On a tumultuous election night, two Conservative Cabinet ministers faced unexpected defeats within seconds of each other, adding to the Tories' woes as the scale of their losses becomes apparent.
Defence Secretary Grant Shapps, a seasoned politician who has held various Cabinet positions under different prime ministers, including energy security and net zero secretary, business, energy and industrial strategy secretary, and home secretary, suffered a significant blow by losing his seat to Labour in Welwyn Hatfield. Shapps, who was first elected to parliament in 2005, was unseated by Labour's Andrew Lewin with a margin of 3,799 votes. This defeat marks a stark contrast to his previous victory in 2019, where he secured his seat with a substantial majority of almost 11,000 votes.
