ELECTIONS: David Laws is gracious in defeat

DEFEATED David Laws said this morning (Friday, May 8, 2015) that it had been a “massive privilege” for him to have served the Yeovil Constituency as MP for the past 14 years.

Mr Laws will be getting his head around the fact in the hours ahead that he will no longer be the area’s MP at Westminster – a position he had held since winning his first General Election campaign back in 2001.

PHOTO - TOP:  David Laws (third left) knows it is not good news at the verification of results with acting returning officer Ian Clarke (second left). New Yeovil MP Marcus Fysh can be seen (partially hidden - far left).

“It’s been a massive privilege to have been MP for the past three terms,” he told people at Westland leisure complex in Yeovil following the announcement of the result at around 6am.

“It’s been a tough night for the Liberal Democrats in Somerset and nationally, but we will come back again strong in the future.”

PHOTO - RIGHT: Former Yeovil MP David Laws makes his speech following defeat at the General Election.

Mr Laws was gracious in defeat and offered congratulations to his victor – Conservative candidate Marcus Fysh.

“I would like to congratulate Marcus and wish him all the luck for the future,” he said.

Mr Laws said that the defeat was “no reflection” on his excellent and hard-working team.

He said that the defeat was the result of a “very big swing” against the LibDems.

Five years ago and Mr Laws was celebrating a substantial victory in which he chalked up a whopping 13,036 majority over the Conservatives by polling 31,843 votes.

The three other candidates in the 2010 election from Labour, UKIP and BNP totalled 6,510 between them.

PHOTO - RIGHT: The counting of the General Election votes at Westlands went on throughout the night.

But this time around and the three other candidates from Labour, UKIP and the Green Party amassed 13,890 with UKIP candidate Simon Smedley alone gaining 7,646.

So those figures should give local LibDem campaigners hope for the future in the fact that more than 50 per cent of the 56,933 votes cast were against the Conservatives. There was a clear protest vote against the LibDems with people voting for the other parties.

Now the LibDems have to work to try and get those voters back.

But there is no doubt that that will be of little comfort today knowing that Yeovil is back in Conservative hands for the first time since 1983.

The other losing candidates – UKIP’s Simon Smedley, Labour’s Sheena King and Emily McIvor of the Green Party – all thanked the people who voted for them and congratulated Mr Fysh on his win.

Ms King said: “Congratulations to Marcus, but commiserations to David because he has been an excellent MP for this area.”

Yeovil Constituency General Election Result: 1 Marcus Fysh (Conservative) 24,178; 2 David Laws (Liberal Democrat) 18,865; 3 Simon Smedley (UKIndependence Party) 7,646; 4 Sheena King (Labour) 4,053; 5 Emily McIvor (Green Party) 2,191.

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Elections.