General Election 2024: Biggest losers of the election in the Midlands

The Midlands is seen as a key battleground for political parties in their aim to win a general election.

Last time, in the 2019 General Election, the 'red wall' in the Midlands was key for the Conservative Party in their victory.

Now, new issues and topics have arose for this year's General Election, which have changed people's thoughts on who to vote for, with new parties and candidates on the ballot.

Some seats that were thought to be safe have turned on their heads. Here are some of the biggest losers in the Midlands:

• Jonathan Ashworth

Leicester South has been Labour's since 2011, but Jonathan Ashworth lost his seat.

There had been a lot of talk before the election, that Jon would lose his seat due to the topic of the Gaza conflict.

Ashworth took over the seat from the current Leicester City Mayor, Sir Peter Soulsby, who had held the role since 2005.

The Labour and Co-operative candidate won 33,606 votes in the last general election, a majority of 22,675 votes.

He served as shadow health secretary during the Covid pandemic, regularly holding Matt Hancock to account in Parliament.

Ashworth received 13,760 votes, but lost out to independent candidate Shockat Adam, who gained 14,739 votes.

• Michael Fabricant

In Lichfield in Staffordshire, the seat has belonged to Michael Fabricant since 1992 - though it was formerly called Mid Staffordshire.

Fabricant has served as the Member of Parliament there since 1992.

In the last general election, Fabricant was able to hold onto his seat. But after 31 years, Lichfield will be represented by a Labour MP.

Fabricant received 16,422 votes, while Labour candidate Dave Robertson received 17,232.

Vote turn out was 66.5%, with Labour gaining a majority of 810.

• Alex Chalk

In Cheltenham, Alex Chalk had held the seat since 2015. Chalk was also justice secretary since April 2023.

Max Wilkinson gained 25,076 votes ahead of Chalk who secured 17,866.

Wilkinson thanked his family who have supported him in good times and bad and his election team and every single person who has joined his campaign.

“This is your victory,” he said.

"This is a historic night for the Liberal Democrats. I firmly believe that all politics is done with a smile on its face and politicians are better when they aren’t taking themselves too seriously but they are taking seriously the concerns of the public."

He thanked Cheltenham for choosing "hope over fear" and promised to serve all equally. Chalk, who had been the town’s MP since 2015, was defending a majority of just 981.

• Rachel Maclean

Conservative Rachel Maclean had been the MP for Redditch in Worcestershire since 2017.

She has previously served as housing minister and has held ministerial roles in the Department for Transport and Home Office.

But this time around she lost her seat to Labour's Chris Bloore - who won with a majority of 789 votes.

• Jonathan Gullis

The Stoke-on-Trent North seat had been Jonathan Gullis' since 2019. In March 2024, Gullis was appointed deputy chairman of the Conservative Party.

He was elected in 2017 but Gullis lost his seat to Labour candidate David Williams.

Meanwhile Stoke-on-Trent South had been the seat of one of the youngest MPs Jack Brereton.

• Nigel Mills

In the East Midlands, Conservative Nigel Mills has held the Amber Valley seat since 2010.

He won the seat with a majority of 536. Mills was also able to retain his seat in the 2015 and 2017 general elections.

However in the 2024 general election he wasn't able to keep his seat and has said he doesn't plan on doing any more politics.

Amber Valley has now gone to Labour's Linsey Farnsworth.

The constituency last voted Labour in 2005.

• Brendan Clarke-Smith

In Bassetlaw in Nottinghamshire, Brendan Clarke-Smith has served the MP since 2019. He served under Rishi Sunak as a deputy chairman of the Conservative Party from November 2023 to January 2024.

In January, Clarke-Smith, alongside Lee Anderson, stepped down from their Tory party positions as deputy chairmen over Rishi Sunak’s Rwanda Bill.

Last year, a video of a former army medic protesting outside the office of the Conservative MP went viral after he claimed it was easier to get patients to hospital in war-zones than in the UK.

Following the result today, the seat for Bassetlaw now belongs to Labour's Jo White - who had 18,476 votes.

• Maggie Throup

Another MP to lose their seat was Maggie Throup of Erewash in Derbyshire.

She'd held the seat since 2010. On 16 September 2021, during the Cabinet reshuffle, she was appointed parliamentary under-secretary of state for vaccines and public health.

The seat for Erewash now is Labour's Adam Thompson - who's won by securing 17,224 votes.

After losing the election for the East Midlands Mayor, Ben Bradley has now also lost his seat as the MP of Mansfield in Nottinghamshire. He had held the seat since 2017.

His remaining job is that of Nottinghamshire County Council leader.

The MP for Mansfield is now Steven Yemm.

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