MOMENT JEREMY HUNT LEAVES DOWNING STREET WITH HIS WIFE AND CHILDREN

Jeremy Hunt has left Downing Street with his family for the final time this morning following Labour's victory in the General Election. 

The Godalming and Ash MP, who held on to his seat with a majority of fewer than 900 votes, posed for photos with his wife, three children and dog Poppy as he stepped out on to the doorstep shortly before 9:30am.

One reporter shouted "Are you going to run for leader?" but Mr Hunt gave no response.

The Conservatives are expected to be slashed from the 365 MPs secured less than five years ago to 144, their worst performance in modern political history - but an improvement from the 131 expected at first. 

Rishi Sunak is also entering his final hours as PM after overseeing a catastrophic election that saw the Tories slump to their lowest ever number of MPs. 

Mr Sunak has flown back to London from Yorkshire, where he conceded that Keir Starmer has won and issued a grovelling apology in a shell-shocked speech.

The premier will not return to Downing Street, where he is expected to say a few valedictory words before heading to see the King and formally resign.

In an ironic full-circle moment, rain is falling in Westminster - echoing the miserable start to his ill-fated gamble, when he was drenched while announcing the snap election. Sir Keir will follow Mr Sunak into Buckingham Palace, before returning to enter the famous black door of No10.  

The traditional choreography comes as Labour's majority ticks up to 170, just short of Tony Blair's 179 in 1997, with just a few seats left to declare. The Tories look to be struggling to reach 130 MPs, easily worse than their previous nadir of 156 in 1906.

The Lib Dems also inflicted massive pain on the Tories, racking up a record 71 seats as Reform leeched millions of votes and came second in around a hundred constituencies - but only scored four MPs of their own. 

Sir Keir trumpeted his victory at a rally in central London after the party formally crested the 325 seats needed to control the Commons, saying 'we did it!' 

Sealing his triumph by embracing wife Victoria, he said the British people had 'voted to turn the page' on 14 years of Conservative rule - and delivered a riposte to his critics saying there was 'nothing inevitable' about the outcome. 

It came minutes after a broken PM acknowledged that Sir Keir had won as he nervously took a victory in his own incredibly safe Richmond & Northallerton seat.

'The British people have delivered a sobering verdict tonight, there is much to learn… and I take responsibility for the loss,' he said. 

'To the many good, hard-working Conservative candidates who lost tonight, despite their tireless efforts, their local records and delivery, and their dedication to their communities. I am sorry.' 

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2024-07-05T09:01:23Z dg43tfdfdgfd