All The Key Seats To Watch On Election Night
Many senior Conservative politicians could lose their seats in this General Election (Alamy)
7 min read
With pollsters predicting a heavy defeat for the Conservatives at the General Election, many top Tories are likely to lose their seats – including some which would have been considered 'safe' in previous elections.
Chancellor Jeremy Hunt, Justice Secretary Alex Chalk, and Leader of the House of Commons Penny Mordaunt are among the senior Conservatives in the most vulnerable seats.
There are also a number of smaller parties and independent candidates who will be looking to secure representation in Parliament, including the Green Party, former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn battling to keep hold of his north London seat as an independent candidate, and George Galloway of the Workers Party hoping to stay on as MP for Rochdale.
Here are the key seats to watch during election night and the approximate times they are expected to declare their results:
12.15am
One of the earliest results to watch will be Basildon and Billericay, where Conservative Party chair Richard Holden is fighting to be returned to the House of Commons. Pollsters are split over whether he will keep the seat or Labour candidate Alex Harrison will defeat him.
The Tory decision to make Holden the candidate in this Essex seat outraged some Conservative figures, who complained he had been 'parachuted' in to the constituency after previously representing a seat in the North East.
2.30am
George Galloway, Workers Party candidate for Rochdale (Alamy)
At around 2.30am, Rochdale is expected to declare its results. George Galloway won a by-election in the seat for the Workers Party earlier this year, after the Labour candidate Azhar Ali lost the support of his party after suggesting that Israel had allowed the 7 October attack by Hamas to go ahead in order to justify an invasion of Gaza.
In the General Election, Galloway is hoping to defend his seat against Labour candidate Paul Waugh, a political journalist.
3am
Jeremy Corbyn, independent candidate for Islington North and former Labour leader (Alamy)
At around 3am, the results will start to come in at a faster rate from across the country. Among the declarations expected at this time will be Islington North, where former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn is fighting to retain his seat as an independent candidate.
The result for Chingford and Woodford Green is also due around this time, where Faiza Shaheen has been campaigning as an independent candidate, having been deselected as the Labour candidate. The seat is currently held by former Conservative leader Iain Duncan Smith, but Labour candidate Shama Tatler is widely expected to win.
Other top Conservative figures to watch out for at this time will be Justice Secretary Alex Chalk in Cheltenham, where he is being challenged by the Lib Dems, and Transport Secretary Mark Harper, who looks likely to lose Forest of Dean to Labour.
The result for Fareham and Waterlooville, the seat of former home secretary Suella Braverman, is also expected around this time – but the vast majority of polls suggest she is likely to win.
3.15am
Carla Denyer, Green Party co-leader and candidate for Bristol Central (Alamy)
The result of Bristol Central, a fight between Labour and the Green Party, is expected to be announced at around 3.15am. Co-leader of the Greens Carla Denyer is hoping to pick up the seat for her party from incumbent Labour MP and shadow secretary of state for culture, media and sport Thangam Debbonaire.
It is worth keeping an eye out for the result of Caerfyrddin at this point, where another top Tory – chief whip Simon Hart – could lose. Pollsters predict either Labour or Plaid Cymru could win this Welsh seat.
3.30am
Jeremy Hunt, Chancellor of the Exchequer and Conservative candidate for Godalming & Ash (Alamy)
At approximately half past 3, the results affecting many other senior Conservatives will be announced, including Chancellor Jeremy Hunt in Godalming and Ash. Every major MRP poll apart from one has predicted this seat will be won by the Liberal Democrats — meaning Hunt could be the most high-profile Tory loss of the night.
Other senior Tories who could lose their seats at this point are Education Secretary Gillian Keegan in Chichester, Leader of the House of Commons and potential future Tory leadership hopeful Penny Mordaunt in Portsmouth North, Defence Secretary Grant Shapps in Welwyn Hatfield, and minister Esther McVey in Tatton, who was tasked with "leading the government's anti-woke agenda".
Louth and Horncastle is another constituency to watch at this time, as it is one of Reform UK's target seats where candidate Sean Matthews is hoping to unseat Health Secretary Victoria Atkins. However, the polls suggest this is somewhat unlikely.
4am
Nigel Farage, Reform UK leader and candidate for Clacton (Alamy)
As the night reaches 4am, there will be more decisive results announced for Reform UK, including Clacton, where leader Nigel Farage is running against Conservative candidate Giles Watling, and Boston and Skegness, where party chair and former leader Richard Tice is running against the Tories' Matt Warman.
The Central Devon result is also expected around this time, where it seems likely that Work and Pensions Secretary Mel Stride could lose his seat to Labour candidate Ollie Pearson.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak (Richmond and Northallerton), Home Secretary James Cleverly (Braintree) and Gavin Williamson, who previously served as defence secretary and education secretary (Stone, Great Wyrley and Penkridge) will all find out their results at roughly this time – though it is likely they will all retain their seats.
The Green Party will also find out whether they have won target seat Waveney Valley from the Conservatives in Norfolk and Suffolk.
4.30am
Jacob Rees-Mogg, Conservative candidate for Somerset North East & Hanham (Alamy)
Key constituencies to watch out for at around 4.30am include the seats of senior Conservatives Jacob Rees-Mogg and David Davies in Somerset North East and Hanham and Monmouthshire. Davies is the Secretary of State for Wales and Rees-Mogg has previously held multiple ministerial positions. According to the majority of polls, they both look likely to lose their seats to Labour.
The Ashfield result could be another important moment for Reform UK, as former Conservative MP Lee Anderson is running here for Farage's party. The polls suggest either Reform or Labour could win the marginal Nottinghamshire seat.
4.30am is also when the result for Brighton Pavilion is expected, where the Greens are defending their only incumbent seat.
5am
More senior Conservatives could lose their seats to Labour at around this time, including Attorney General Victoria Prentis in Banbury and former cabinet minister Liam Fox in North Somerset.
The Herefordshire North result is also likely to come in here, which is another target seat for the Green Party.
5.15am
The result from Plymouth Moor View is expected soon after 5am, where Veterans Minister Johnny Mercer will struggle to hold onto his seat against Labour candidate Fred Thomas, who is a former Royal Marine.
5.30am
Liz Truss, Conservative candidate for Norfolk South West and former UK Prime Minister (Alamy)
The key seat to look out for at 5.30am will be South West Norfolk, where former prime minister Liz Truss has been the Conservative MP since 2010.
Despite holding a majority of 26,195 from the 2019 election, polls suggest there is a possibility the shortest-serving prime minister in British history could lose the seat to Labour.
6am
As results draw to a close, keep an eye out for Wycombe, where Northern Ireland and Cabinet Office minister Steve Baker is defending his seat against Labour. Baker, who looks very likely to lose, has said the election campaign has gone "badly" for his party, and faced criticism at the start of the election campaign for heading off on holiday in the first week.
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