The Conservative Party has taken the Stirling constituency from the SNP, in a general election night marked by the loss of many high profile SNP MPs.
Steven Paterson was elected in 2015 with a majority of 10,480, but will step aside after just two years in the job. It is the first time the Conservatives have won in Stirling since 1992.
Stephen Kerr, the Conservative Party candidate, was elected with a majority of 148 votes, with turnout at 74.4%. The Labour Party took 10,902 votes, with the Liberal Democrats winning 1683.
The tight majority saw a recount announced soon after 2am on Friday morning, with the final result being announced at 4am.
Stirling: CON gain from SNP #GE2017. Full results: https://t.co/XyPZZkE1tt pic.twitter.com/ztsxrqWlD6
— BBC Election (@bbcelection) June 9, 2017
Both a BBC and Britain Elects prediction poll put Stirling as one of the seats most likely to switch hands following the exit poll late on Thursday evening.
The election has seen the defeat of many SNP big names, with the deputy leader Angus Robertson defeated in his seat of Moray, and Tasmina Ahmed-Sheikh defeated by Conservative candidate Luke Graham in Ochil and South Perthshire.
Former First Minister Alex Salmond was also defeated in his seat of Gordon by the Conservative Party.
Across the country, the Labour Party has made significant inroads into the Conservative’s vote share, taking significant seats for the Tories, such as Canterbury – a Tory safe seat since 1918.
The Labour Party leader, Jeremy Corbyn, was re-elected in Islington North with a majority of over 40,000, a growth of around 10,000 on his 2015 result. Tim Farron of the Liberal Democrats was also re-elected, with a smaller majority, as was Theresa May.
Nick Clegg lost his seat of Sheffield Hallam, whilst Vince Cable returned to his old seat of Twickenham.
Sky News recently released an update which predicts a hung parliament. Jeremy Corbyn declared Theresa May should resign, making way for a government that is “truly representative” of the country.
More to follow…
“It is worth ascending unexiting heights if for nothing else than to see the big ones from nearer their own level.” - Nan Shepherd
[…] Just two years ago in the 2015 election, the SNPs Steven Paterson won the seat with a majority of 10,480. […]