Seven Tory ministers booted out in disastrous night for Conservatives
2 min read
Seven Tory ministers have lost their seats as the Conservatives were pegged back by a resurgent Labour party.
The most high profile victim was Cabinet Office minister Ben Gummer, who was instrumental in drafting the disastrous Tory manifesto
Labour's Sandy Martin overturned Mr Gummer's 3,700 majority in Ipswich to triumph by 831 votes.
Treasury minister Jane Ellison was swept away in Battersea as Jeremy Corbyn’s party surged in London, losing by 2,400 votes.
In neighbouring Putney Education Secretary Justine Greening nearly suffered a shock defeat, seeing her majority slashed from over 10,000 to just over 1,000 votes.
Home Secretary Amber Rudd also managed to cling on in Hastings and Rye, going through several recounts before emerging victorious.
But Housing Minister Gavin Barwell was not so lucky, losing hyper-marginal Croydon Central by 5,652 votes.
Culture minister Rob Wilson also lost his seat in Reading East, with Labour wining by 3,750 votes.
The Tories had expected to do well in the north-east after winning the Tees Valley mayoral contest just weeks ago, but saw International Development minister James Wharton narrowly defeated in Stockton South.
And there was a surprise victory for the Liberal Democrats in Oxford West and Abingdon, where they defeated Health minister Nicola Blackwood.
The overall picture remains unclear, with the Conservatives looking unlikely to be able to form a government on their own and possibly set to rely on the support of Northern Irish parties in the upcoming Parliament.
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