Election 2024: Richard Holden clings onto Essex seat by 20 votes
The Conservative Party chairman Richard Holden has clung onto his Essex seat of Basildon and Billericay by just 20 votes.
Holden came in first with 12,905 votes – while Alex Harrison from the Labour Party was narrowly beaten to second place with 12,885, following a recount.
The former MP for North West Durham was criticised after reportedly being the only candidate on the shortlist in the relatively safe Tory seat.
Reform UK’s candidate Stephen Conlay was a close third with 11,354.
According to the Ipsos exit poll, Holden’s seat was a possible Conservative hold at 56 per cent likelihood.
The exit poll has predicted a significant 410 seats for Labour overall, giving the party a majority of 170, and – if accurate – meaning Sir Keir Starmer would walk into Downing Street.
It came as Tory cabinet ministers Gillian Keegan, Lucy Frazer and Penny Mordaunt – and deputy chairman Jonathan Gullia – lost their seats to Labour.
Former Liz Truss-era deputy Prime Minister also lost her seat in Suffolk Coastal to Labour, while chief Treasury secretary Laura Trott has held on in Sevenoaks.
At just before 4.30am, with almost half the 650 constituencies declared, Labour have won 230 seats with as 37.8 per cent share of the vote.
This compared to the Conservatives on 31 seats and a 22 per cent vote share, with the Liberal Democrats having won in 26 constituencies with 10.2 per cent of the overall vote.
Meanwhile, Nigel Farage’s Reform UK party has secured 15.6 per cent of the vote, translating to success in just four seats so far.
The Scottish National Party (SNP) has four seats and Plaid Cymru is on two, while the Green Party has 6.8 per cent of the votes and is currently on just one seat.