OUR SWEET VICTORY
CAMERON BACK IN NO 10 AFTER SENSATIONAL NIGHT FOR TORIES
DAVID CAMERON today hailed “the sweetest victory of all” for the Tories in a generation.
The Prime Minister is planning for a Conservative-only government tonight after an extraordinary victory that could end with the resignations of defeated Ed Miliband and Nick Clegg.
Shadow chancellor Ed Balls became the emblem of a crushing rout for Labour at 7.20am, losing his seat to a Tory unknown by 422 votes after a recount. He spoke of “sorrow” but predicted: “Labour will be back.”
Mr Cameron was on course for a Commons majority of about four. He told jubilant aides and supporters at Conservative HQ: “I’m not an old man but I remember casting a vote in 1987 and that was a great victory.
“I remember working just as you’ve been working in 1992 and that was an amazing victory. And I remember 2010, achieving that dream of getting Labour out and getting the Tories back in and that was amazing. But I think this is the sweetest victory of them all.”
In key statements, he promised to be a “One Nation” leader and to help the
‘I’d like my party to reclaim the mantle we should never have lost. The mantle of one United Kingdom’
David Cameron
“poorest in our country”. Such a tiny majority, however, would leave his government highly vulnerable to byelections and rebellions that may mean a stormy five years ahead.
The latest projection of seats was Conservatives 329, Labour 233, SNP 56, Lib-Dems 8, Plaid Cymru 3, Ukip 2, Green 1 and others 18. The projected vote share was 37 per cent for the Tories and 31 per cent to Labour, despite polls showing a dead heat for weeks.
In a bloody night that confounded experts and changed the UK balance:
A generation of politic al heavyweights from Labour and the Liberal Democrats has been annihilated, including Lib-Dem Cabinet ministers Danny Alexander, Vince Cable and Ed Davey, Labour’s shadow foreign secretary Douglas Alexander and its Scottish leader Jim Murphy.
Nicola Sturgeon’s Scottish National Party swept the board north of the border, winning 56 out of 59 seats with just 1.5 million votes. Labour lost 40 out of their 41 seats there. The Tories and Lib-Dems were left with one Scottish MP each.
Mr Clegg saw his Lib-Dems massacred and reduced to about eight survivors from the 57 elected in 2010. He kept his Sheffield Hallam seat but spoke of a “cruel and punishing night”.
Ukip and the Greens looked set for just one MP each — respectively Douglas Carswell in Clacton and Caroline Lucas in Brighton — despite receiving more votes than the SNP. Both called for reform to give smaller parties a fairer share of seats. Ukip leader Nigel Farage said: “The system is bust.”
London Mayor Boris Johnson was elected MP for Uxbridge and South Ruislip and is the bookies’ favourite to succeed Mr Cameron as Tory leader before the 2020 general election.
Three separate leadership contests could occur this summer as Mr Farage today confirmed he will resign if he fails to be elected MP for Thanet South, where he was awaiting the result.
Markets jumped on the outcome. The pound hit a six-year high against the dollar and euro, while shares in banks, builders and utilities rose.
The night of drama began with a shock BBC exit poll at 10pm that dashed confidence in Mr Miliband’s team.
The Lib-Dems’ former leader Paddy Ashdown said he would “eat my hat” if the rout of his party proved true — and was challenged to do just that in a BBC interview after 8am when predictions grew even worse.
At 5.26am, Mr Miliband came close to conceding defeat in his speech at his count in Doncaster. “This has clearly been a difficult and very disappointing night,” he said. “In Scotland we have seen a surge of nationalism overwhelm
our party.” At 5.46am, the Prime Minister made his victory speech at his own count in Witney. He started with a jibe at poll s t er s who had c onsi s t ently showed the race neck-and-neck.
“Some people say there is only one opinion poll that counts and that is on election day,” he said. “I do not think that has ever been truer than it is today and tonight. This is clearly a very strong night for the Conservative Party.”
He made clear that he will go ahead with an In-Out referendum on Europe. Allies said he would also finish the st alled redrawing of constituency boundaries, which will create even bigger problems for Labour.
Mr Cameron key message was that he would try to bury the allegation that he governed only for a wealthy elite.
“My view remains simple, to govern on the basis of governing for everyone in our United Kingdom,” he said.
“I want to make sure that our economic recovery reaches every part of our country, I want to make sure that as our economy grows the poorest can benefit from that work and have the chance of work and a stronger future.
“I want to ensure good schools for all our children, no matter where they live and what their background. Above all I want to bring our country, our United Kingdom together.”
He pledged to keep “The Vow” given to Scots for more devolution. “In short I’d like my party, and I hope the government I would like to lead, to reclaim the mantle that we should never have lost. The mantle of One Nation, one United Kingdom. That is how I will govern if I am fortunate enough to form a government in the coming days.”
Soon after, as he travelled in a convoy back to Conservative HQ to congratulate the campaign team led by Grant Shapps and Lynton Crosby, he finally started to look celebratory. He tweeted a picture of himself kissing wife Samantha with the caption: “Here’s to a brighter future for everyone.”
Mr Cameron is expected to have an audience with the Queen before lunchtime, then return in triumph to 10 Downing Street to plan a reshuffle. He arrived at campaign HQ in London just after 7.10am to cheers from a handful of Tory supporters. He paused on steps at the entrance, where he gave a thumbs-up and waved before heading inside, followed by aides.
His address to party workers at HQ sparked rapturous applause and he added: “There are so many things to be proud of in this result.
“The fact that we held on in Scotland, that we extended our representation in Wales, that candidates have triumphed in so many seats.
“The fact that at every election we always think we’re going to displace those Lib-Dems in the West Country and we’ve finally done it now. The real reason to celebrate, the real reason to be proud, the real reason to be excited is we are going to get the opportunity to serve our country again.”
Chancellor George Osborne admitted the party faced “a huge challenge” to heal the divide with Scotland, saying: “We have a clear mandate to get on with the work we began five years ago.”
Shattered Lib-Dem Treasury minister Danny Alexander said at his count: “I hope Mr Cameron, if he does continue as Prime Minister, will reflect much more carefully on what’s needed to heal the United Kingdom rather than simply pandering to his own party advantage.”