Liberal Democrats win record number of seats as Sir Ed Davey hails 'exceptional' result
Sir Ed Davey has hailed the Liberal Democrats' "exceptional" results in the general election as the party won the highest number of seats ever.
When the polls closed on Thursday night it was clear the Lib Dems were on to win many more seats than the 11 seats it had in the last parliament.
However, the exit poll's prediction of a 61-seat win for the party was surpassed, with 71 seats by 8am.
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Lib Dem leader Sir Ed Davey said it was "an exceptional result" and vowed: "This will not be a one off."
The Lib Dems took the constituencies of two of the four former Conservative prime ministers from the last 14 years - Lord Cameron in Witney and Lady May in Maidenhead.
Other gains from the Tories include Wells and Mendip Hills, Dorking and Horley, Wimbledon, Yeovil, Hampshire North East and Norfolk North.
The Lib Dems also unseated multiple prominent Tory cabinet ministers.
Alex Chalk, the justice secretary, lost to Max Wilkinson in Cheltenham.
The party also took Chichester - with Jess Brown-Fuller beating Education Secretary Gillian Keegan with a majority of 12,172 votes.
While Culture Secretary Lucy Frazer lost her seat in Ely and East Cambridgeshire and Michelle Donelan lost to Liberal Democrat Brian Mathew taking her place in Melksham and Devizes with a 2,406 majority.
The Lib Dems had set out to target the so-called "Blue Wall" of Conservative seats in the southwest and southeast of England, and its strategy appears to have paid off.
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Sunak concedes defeat
Lib Dem leader Sir Ed Davey was re-elected in his Kingston and Surbiton seat with 25,870 votes, ahead of his Conservative rival Helen Edward on 8,635.
Speaking at The King's Centre in Chessington, in southwest London, Sir Ed said the party had put voters' concerns "at the heart of our campaign", adding that he had "rather enjoyed" the six-week run-up to the election.
Throughout the campaign, he has conducted a series of stunts such as paddle boarding, bungee jumping and conducting an interview on a fairground teacup ride.
"I think it's possible to have a serious debate as well as having a bit of fun. I don't take myself as a politician seriously. I want to take the concerns of the British people seriously," Sir Ed said after his re-election.
"I hope that the style we've gone about it has encouraged people to join the Liberal Democrats.
"It's certainly encouraged them to vote for us. This is an exceptional result, a historic result for the Liberal Democrats."
He added that Lib Dem policies on issues like health and the cost of living crisis have "been heard louder and clearer because of the way we presented ourselves in this positive light".
Sir Ed has represented Kingston and Surbiton since 1997, apart from in 2015 when he lost to Conservative James Berry in a backlash against the coalition government.
