Paul Scully has held on in Sutton and Cheam in a night he described as ‘difficult’ for the party.
Scully won 26,567 of the votes, 51.1%, in a more comfortable victory against the Liberal Democrats than many expected.
Amna Ahmed came second for the Lib Dems with 13,869 votes, giving Scully a commanding majority of 12,698.
Scully had a majority of 3,921 from 2015 in a seat which had been Lib Dem from 1997 until Scully’s victory in 2015.
Paul Scully said :“We need to look at the actual result. It’s a difficult night for the party.
“This is a really important time, we’ve got the Brexit negotiations in just 11 days time so it’s important that we keep on as a unified party and hopefully we can work together, however the government is formed, to get the best deal for the country.
“We need to look at all possibilities. We have to look at the various parties we have often had good relationships with, Northern Irish parties for example.
“I suppose another general election is not beyond the realms of possibility.
“It worries me. It would worry me, even the possibility of a Jeremy Corbyn premiership.
“It’s a real concern, for both the security and economy of the country. When you’ve got 81% of his colleagues in Parliament voting for no confidence, these are the people that know him best, that’s not going to be good for a settled government.”
Tom Scully (Conservatives) 26,567, Amna Ahmad (Liberal Democrat) 13,869, Bonnie Craven (Labour) 10,663, Claire Jackson-Prior (Green) 871
Conservative hold, majority 12,698 (+8,777)
Turnout:52,094
