The election result was as predicted - but here's what we didn't expect (plus the Portillo moment)

Sky News
Updated ·4-min read

Labour's victory was a surprise to no one - but the shockwaves of some results rippled through election night.

There were shock exits, surprise victories and records broken.

Here we look at some of the unexpected results to come out of the election.

Liz Truss loses her seat

In one of the biggest shocks of the night, former prime minister Liz Truss lost in Norfolk South West - which was considered a safe Tory seat.

She lost to Labour's Terry Jermy by just 630 votes.

Sky News' political editor Beth Rigby called it the "Portillo moment of the night" - referencing Conservative cabinet minister Michael Portillo losing what had been regarded as a safe Tory seat in Labour's 1997 landslide.

"This was a very safe seat - she was not expected to lose it. There was a big campaign about tactical voting.

"When we were going around the country, every time Liz Truss was mentioned she provoked a reaction - it's been very damaging to the Conservatives."

Jon Ashworth loses to independent candidate

Labour frontbencher Jonathan Ashworth was unseated by an independent candidate in Leicester South.

The shadow paymaster general lost to Shockat Adam, a pro-Gaza candidate whose main policies include "standing for global peace and justice".

Mr Adam accused the outgoing MP of refusing "to vote for a ceasefire to end the bloodshed in Gaza, resulting in the needless deaths of thousands of innocent civilians".

Analysis by Sky News shows that Labour's support fell drastically in areas with higher Muslim populations.

Read more:
Meet the new PM's wife
Who won the popular vote?

Jess Phillips holds on to her seat - but only just

Labour's Jess Phillips only narrowly managed to hold on to her Birmingham Yardley seat, scraping 11,275 votes.

Hot on her heels with 10,582 votes was Workers Party candidate Jody McIntyre, who describes himself as a consistent voice for the Palestinian people.

While Ms Phillips quit the frontbench in November to back a Commons vote calling for a ceasefire, Labour has faced fierce criticism for its stance on Gaza.

Her seat was one of several where Labour saw massive falls in their support to candidates who were outspoken on Gaza and Palestine.

Ms Phillips was booed as she gave her acceptance speech and described it as a "tense and tough night".

Wes Streeting sees majority slashed

Wes Streeting was another Labour candidate who felt the pressure of pro-Palestinine independents.

The shadow health secretary saw his majority plummet from more than 9,000 to 528 in Ilford North.

He won 33.4% of the vote, while independent candidate Leanne Mohamad took 32.2%.

George Galloway loses Rochdale seat

After four months in the job as Rochdale's MP after winning a shock by-election dominated by the Gaza war, George Galloway has been unseated.

Mr Galloway, a former Labour and Respect member, swept to victory in Rochdale in February gaining almost 40% of the vote.

A divisive figure, Galloway had won the seat following a campaign dogged by controversy and dominated by the Middle East conflict.

But the Workers' Party leader finished in second place with 11,508 votes. Labour's Paul Waugh won the seat with 13,047 votes.

Lib Dems win record number of seats

The party won its highest number of seats ever, with 71 MPs set to enter the Commons.

It surpassed the exit poll's prediction of a 61-seat win for the party.

Lib Dem leader Sir Ed Davey said it was "an exceptional result" and vowed: "This will not be a one off."

Jeremy Hunt hangs on with slim majority

It looked like the former chancellor could be in danger of losing his seat when the exit poll forecast a Labour landslide.

But - after a number of recounts - he scraped home with a majority of 891 votes.

During the campaign, Mr Hunt's defeat had been widely predicted, and he had even warned his children: "Daddy might not be chancellor, he may not be an MP after the election."

If he had not secured a majority, he would have held the dubious honour of being the first chancellor to lose his seat in a general election.

Jeremy Corbyn wins as an independent candidate

Jeremy Corbyn has held on to his Islington North seat for the 11th time, this time standing as an independent after being barred from standing for Labour.

The former Labour leader clinched victory with more than 24,000 votes, compared to Labour candidate Praful Nargund who won more than 16,000.

The exit poll had said the seat was too close to call, leaving the north London constituency on a knife edge.

Mr Corbyn's team had appealed for an army of volunteers to help them campaign in the constituency, saying they faced an uphill battle against the Labour machine.

He was suspended from the Labour Party following his response to an antisemitism report examining his time as leader.

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