Election 2024: Chancellor Jeremy Hunt could lose Surrey seat, exit poll projects
Chancellor Jeremy Hunt could be set to lose his seat in a historically bad night for the Conservatives, according to the general election exit poll.
Sir Keir Starmer’s Labour Party is forecast to win some 410 seats and form a government with a majority of 170 seats, the analysis suggested.
The Ipsos UK survey for the BBC, Sky News and ITV found the Conservative politician’s Godalming and Ash constituency was a likely Liberal Democrat gain, at 81 per cent.
While the seat had just a 19 per cent chance of remaining in Tory hands.
Hunt ran a hyperlocal campaign throughout the past six weeks, and admitted he believed his chances were on a “knife edge”.
The former health secretary became the MP for South West Surrey in 2005, where he won a majority of just 8,000 in 2019, down from some 21,000 in 2017.
While the exit poll also suggested Labour’s Dan Jarvis and Stephanie Peacock – in Barnsley South and Barnsley North – could be lost to Reform UK.
Other so-called ‘big beasts’ at risk include justice secretary Alex Chalk, defence secretary Grant Shapps, and veterans minister Alex Chalk.
Whereas leader of the House of Commons Penny Mordaunt, education secretary Gillian Keegan, and transport secretary Mark Harper saw their chances described as ‘too close to call’, by the analysis.
Former Prime Minister Liz Truss saw her South West Norfolk seat dubbed a “possible Conservative hold”, alongside that of home secretary James Cleverly in Braintree and former chief whip, defence and education secretary Gavin Williamson in Stone, Great Wyrley and Penkridge.
A spokesperson for CCHQ said while there was a “long night ahead… this is a projection, not a result, so it’s important we wait to see the actual results come in”.
They added: “But if these results are correct it is clear that Keir Starmer and Angela Rayner will be in Downing Street tomorrow. That means your taxes will rise and our country will be less secure.”
They added: “It’s clear that based on this result we will have lost some very good and hardworking candidates.”