The Liberal Democrats are set to increase their presence in Parliament more than five-fold, compared with the General Election result in 2019.

Exit poll forecasters have said Ed Davey’s party is on course for 61 seats.

The Lib Dems won just 11 seats almost five years ago when the Conservative Party secured an 80-seat majority in the House of Commons under Boris Johnson.

Throughout the campaign, Davey has toured the country in his battle bus called Yellow Hammer 1, taking part in stunts including toppling off a paddleboard in Windermere, playing tennis in Newbury and surfing near Bude in Cornwall.

As polls closed, Liberal Democrat leader Davey said: ‘The Liberal Democrats are on course for our best results in a century, thanks to our positive campaign with health and care at its heart.

‘I am humbled by the millions of people who backed the Liberal Democrats to both kick the Conservatives out of power and deliver the change our country needs.

‘Every Liberal Democrat MP will be a strong local champion for their community standing up for the NHS and care. Whether you voted for us or not, we will work day in and day out and we will not let you down.’

Seats that the Liberal Democrats could win include Godalming and Ash in Surrey, where party candidate Paul Follows is up against Chancellor Jeremy Hunt; Chichester in Sussex where Jess Brown-Fuller is Education Secretary Gillian Keegan’s challenger; and Cheltenham in Gloucestershire, where Justice Secretary Alex Chalk could finish behind Max Wilkinson.

Labour is on course for a landslide, according to the exit poll projection, with 410 seats.

The Conservatives are set for 131 seats.

The exit poll also forecasts the Liberal Democrats on 61 seats, Reform UK on 13 and The Green Party on two.

In Scotland, the SNP are expected to secure 10 seats with Plaid Cymru in Wales on four.

It would be the lowest number of Tory MPs on record.

source: PA

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