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Chris Loder and Michael Tomlinson lose seats in hard night for Tories across the Vale

THE Conservative Party has been almost wiped out in parts of Dorset – amid a landslide win for Labour nationally which will see seen Sir Keir Starmer become prime minister.

Before yesterday’s poll, the Tories held seats in West Dorset, South Dorset, Mid-Dorset and North Poole and North Dorset.

Overnight, only one of those seats remained blue – North Dorset – with the others falling.

Chris Loder, the Conservative former MP for West Dorset, was defeated by Liberal Democrat Edward Morello, who secured a majority of more than 7,000.

Michael Tomlinson, a former illegal migration minister in Rishi Sunak’s government, narrowly lost his seat to the Liberal Democrats, where Vikki Slade secured a tight 500-vote majority.

And in South Dorset, long-serving MP Richard Drax was ousted by Labour’s Lloyd Hatton, losing out by just over 1,000 votes.

The solitary piece of good news for the Conservatives came in North Dorset, where Simon Hoare retained his seat, albeit with a much-reduced majority of just 1,600.

However, in our part of Wiltshire, the Conservatives fared better, with Andrew Murrison in South West Wiltshire, and John Glen in Salisbury, retaining their seats.

Dr Murrison won by just over 3,000 votes over Labour’s Evelyn Akoto. And in Salisbury, former Paymaster General Mr Glen secured an almost-4,000-vote victory over Labour challenger Matt Aldridge, with Liberal Democrat Victoria Charleston in third.

In our corner of Somerset, meanwhile, Sarah Dyke was elected to represent the new Glastonbury & Somerton seat for the Liberal Democrats, while Adam Dance, a Lib Dem, ousted former MP Marcus F

The results came as the results in the Vale were mirrored across the country, with Labour securing a landslide victory – gaining 210 seats at the time of writing, with a total of 409 – followed by the Conservatives on 118 (a drop of 247).

Ed Davey’s eye-catching campaign has resulted in the Liberal Democrats gaining a whopping 62 seats, giving them a total of 70, while the SNP collapsed to just eight seats.

Reform UK, which split the Conservative vote across the UK, will have three seats – including Nigel Farage in Clacton – while the Green Party will have four, including Bristol Central.

The full results in our Dorset seats:

West Dorset
Edward Morello – Liberal Democrats: 26,999
Chris Loder – Conservatives: 19,210
Donna Lumsden – Labour: 3,086
Kelvin Clayton – Green Party: 2,288
Oliver Chisholm – Independent: 733
Marcus White – Independent: 289

Mid Dorset and North Poole
Vikki Slade – Liberal Democrats: 21,442
Michael Tomlinson – Conservatives: 20,090
Candice Johnson-Cole – Labour: 4,566
Ben Pantling – Green Party: 2,355
John Dowling – Social Democratic Party: 1,061

South Dorset
Lloyd Hatton – Labour: 15,659
Richard Drax – Conservatives: 14,611
Morgan Young – Reform UK: 8,168
Matt Bell – Liberal Democrats: 8,017
Catherine Bennett – Green Party: 2,153
Joy Wilson – Independent: 192
Giovanna Lewis – Independent: 185
Rosie Morrell – Independent: 52

Simon Hoare has retained his North Dorset seat

Simon Hoare has retained his North Dorset seat

North Dorset
Simon Hoare – Conservatives: 18,208
Gary Jackson – Liberal Democrats: 16,619
Ash Leaning – Reform UK: 7,894
James Coldwell – Labour: 4,370
Ken Huggins – Green Party: 2,082
Si Adams – Independent: 317
Jeff Taylor – UK Independence Party: 119
Daniel Woodruffe – Social Democratic Party: 74

Results in Wiltshire

Salisbury
John Glen – Conservative Party: 17,110
Matt Aldridge – Labour Party: 13,303
Victoria Charleston – Liberal Democrats: 11,825
Julian Malins – Reform UK: 5,235
Barney Norris – Green Party: 2,115
Chris Harwood – Climate Party: 127
King Arthur Pendragon – Independent: 458

South West Wiltshire
Andrew Murrison – Conservative Party: 15,617
Evelyn Akoto – Labour Party: 12,374
Garry Irvin – Reform UK: 7,840
Bret Palmer – Liberal Democrats: 7,205
Fay Whitfield – Green Party: 2,243
James Ward – Independent: 448
Thomas Culshaw – Independent: 441

Results in Somerset

Frome & East Somerset
Anna Sabine – Liberal Democrats: 16,580
Lucy Trimnell – Conservatives: 11,165
David Swain – Reform UK: 6,441
Robin Moss – Labour: 6,416
Martin Dimery – Green Party: 5,083
Shaun Hughes – Independent: 737
Gavin Heathcote – Independent: 294

Glastonbury & Somerton
Sarah Dyke – Liberal Democrats: 20,364
Faye Purbrick – Conservatives: 13,753
Tom Carter – Reform UK: 7,678
Hal Hooberman – Labour: 3,111
Jon Cousins – Green Party: 2,736

Yeovil
Adam Dance – Liberal Democrats: 23,765
Marcus Fysh – Conservatives: 11,497
Laura Bailhache – Reform UK: 7,677
Rebecca Montacute – Labour: 3,002
Serena Wootton – Green Party: 2,403
Steve Ashton – Independent: 608

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I am the editor in chief of Blackmore Vale media, which includes the New Blackmore Vale, New Stour & Avon, Salisbury & Avon Gazette and the Purbeck Gazette, having been a reporter for some 20 years. In my spare time, I am a festival lover, with a particular focus on Glastonbury. I live in Somerset with my wife and two children.