Ed Balls loses his seat in shock result
Shadow chancellor Ed Balls loses his seat to the Conservatives following a recount
Shadow chancellor Ed Balls has lost his Morley and Outwood seat to Conservative candidate Andrea Jenkins by 422 votes.
Balls, who has been an MP since 2005, becomes "the highest profile Labour casualty" on a "terrible election night" for the party, The Guardian says.
In his concession speech following a recount of the ballot, Balls congratulated his political opponents and thanked his campaign team. The outgoing MP said that any personal disappointment he had was "nothing compared to the sense of sorrow I have about what has happened to Labour", The Guardian reports.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
The shadow chancellor had earlier admitted that he had "a fight on his hands", after early rumours suggested that he had lost his seat.
Speaking to ITV News soon after polling stations closed, Balls did not respond directly to the suggestion that he may have lost. But he told the BBC's David Dimbleby shortly before midnight that it was far too early to predict the outcome of the race. "The ballot boxes haven't even arrived," he said. "I've fought very hard in my campaign and we'll see what the result is when it arrives."
The first report that Balls might lose his seat came from Michael Freeman, a former adviser to Conservative chief whip Michael Gove.
Then at about 5am the pace of rumours began to pick up once again, as reporters suggested that Balls was on the way out. A BBC reporter at the count said Conservatives were very hopeful of securing a victory, and that one official had said that you "couldn't get a fag paper between the two candidates.
The shadow chancellor won the West Yorkshire constituency with a majority of 1,101 in 2010, but has now been ousted by Conservative, Andrea Jenkyns. In his concession speech, Balls said he was confident that Labour would bounce back.
The Conservatives are on course to win a narrow working majority after yesterday's general election, according to a BBC projection based on exit polling and results from two-thirds of constituencies. Labour is forecast to end up with 239 seats.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
'The disconnect between actual health care and the insurance model is widening'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By Anya Jaremko-Greenwold, The Week US Published
-
Cautious optimism surrounds plans for the world's first nuclear fusion power plant
Talking Point Some in the industry feel that the plant will face many challenges
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
Explore new worlds this winter at these 6 enlightening museum exhibitions
The Week Recommends Discover the estrados of Spain and the connection between art and chess in various African countries
By Catherine Garcia, The Week US Published
-
Labour's plan for change: is Keir Starmer pulling a Rishi Sunak?
Today's Big Question New 'Plan for Change' calls to mind former PM's much maligned 'five priorities'
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK Published
-
John Prescott: was he Labour's last link to the working class?
Today's Big Quesiton 'A total one-off': tributes have poured in for the former deputy PM and trade unionist
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
Last hopes for justice for UK's nuclear test veterans
Under the Radar Thousands of ex-service personnel say their lives have been blighted by aggressive cancers and genetic mutations
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK Published
-
Will Donald Trump wreck the Brexit deal?
Today's Big Question President-elect's victory could help UK's reset with the EU, but a free-trade agreement with the US to dodge his threatened tariffs could hinder it
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
What is the next Tory leader up against?
Today's Big Question Kemi Badenoch or Robert Jenrick will have to unify warring factions and win back disillusioned voters – without alienating the centre ground
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
Is Labour risking the 'special relationship'?
Today's Big Question Keir Starmer forced to deny Donald Trump's formal complaint that Labour staffers are 'interfering' to help Harris campaign
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
What is Lammy hoping to achieve in China?
Today's Big Question Foreign secretary heads to Beijing as Labour seeks cooperation on global challenges and courts opportunities for trade and investment
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
Men in Gray suits: why the plots against Starmer's top adviser?
Today's Big Question Increasingly damaging leaks about Sue Gray reflect 'bitter acrimony' over her role and power struggle in new government
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published