Eight members of prime minister Rishi Sunak's cabinet have lost their seats in the general election – including education secretary Gillian Keegan and defence secretary Grant Shapps.
Conservative ministers' worst fears were confirmed in the early hours of this morning following the party's failure to significantly dent the Labour Party's 20-point lead in the opinion polls over the course of the six-week campaign.
Also losing their seats were leader of the House of Commons Penny Mordaunt; culture secretary Lucy Frazer; justice secretary Alex Chalk; transport secretary Mark Harper; Welsh secretary David TC Davies; and science, innovation and technology secretary Michelle Donelan.
Work and pensions secretary Mel Stride managed to hang onto his seat by a margin of 61 votes; while chancellor Jeremy Hunt saw his majority reduced from 8,817 in 2019 to 891 yesterday.
Out of 23 full members of Sunak's last cabinet, only 18 were standing for re-election. Levelling up secretary Michael Gove, Northern Ireland secretary Chris Heaton-Harris, and Scottish secretary Alister Jack decided to stand down from parliament. Foreign secretary David Cameron and leader of the House of Lords Nicholas True are both peers.
Along with the eight full cabinet members who lost their seats, four ministers who attended cabinet meetings were beaten at the ballot box: parliamentary secretary to the Treasury Simon Hart; Victoria Prentis, attorney general for England and Wales; veterans minister Johnny Mercer; and illegal immigration minister Michael Tomlinson.
Other high-profile Conservatives rejected by voters include former prime minister Liz Truss, former Cabinet Office minister and business secretary Sir Jacob Rees-Mogg, former justice secretary Sir Robert Buckland and former work and pensions secretary Thérèse Coffey.
Damian Green, who was first secretary of state and minister for the Cabinet Office under Theresa May, lost his seat in yesterday's election, as did former paymaster general Sir Jeremy Quin. Quin stepped down from government last November to "concentrate on projects" in his Horsham constituency, although he subsequently successfully ran to become chair of the Defence Select Committee.
John Glen, who succeeded Quin as paymaster general, was returned as an MP in yesterday's vote – as were Cabinet Office ministerial colleagues Esther McVey and Alex Burghart.
Labour losses
While Conservative frontbenchers had more wounds to lick than their Labour counterparts, two prominent members of Sir Keir Starmer's team failed to win their seats.
Shadow paymaster general Jonathan Ashworth lost his Leicester South seat to independent candidate Shockat Adam, who campaigned on a pro-Palestine platform.
Ashworth would have expected to be appointed as No.2 in Starmer's Cabinet Office team in the coming hours.
"It's very disappointing, but that's democracy," he said after the result was declared. Ashworth added that the most important thing was that a change of government was about to take place.
Shadow culture secretary Thangam Debbonaire also failed to be re-elected in her former Bristol Central constituency. It was won by Green Party of England and Wales co-leader Carla Denyer with a majority of more than 10,000.
Sue Gray's son elected to parliament
Elsewhere, former Cabinet Office second permanent secretary Sue Gray's son was successful in his bid to become an MP.
Liam Conlon was elected as Labour's candidate in south London's new Beckenham and Penge constituency.
The previous incarnation of the seat was held by Conservative Bob Stewart, who did not contest the 2024 election.
Conlon is a former official at communications union CWU. He will be uniquely placed for discipline in the Labour Party, as his mother is now prime minister Sir Keir Starmer's chief of staff.