Former prime minister Liz Truss has lost her seat in South West Norfolk to Labour candidate Terry Jermy by 640 votes, marking one of the biggest Conservative losses on a disastrous night for the party. Truss, who held a 26,000 majority in 2019, had not been expected to face serious pressure but saw her vote share collapse amid a national swing against the Tories.
The result is emblematic of the Conservatives' worst-ever election performance, with the party on course to win fewer seats than in 1997. Truss's turbulent 45-day premiership, which included a tax-cutting mini-budget that caused economic turmoil, has been blamed by many Tories for the defeat. One Conservative source said: 'We lost our reputation for competence, and once you’ve lost that it’s hard to claw your way back.'
Truss did not give a concession speech but told the BBC that the party had failed to deliver on policies such as low taxes and reducing immigration. She cited the Human Rights Act as a barrier to deporting illegal immigrants, adding: 'That is one of the reasons I think we’ve ended up in a situation we are now.'
Outgoing home secretary James Cleverly expressed sadness at the result, calling Truss 'a great parliamentarian' and noting his affection for her. The loss in South West Norfolk comes just two years after Truss was foreign secretary, when the Tories were only six points behind in the polls.
