Greg Hands loses Chelsea and Fulham to Labour by just 152 votes
London minister Greg Hands has lost his Chelsea and Fulham seat to Labour by just 152 votes.
Ben Coleman beat the senior Conservative to become the constituency’s first ever Labour MP in what has been a devastating night for the Tory party.
The results were declared at 6.30am after a full recount of ballots.
Mr Hands was first elected an MP almost two decades ago. At the last general election he won almost 50 per cent of the vote in the west London constituency and a majority of more than 11,000.
He refused to comment on the loss as he left the count.
Mr Coleman told the Standard: “I feel very proud to be Chelsea and Fulham’s first Labour MP.
“The whole country needs change, we need to get the NHS back on its feet, our schools need more teachers, we need to get police back on the street...In Chelsea and Fulham we got Wes Streeting to come down here just a few weeks ago and guarantee rebuilding and the modernisation of Charing Cross Hospital and I’m looking forward to making that happen.”
At the same count in Kensington Olympia Andy Slaughter retained Hammersmith and Chiswick for Labour.
He said: “We turn the page today. We will welcome in a new government led by Sir Keir Starmer with a huge mandate for change in this country. I welcome that. At last it is time for the country to breathe. We have suffered too long from incompetent leaders.”
Labour storm to General Election 2024 win
Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer and his wife Victoria at the Tate Modern
(PA Wire)
Keir Starmer and his wife Victoria
(Jeremy Selwyn)
Independent candidate Niko Omilana holds an “L” behind Prime Minister Rishi Sunak during his speech at Northallerton Leisure Centre
(PA Wire)
Tan Smith reacts next to party-goers as they celebrate early election poll results at a
Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer speaks to supporters
(PA Wire)
Scottish Labour supporters celebrate after the party scored victory in exit polls at declaration for Glasgow North East at Emirates Arena
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Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer's wife Victoria (left) and June Sarpong at a watch party for the results of the 2024 General Election in central London, as the party appears on course for a landslide win
(Jeff Moore/PA Wire)
Jeremy Corbyn at vote count in Islington North
(Ethan Croft)
Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar with supporters at Emirates Arena in Glasgow, during the count for Glasgow Central and Glasgow South constituencies in the 2024 General Election
(Andrew Milligan/PA Wire)
Reform UK leader Nigel Farage reacts after being elected to become MP for Clacton at the Clacton count centre in Clacton-on-Sea
(AFP via Getty Images)
An exit poll predicting that the Labour Party led by Keir Starmer will win 410 seats in Britain's general election is projected onto BBC Broadcasting House in London
(AFP via Getty Images)Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer was swept to power by a landslide victory as Tories toppled in previously safe seats.
The Conservatives were defeated in Cities of London and Westminster, a constituency that includes Buckingham Palace and Parliament, as well as Kensington and Bayswater where Tory Minister Felicity Buchan lost the marginal seat to Labour’s Joe Powell.
The full set of results for London are here.
But it was not all smooth sailing for the Labour party as some candidates faced significant backlash over the party’s stance on Gaza.
Jeremy Corbyn beat Labour in Islington North.
Shockat Adam, an independent candidate who has focused his campaigning on Palestine, defeated shadow minister Jonathan Ashworth in Leicester South in a major upset.
Iain Duncan Smith held Chingford and Woodford Green for the Tories after Faiza Shaheen, who stood as an independent when she was ousted as the Labour candidate, split the vote.
In Ilford North shadow health secretary Wes Streeting won his seat by just 528 votes with pro Palestine independent Leanne Mohamad coming second.
