Ed Davey hails 'historic result' as Liberal Democrats win record-breaking number of seats

Sir Ed Davey celebrated with members of his party after his win, dancing and singing to Neil Diamond's 'Sweet Caroline,' ITV News' Chloe Keedy reports.

The Liberal Democrats have taken a record number of the seats for the party in the General Election.

Sir Ed Davey, who won a majority of 17,235 in Kingston & Surbiton, described the Liberal Democrats’ election results as “exceptional”.

The party ousted four Cabinet ministers and denied the Tories success in constituencies once held by former prime ministers Lord Cameron, Lady May and Boris Johnson.

With 641 results declared, the Lib Dems’ tally stood at 71, beating the party’s previous record of 62 under Charles Kennedy’s leadership in 2005.

It far exceeds the party’s result of just 11 seats five years ago when the Conservative Party secured an 80-seat majority in the House of Commons under Johnson.

Set to take their seats on opposition benches as the UK’s third largest party – a position the Lib Dems have not held since 2015, missing out to the SNP - Sir Ed told voters his MPs “will now work hard to keep that trust with a focus on the issues that matter most to them, most of all the NHS and care”.

The party leader added: “This is a record-breaking night for the Liberal Democrats. We have swept to victory in seats from Land’s End to John O’ Groats.

“I am humbled by the trust that millions of people across the country have put in us.”

He earlier celebrated his party’s vote at an election party, dancing and singing to Neil Diamond’s Sweet Caroline.

Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey holds the seat of Kingston and Surbiton in London after securing 25,870 votes, following a stunt-packed campaign.

Among the biggest blows which his party inflicted on the Conservatives was in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, where Max Wilkinson won against Justice Secretary Alex Chalk.

Education Secretary Gillian Keegan lost in Chichester, Sussex, to Jess Brown-Fuller, while Science Secretary Michelle Donelan lost to Brian Mathew in Melksham and Devizes.

Culture Secretary Lucy Frazer became a casualty to the Liberal Democrat candidate Charlotte Cane.

Henley and Thame, Maidenhead and Witney are also now Liberal Democrat seats.

One seat the Liberal Democrats failed to clinch was Godalming and Ash, where party sources suggested victory over Chancellor Jeremy Hunt would be “quite the moment”.

He will remain an MP in the Surrey constituency after its voters elected him with a majority of 891.

Labour stormed to a landslide victory, confirming a majority after winning 412 seats so far.. Meanwhile the Conservatives have 121.

The Liberal Democrats have taken around 12.3% of the overall vote to secure more than 70 seats.

The SNP, which took 48 seats in 2019 as the UK’s third largest party, had secured just eight seats.

Reform UK on 14.3% of the vote has taken just four.

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