Transport sec Mark Harper and predecessor Grant Shapps lose seats
James ChappleTransport secretary, Conservative MP Mark Harper, has lost his seat in parliament following a landslide general election victory for the Labour Party.
Labour’s Matt Bishop took Harper’s Forest of Dean seat by just 300 votes during a chastening for the Tories, which by 7am on Friday (5 July) had lost nearly 240 seats with around 30 still to declare.
Another major scalp was Covid era transport secretary Grant Shapps, now the defence secretary, who lost his Welwyn Hatfield seat. Conceding defeat, Shapps said internal rivalries and division in his party had become "an endless political soap opera".
Tourism minister Julia Lopez, Conservative MP for Hornchurch and Upminster, held her seat. Going into the election, Labour didn’t have a named shadow tourism secretary, but shadow secretary of state for culture, media and sport Thangam Debbonaire lost her Bristol Central seat to the Green Party.
In total, 12 members of the serving Conservative cabinet had lost their seats by Friday morning.
Labour has secured the 326-seat threshold required to win the election, and is poised to take a significant majority into the next parliamentary term.
The Conservative Party will be the second largest party in Westminster, albeit having lost around two-thirds – the largest loss in its history – of its seats, followed by the Liberal Democrats.
Short-lived prime minister of just 45 days, Liz Truss, also lost her seat in South West Norfolk to Labour’s Terry Jermy.
In Scotland, the Scottish National Party vote collapsed, resulting in a huge swing to Labour, while in Wales, the Conservative Party lost all the seats it held there, with Labour and Plaid Cymru making gains.
Advantage Travel Partnership chief executive Julia Lo Bue-Said commented: "That’s it. Whatever the result, it’s now the start of a new beginning to build the voice for the outbound travel industry; an economic and social powerhouse. Amplification and recognition for the thousands of business owners and people that work within it."
Find out more about what the major parties went into the election promising on travel and tourism, and don’t forget to have your say in TTG’s snap general election survey.
TTG's general election recap
Labour stormed to victory in Thursday's general election (4 July) securing a huge Commons majority of 174 seats and condemning the Conservative Party to its worst general election defeat in its parliamentary history. Here are some of the key updates in the wake of polling day.
- TTG poll reveals travel trade's priorities for new Labour government
- 'Time is of the essence', Abta tells Labour after general election win
- What does travel want – and need – from the next government?
- Former transport secretaries Mark Harper and Grant Shapps lose seats
- Keir Starmer names first transport and culture secretaries of new govt
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