 8,000.

Anna Turley, one of the 2019 casualties, won back the Redcar seat. Interestingly, she won just a few hundred votes more than at the last General Election as the Conservative vote dropped by 6,000.

The other Labour gain in the region was Darlington, where Lola McEvoy defeated 2019 intake Peter Gibson.

Meanwhile, in Middlesbrough and Thornaby East - formerly Middlesbrough - Andy McDonald retained the MP role he has held since 2012. Stockton North was another comfortable win for the party as Chris McDonald won an 8,000 majority and Reform pushed the Conservatives into third place.

Across the country, Labour won a historic landslide that saw a generational change in The Houses of Parliament. Keir Starmer will now become the Prime Minister.

Labour turned around its disastrous 2019 results to win back hundreds of lost seats - though it was not without losing defeats, such as Blackburn and Islington North, to independent candidates. However, it was also a good night for The Liberal Democrats, The Green Party and Reform UK, who all made gains.

 The Teesside Lead 

Shock election results as Leicestershire wakes up to five new MPs

One result had the people watching on gasping out loud


NEWS
By Tess Rushin
Julia Breens

Local Democracy Reporter
Hannah Richardson
Lee Garrett

 5 JUL 2024

Leicester's three seats undergoing their counts (Image: Hannah Richardson/Leicestershire Live)

The 2024 General Election was expected to be “historic”, but nobody could have predicted the shock results seen here in the city and county. As the country wakes up to a new Labour Government, Leicester and Leicestershire will be waking up today with five new MPs – and not in the seats we were expecting.

The Labour Party crossed the threshold it needed for a majority a little before 5am. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak conceded the election and Sir Keir Starmer claimed victory – a result every poll had predicted.

However, locally things did not follow the expected pattern. The biggest local surprise of the night was the defeat of Jonathon Ashworth in Leicester South. Predicted to be a safe Labour win, there were gasps from both the count floor and the press gallery when the results were announced and independent candidate Shockat Adam declared the winner to the shock of everyone present – including himself.

READ MORE:Live Leicestershire General Election results as Labour declares victory

He told LeicestershireLive he was feeling “absolutely overwhelmed, humbled and excited”. He said residents have raised concerns around housing, the cost-of-living crisis, mental health services and youth services with him and addressing those will that he will be “cracking on with” first. When asked by LeicestershireLive if he was expecting to win tonight, he simply said “no”.

Shockat Adam (Image: Shockat Adam)

Another surprise was the Conservative Party bucking national trends in Leicester East with their candidate Shivani Raja storming to victory to chants of “we did it, we did it” and loud cheers. She beat out two former holders of the seat – incumbent Claudia Webbe and Keith Vaz.


She told LeicestershireLive she was “really thrilled with the results” and it was “time for a change” in Leicester East. Things were more sedate in Leicester West where Liz Kendall secured a comfortable win.

Shivani Raja (Image: Leicester Conservatives)

Out in the county, we also have new MPs. North West Leicestershire narrowly avoided a recount as Labour claimed its first MP in 14 years. 

Amanda Hack becomes the constituency's first female MP.

Ms Hack narrowly won with a majority of 1,012 votes. She had gone into the vote feeling she could claim victory and was proven right to loud cheers from her Labour colleagues. Her narrow win saw the Conservatives Craig Smith finish in second, with the pair shaking hands after the result was announced.

The night was one to forget for the now former MP Andrew Bridgen. He finished second to last in the vote, taking in just 1,568 votes. He did not attend the read through of the results.

Amanda Hack is now the MP for North West Leicestershire (Image: Lee Garrett.Leicestershire Live)

In Harborough, Oadby and Wigston, Neil O’Brien defied expectations that he might narrowly lose his seat, securing another five-year term. Mr O’Brien said he was “incredibly relieved and incredibly honoured to be back again”.

He told LeicestershireLive: "I'm feeling incredibly relieved and incredibly honoured to be back again re-elected as the MP for Harborough, Oadby and Wigston and incredibly touched that people have put their faith in me again even on a bad night for us nationally. Clearly, there's massive lessons for us to learn, I'm going to ensure that they are learned.

“I've heard the message loud and clear but I'm really grateful to have been re-elected and tomorrow we carry on with the work and we get cracking again."

Conservative candidate Neil O'Brien

Loughborough also saw a new MP elected in Labour’s Jeevun Sandher, but that result had long been predicted. Loughborough is traditionally regarded as an election bellwether, having reflected the national result in every year since February 1974. He beat out incumbent Jane Hunt.

Mr Sandher said the result 'feels great', adding: "We’ve now crossed the threshold into government. There's a huge amount we have to do at this difficult time."

He added: "In 2019 [we had] our worst defeat in a century, and now the point where we can help change people’s lives."

Mrs Hunt said she was sad at the result, and that she had 'absolutely loved being the member of parliament for Loughborough'. She added that the national result was 'very difficult' because 'a fantastic amount of experience is going out the door tonight'.

Jeevun Sandher – Labour Party

The new constituency of Mid Leicestershire was won by Conservative Peter Bedford, who was initially expected to triumph although a later poll showed Labour's Robert Martin in the lead.

Mr Bedford said he was feeling very tired, but very happy. "It was a very long day, a very long campaign. I was selected ten months ago so I've been knocking on doors for a very long time." He added that he was "humbled that people in Mid Leicestershire have put their trust in [him] as their first MP".

But he admitted it was a difficult night for the Conservative Party nationally, saying: "Being in office for 14 years has taken its toll in terms of members of the public, and we will now have to look at regrouping."

The seat comprises most of the former Charnwood constituency, as well as parts of South Leicestershire and the former Bosworth (now Hinckley and Bosworth) seats.

Peter Bedford (Image: Julia Breens/Leicestershire Live)

Dr Luke Evans secured a comfortable victory in the newly named Hinckley and Bosworth seat to claim his second term as the constituency’s MP. Ed Argar will also be back after winning in the rejigged Melton and Syston seat. Alberto Costa will return in South Leicestershire.

First Labour MP in Rushcliffe for 57 years says 'people have made it very clear'

He said he was 'not surprised' by the result in Ken Clarke's old seat

NEWS
By George Palmer-Soady
Joel Moore

Senior Reporter

5 JUL 2024

James Naish celebrates his victory with his team (Image: Nottingham Post/ Joel Moore)

James Naish says he is “not surprised” after winning the seat of Rushcliffe in the general election, becoming the first Labour MP to do so since 1966. The constituency was formerly held by Conservative Kenneth Clarke from 1970 until 2019, once being seen as one of the safest seats in the country.

More recently, Ruth Edwards was elected in 2019 with a majority of 12.6 per cent. However, this election saw a swing of 12.9 per cent to Labour’s Mr Naish, who currently sits as the leader of Bassetlaw District Council.

Speaking to Nottinghamshire Live, the newly-elected MP said: “We’ve been going out on the doorstep and people have made it very clear that they are ready for change. Of course, Ken Clarke was a huge personality in this area so he undoubtedly held onto this seat as a local MP and I think the tide has gone against Ruth on this occasion, but now we need to move forward.”

Mr Naish, who said he would step down as leader of Bassetlaw council, put Labour’s win in Rushcliffe down to a number of factors, including "demographic changes". In his speech at Rushcliffe Arena in West Bridgford, he praised his predecessor and thanked the former MP for “all her hard work over the past four-and-a-half years,” and said he has “no doubt” that she “will continue to serve this community".

Mrs Edwards, in her closing remarks, was equally graceful to her successor. “You have fought a hard campaign and you’ve done well,” she said, addressing Mr Naish directly.

Newly-elected Rushcliffe Labour MP James Naish

“I really hope you enjoy this as much as I have and I wish you and everyone in Rushcliffe the very best,” she added before leaving the stage. As the count wrapped up in the early hours of Friday morning, the two seemed to share a laugh before Mrs Edwards left the arena with her handbag-carrying husband.

Mr Naish, meanwhile, basked in his glory as he joined Labour party activists in the centre’s lobby. He jubilantly told them “the work starts now".

Below are the full results for each candidate:Ruth Edwards (Conservative) 17,865
James Grice (Reform) 6,353
Lynn Irving (Independent) 549
Richard Mallender (Green) 4,367
James Naish (Labour) 25,291
Harbant Sehra (Independent) 186
Greg Webb (Liberal Democrats) 3,133

Diane Abbott triumphs in Hackney North amid Labour landslide election win


The long-serving popular MP overcame party row that threatened to bar her from standing to win re-election in her constituency

Diane Abbott, Britain’s first Black female MP overcame what her supporters believed were efforts to stop her from standing in the general election to achieve a significant victory (Pic: Getty)

ON A night that saw Labour win a historic landslide victory in the General Election Diane Abbott has retained her seat as the MP for Hackney North and Stoke Newington.


The long-serving respected Labour MP won 23,355 votes as she beat Conservative David Landau and Green Party candidate Antoinette Fernandez.

Abbott remains one of the longest-serving MPs in parliament after she was first elected in 1987 becoming the first Black woman to enter the house. Last night’s success marked her 10th election victory in a row as the candidate for the Hackney North constituency.
Statement

Supporters claimed her win made an important statement after a row around whether or not she would be allowed to stand for Labour this time.

Abbott had been suspended from the party last year, after suggesting Jewish, Irish and Traveller people experience prejudice, but not racism “all their lives” – sparking a long-running process which saw her sit as an independent MP.

In May she told the media she had been banned from standing as a Labour MP at the next general election following a months-long internal party investigation into her comments for which had apologised.

However despite Labour announcing that the whip had been restored she said it was her understanding she would not be allowed to stand in the General Election as a Labour MP.
Support

Later, hundreds of supporters gathered outside Hackney Town Hall to express support for her.

The row led to widespread criticism of the Labour leadership and in particular of Sir Keir Starmer on social media platforms leading him to strongly deny she had been barred from contesting the Hackney and Stoke Newington seat as a Labour MP.

Abbott previously served as Shadow Home Secretary during Jeremy Corbyn’s tenure as party leader.

Her victory came amid a Labour landslide election victory which also left the Conservatives almost wiped off the political map in London.

New prime minister Starmer told cheering supporters in central London that “change begins now” adding that “It feels good, I have to be honest.”

Speaking after news of Labour’s win was confirmed Conservative Party leader Rishi Sunak said: “The British people have delivered a sobering verdict tonight, there is much to learn… and I take responsibility for the loss.”

Under Keir Starmer Labour have won more seats than party insiders would ever have thought possible in the wake of the 2019 general election.

POPULAR CANDIDATE: Jovan Owusu-Nepaul

However, according to analysis from BBC News the party performed badly in seats with large numbers of Muslim voters. Labour’s vote is down on average by 10 points in seats where more than 10% of the population identify as Muslim according to the analysis which it says could be a key reason why Labour’s Claudia Webbe lost the long-held seat of Leicester East.

Reform UK

The Conservatives’ loss of votes to Reform UK appeared to cost the party dearly. Reform UK party leader Nigel Farage became the MP for Clacton promising “this is just the first step of something that is going to stun all of you”.

The Clacton contest was overshadowed by anger over Labour’s treatment of rising star Jovan Owusu-Nepaul who was told by party leaders to stop campaigning in the constituency according to a member of his campaign team.

They said the decision left him ‘broken’ and in ‘tears’ leading to accusations that Labour had failed to put up any sort of opposition to Farage.

Reform has four MPs so far – including chairman Richard Tice and former Tory Lee Anderson – and is finishing second in many parts of the country, taking large numbers of votes from the Conservatives.



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North West Cambridgeshire elects Britain's youngest MP on night of high drama

By Ben Jones
Published 5th Jul 2024

New North West Cambridgeshire MP Sam Carling will be the youngest MP of the new parliament after his shock win over Shailesh Vara.

22-year-old Carling overturned Mr Vara’s 25,983 majority that he won in the 2019 General Election.

Mr Vara had served at the North West Cambridgeshire since 2005 and fought five successful election campaigns but was not able to defend his seat for a fifth time.

Sam Carling and Shailesh Vara shake hands on stage after the results were announced. Photo: David Lowndes.

Mr Vara’s defeat highlighted what a bad night it was for the Conservatives given that the North West Cambridgeshire seat was previously considered one of the safest seats in the country for the party. The party look set to end the election on their lowest number of seats ever with their numbers set to be under 120.

It could hardly have been closer though as the final result was not announced until a couple of minutes before 6am due to a full recount.

The recount was asked for by Labour after the two candidates were reportedly separated by just 23 votes.

It was the second recount of the night as Paul Bristow had called for a recount in Peterborough less than an hour earlier.

The final result came out as a victory for Carling by a margin of just 39 votes (14,785 to 14,746).

Mr Carling has become only North West Cambridgeshire’s third ever MP and the first non-Conservative MP the constituency has ever had since in was created in 1997.

There were only five candidates but the Reform candidate James Sidlow finished a comfortable third ahead of Bridget Smith of the Liberal Democrats and Green candidate Elliot Tong.

The turnout was 58.76%, which represented an almost 10% from the 2019 turnout figure of 68%. It was also the constituency’s lowest ever turnout figure, with the previous lowest 61.6% in 2005.

The results in full were: Sam Carling (Labour) 14,785, Shailesh Vara (Conservatives) 14,746, James Sidlow (Reform) 8,741, Bridget Smith (Lib Dem) 3,192, Elliot Tong (Green) 2,960.

'Lettuce' Liz Truss loses seat in upset almost as embarrassing as losing to a vegetable

It was a tough night for former PM Liz Truss who lost her safe seat that the Tories had held since 1964, two years since the politician was famously outlasted by the Daily Star lettuce

NEWS
By Robin Cottle

 5 JUL 2024

Liz Truss was famously outlasted by a lettuce (Image: Daily Star)

Disastrous former Prime Minister Liz Truss has lost her safe seat in the General Election.

Truss, who was in number 10 for just 49 days where she was famously outlasted by the Daily Star Lettuce, was ousted from her South West Norfolk seat. Labour's Terry Jermy overturned a huge majority of 26,195 from the last election.

It caps a disastrous two years for the ex-PM, but nothing is impossible when you've been beaten by a leaf vegetable.

Truss has defended her time in the hotseat. She claimed she was "held responsible for decisions that I had no power over".

Liz Truss lost her safe Tory seat (Image: PA)

But the Daily Star was so dissatisfied with her premiership that we pitted her against one of Britain's favourite vegetable to see what would happen first - would she fall on her sword before the vegetable went rotten or vice versa?

In the end it was a comfortable victory for the 60p vegetable, and now her constituents in South Norfolk have also voted with their feet.

It ends 14 years in the seat for Truss and sees the beleaguered Tories lose a seat they have held since 1964.

The result capped a disastrous night for the Conservatives, with Rishi Sunak's party battering at the polls allowing Labour to form a government for the first time since 2010.

It's been a tough few years for the former Prime Minister (Image: PA)

Truss had previously ruled out plans to run for Tory leader again, just last month saying she wanted to concentrate on "being a backbench MP".

Ever magnanimous in defeat, Truss had her say on the triumphant lettuce earlier this year.

She suggested only the "London elite" cared about her being beaten by the Daily Star's vegetable.

Laying into her leafy opponent, she said: "This is just pathetic, you know, point scoring. This is the kind of thing that obsesses the kind of, what I describe as the ‘London elite’. It’s, ‘what do other people think of me, what’s Britain’s international standing’.”

This lettuce proved a worthy adversary for Truss 

(Image: Humphrey Nemar/dailystar)

We'll try not to stick the boot in on what has been a difficult night for the former Prime Minister, but it's good to know the lettuce has got the last laugh (again).

Record number of UK Cabinet ministers defeated in general election


By  AFP
July 5, 2024

Defence Secretary Grant Shapps lost his seat - Copyright POOL/AFP Stefan Rousseau

A record number of Cabinet ministers lost their seats on Friday in Britain’s general election, leaving only a couple of obvious contenders for the party leadership if Rishi Sunak resigns.

Nine members of Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s top team failed to be re-elected, beating the previous high of seven who lost out in 1997, as the ruling Conservatives suffered a mauling at the hands of the main opposition Labour party.

Grant Shapps, the UK’s defence secretary for nearly a year, was the most high-profile casualty, losing his Welwyn Hatfield seat north of London.

Leader of the Commons Penny Mordaunt, who shot to international attention as a sword carrier at King Charles III’s coronation last May, lost in Portsmouth North on England’s south coast.

A former defence secretary, she tried twice to become Tory leader, and was tipped to try again after Thursday’s election, with Sunak expected to stand down.

Other Tory casualties included Education Secretary Gillian Keegan, Justice Secretary Alex Chalk, Culture Secretary Lucy Frazer, Transport and Science Secretary Michelle Donelan.

Veteran minister Johnny Mercer and Brexit champion Jacob Rees-Mogg also lost out, as voters grew fed up with the Conservatives after 14 years in power.

The defeats have already sparked soul-searching among re-elected and departing Conservatives, who said the party had been punished for a series of scandals and infighting in recent years.

“I think that we have seen in this election an astonishing ill-discipline within the party”, said former Justice Secretary Robert Buckland, after losing his seat.

Shapps, an MP since 2005, criticised the Tories’ “inability to iron out their differences” amid an endless political “soap opera” that saw five prime ministers since the 2016 Brexit vote.

“What is crystal clear to me tonight –- it is not so much that Labour won but that the Conservatives lost,” he added.

Right-winger Suella Braverman, sacked as interior minister by Sunak late last year for a series of incendiary comments, was re-elected and finance minister Jeremy Hunt survived a major scare to squeak victory.

Current interior minister James Cleverly also held on to his seat.

Secretary of State for Business and Trade Kemi Badenoch and security minister Tom Tugendhat also won their races.

Most of those high-profile survivors are expected to challenge for the leadership.

Braverman apologised to voters in her victory speech, saying the Tories had failed to listen to voters.

“The Conservative party let you down… we have got to do better and I will do everything in my power to rebuild trust. We need to listen to you. You have spoken to us very clearly,” she said.