The Liberal Democrats look set to win swathes of the so-called Blue Wall and ‘stockbroker belt’ as the Conservative vote collapses in its traditional heartlands.
According to the exit poll this evening, the Conservatives are set to lose seats including Wimbledon, Guildford, Godalming and Ash and Esher & Walton in a historic swing to Ed Davey’s party. The former cabinet minister Robert Buckland has also lost his Blue Wall seat of Swindon to Labour’s Heidi Alexander, who will return to parliament after serving as the MP for Lewisham between 2010 and 2018.
The so-called Blue Wall refers to a strip of constituencies in the largely Remain-backing South East of England and commuter belt of London, where the Tories have traditionally been dominant.
However, the Liberal Democrats and and Labour have mounted an offensive on the region as voters are turned off by the Conservative’s swing to the right and focus on issues like immigration.
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Vast majorities of Surrey’s ‘stockbroker belt’ now look set to fall to the Liberal Democrats, which are on track to win a historic 61 seats, according to the exit poll. The Conservative vote is likely to collapse to around 131 seats while Labour will win 410 seats.
The Chancellor Jeremy Hunt, who is looking to defend the newly-created seat of Godalming and Ash, looks on track to become the highest ranking member of cabinet ever to lose his seat.
Guildford meanwhile, which has been lost by the Conservatives only once in its near 150 year history, is set to similarly fall to the Liberal Democrats. It was won by the Liberal Democrats in 2001. Farnham and Bordon similarly looks set to be edged by Davey’s party.
Closer to London, the Liberal Democrats look set to win the battleground seat of Wimbledon, which has been dominated by the Conservatives since its creation in 1885. It was won by Labour during the Blair years of 1997-2005.
Elsewhere in the Blue Wall, the City Minister Bim Afolami is also on track to lose his Hertfordshire seat, Hitchin, according to tonight’s exit poll.