A night of shocks and surprises in Wales

By Nick Powell

The Welsh Conservatives have had their best Westminster election since 1983, winning 11 seats, three more than in 2010. Gaining Brecon and Radnorshire was no surprise but Gower and Vale of Clwyd were shock wins for the Tories.

Both are totemic in very different ways. The Vale of Clwyd has long been seen as a seat that the Tories would only win if they were on their way to a Westminster majority. Gower, though sometimes marginal in recent years, has been Labour since before the First World War.

In recent days, Labour ambitions had become modest - to win Cardiff North and Cardiff Central and suffer no losses. In the event, they could only win Cardiff Central from the Liberal Democrats and lost Gower and Vale of Clwyd.

Labour nearly lost Ynys Môn as well but Albert Owen narrowly saw off Plaid Cymru. Leanne Wood's high-profile campaign only resulted in the party holding its exising three seats

The Liberal Democrats saw their three seats reduced to one, holding only Ceredigion, where Plaid Cymru's challenge stalled. But the Conservatives' performance is the story of the night in Wales. The last time the Conservatives won a Westminster election outright - in 1992 - there were just six Welsh Tory MPs. There are now nearly twice that number.