British Chancellor Rishi Sunak gives way to Labour leader Keir Starmer. Source: X
The defeat of several key cabinet ministers in their constituencies in the 2024 UK general election has dealt a major blow to Chancellor Rishi Sunak’s government. Although the prime minister has already conceded defeat to Labour leader Keir Starmer, 11 current cabinet ministers were defeated in their constituencies.
The list of big losers included such heavyweights as Defence Secretary, Education Secretary Gillian Keegan, Justice Secretary Alex Chalk and Leader of the House of Commons Penny Mordaunt. This government has made history for the wrong reasons. The last time this government did so badly was in 1997, when seven ministers lost their constituencies.
Mr Starmer’s Labour party won a landslide victory in a poll conducted by Mr Sunak himself, ending 14 years of Conservative rule as Mr Starmer heads into Downing Street.
List of cabinet ministers who lost their jobs
Here is a list of ministers who lost their seats in the House of Commons:
- Grant Shapps: Defence Secretary Grant Shapps was defeated by the Labour candidate in Welwyn Hatfield by 3,799 votes. Mr Shapps received 16,078 votes compared to Labour’s Andrew Lewin’s 19,877.
- Gillian Keegan: Education Secretary Gillian Keegan lost her Chichester seat to the Liberal Democrats, who won with a majority of 12,172 votes, while Justin Minister Alex Chalk also lost his Cheltenham seat to the Liberal Democrats. Chalk has been the MP for Cheltenham since 2015 and it is notable that his majority has declined at each subsequent election.
- Penny Mordaunt: The biggest shock for the Conservatives was the loss of Speaker Penny Mordaunt, who lost her seat in Portsmouth North to Labour’s Amanda Martin, who won with 13,715 votes compared to Martin’s 14,495.
- Alex Chalk: Alex Chalk, Minister for Justice and Lord Chancellor from 2023, suffered an embarrassing defeat to the Liberal Democrat candidate. The Lord Chancellor received 17,866 votes, while the Liberal Democrats won 25,076 votes in the constituency.
- Lucy Fraser: The Culture Secretary lost her seat of Ely and East Cambridgeshire to the Liberal Democrat Charlotte Cain, but she lost her seat by a “narrow margin” of 495 votes. Fraser is seen as a staunch supporter of Mr Sunak and has previously served as Minister for Transport and Justice, First Minister to the Treasury and Attorney General.
- Johnny Mercer: Veterans’ Affairs Minister Johnny Mercer lost his seat in Plymouth Moor View to Labour candidate Fred Thomas, who came second with 12,061 votes, losing his seat to Labour’s Fred Thomas, who received 17,665 votes. Earlier this year, Conservative leader Mercer sparked controversy when he was ordered by a judge to hand over the names of people who had provided information about suspected special forces killings in Afghanistan.
- Michelle Donnellan: Science Secretary Michelle Donnellan was defeated by the Liberal Democrats in Melksham Devizes, receiving 17,630 votes to Lib Dem candidate Brian Matthew’s 20,031. Donnellan has been called “incompetent” and faced threats to resign, and has also been criticised for expressing sympathy for Hamas.
- Simon Hart: Leader Simon Hart came in third in the newly created Carfildine constituency, with Plaid Cymru’s Ann Davis taking the top spot. Mr Hart was forced to step down as Welsh Secretary of State shortly before former UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson stepped down.
- Mark Harper: The Transport Minister lost his Forest of Dean seat to Labour challenger Matt Bishop. The Conservative leader, who has been Transport Minister since 2022, lost his seat by less than 300 votes.
- David T. C. Davis: The Welsh Secretary of State is billed as the most powerful Conservative in Wales, but was defeated by the most powerful Welsh Conservative in the country: he lost his seat to Labour’s Catherine Hookes, who received 21,010 votes to Davies’s 17,672.
- Victoria Prentiss: Ultimately, Attorney-General Victoria Prentice lost her Banbury seat to Labour’s Sean Woodcock, who won 18,468 votes.
Another embarrassing defeat for the Conservative Party was that of former First Minister Liz Truss, who lost her seat in South West Norfolk, receiving 11,217 votes to Labour’s Terry Jermy, who received 11,847 votes. This makes Truss the first former prime minister in nearly 90 years to lose her seat in a general election.
Sunak apologises for disaster
While conceding to Starmer, Sunak also took responsibility for the Conservative party’s dismal performance in the 2024 election.
“Labour has won this general election and I have called Sir Keir Starmer to congratulate him on the victory. Today there is a peaceful, orderly and goodwill transfer of power which should give us all confidence in the stability and future of our country,” the British prime minister declared after the results of his own Richmond and Northern Allerton constituency were announced.
“I’m sorry. I take responsibility for the defeat,” he added.Interestingly, this is only the second time that a political party has won more than 400 seats in the British Parliament. Under the leadership of Tony Blair, the Labour Party won around 418 seats in the 1997 general election.
Input from AP.
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