Outgoing Conservative Battersea MP Jane Ellison feels her loss to Labour challenger Marsha De Cordova is a rejection of Brexit.
Ms Ellison campaigned for the UK to remain part of the EU prior to the Brexit referendum.
She said: “Brexit was the dominant subject of conversation on the doorsteps and I know many people felt themselves quite torn between wishing to vote for a different outcome last year and wishing to support me personally.”
She drew shouts of ‘Hear, hear!’ from Labour supporters in the crowd when she added: “If one can take anything from interpreting tonight’s results as they seem to be emerging, it is that our young city, London, is not reconciled to leaving the European Union.
“As someone who campaigned with conviction and passion for us to stay in the EU last year in the belief that it was the right thing for our city’s future prosperity, the irony of my position tonight is not lost on me.”
Ms Ellison’s was the first scalp to be claimed by Labour in the capital, and her seat of Battersea was seen as a bellwether in the lead-up to the election, with pundits predicting that if it fell to Labour many more would follow through the night.
Bradford-born Oxford PPE graduate Ms Ellison worked at John Lewis Partnership prior to entering parliament in 2010.
She was appointed Financial Secretary to the Treasury in July 2016 and prior to that served as Parliamentary Undersecretary of State for Public Health from 2013-2016.
In her concession speech, Ms Ellison thanked the people of Battersea and her parliamentary team and suggested she may attempt to reclaim the seat.
She said: “It has been a privilege for all of us to serve Battersea and who knows, as this night unfolds, it seems a rather unpredictable few hours are ahead of us, perhaps it is not farewell but merely au revoir.”
