Cabinet ministers Grant Shapps and Alex Chalk become first Tory big beasts to fall

Grant Shapps and Alex Chalk have become the first Tory big beasts to lose their seats in the general election.

Defence Secretary Mr Shapps has lost to Labour in Welwyn Hatfield while Justice Secretary Mr Chalk was defeated in Cheltenham to Liberal Democrat candidate Max Wilkinson.

In his concession speech, Mr Shapps hit out at the Conservative “indulgence” that appears to have cost them the election, saying voters do not back divided parties.

While a key figure in the Tory party for decades, having been appointed vice-chairman in 2005, it was after the 2019 election win that Mr Shapps became higher-profile in Government.

He has held five Cabinet positions since then – from the roles of transport secretary and home secretary to energy security secretary as well as business secretary, and most recently defence secretary.

After a short-lived Tory leadership bid in 2022, Mr Shapps became a major backer of Liz Truss’s rival Rishi Sunak in that contest.

Mr Shapps is said to have recorded Tory colleagues’ doubts about Ms Truss in a running spreadsheet, wielded on a pricey foldable smartphone.

He oversaw the transport department during the Covid-19 pandemic and the ensuing airport chaos as travel resumed, and faced criticism for failing to engage with unions over industrial action.

The exit poll put Sir Keir Starmer on course to complete one of the most remarkable turnarounds in British political history forecasting a huge Labour victory that will sweep him into Downing Street with a majority of 170.

As polling stations closed at 10pm, the exit poll predicted that Labour will win 410 seats, the Tories 131, the Lib Dems 61, Reform 13 and the SNP 10.

Mr Shapps, who has lost to Labour in Welwyn Hatfield, said it was “clear tonight that Britain will have a new government in the morning’’.

More follows on this breaking news story…