Big Name Tories Facing Defeat In Upcoming General Election

Jacob Rees-Mogg is among the top Conservatives who could find themselves out of the Commons after the election.

Yet another opinion poll has predicted that the Tories are heading for catastrophe at the general election.

The YouGov survey for The Times, published last night, suggested that Labour is on course to win more than 400 seats, with the Conservatives left with just 155.

That came hard on the heels of a Survation poll at the weekend which said the Tories could be left with fewer than 100 seats as the party is virtually wiped out across the country.

Such results would inevitably lead to a number of well-known Conservative MPs losing their seats.

Here, HuffPost UK looks at the big-name Tories who face being booted out of the Commons.

Jacob Rees-Mogg

The 54-year-old has been the MP for North East Somerset since 2010 and retained the seat with a healthy 14,729 majority at the last election.

Nevertheless, the latest YouGov poll suggests he is currently trailing his Labour rival with the next election just months away.

Rees-Mogg, an arch-Brexiteer who served in both Boris Johnson and Liz Truss’ cabinets, would be seen as a huge scalp, making him particularly vulnerable to tactical voting.

Jeremy Hunt

The chancellor’s nervousness about his electoral chances can be seen in the number of posts on X (formerly Twitter) he does highlighting the work he does on behalf of his constituents in South West Surrey, where he has been MP since 2005.

His majority of 8,817 makes him extremely vulnerable if the Tory vote across the country collapses, and the Lib Dems are keen to oust him on election night.

James Cleverly

On paper, the home secretary should be relatively safe in Braintree, where he has a healthy majority of 24,673.

However, according to Survation, Cleverly is among those at risk of being deposed unless Rishi Sunak can quickly turn around the Conservatives’ fortunes.

Grant Shapps

The defence secretary is among those eyeing up the Tory leadership if Sunak is deposed after the election. But according to Survation, he might not even be an MP by then.

Shapps has been the MP for Welwyn Hatfield since 2005, and was re-elected in 2019 with a majority of 10,995.

The seat is 115th on Labour’s list of targets, but a disastrous night for the Conservatives could see it turn red.

Penny Mordaunt

Panicking Tory plotters have reportedly lined up the Commons leader to take over from Sunak ahead of the general election in a bid to avert disaster.

But Mordaunt should be concerned with hanging on to her Portsmouth North seat if the polls are to be believed.

She has represented the constituency since 2010 and retained it by more than 15,000 votes in 2019. However, all the indications are that she is vulnerable to a Labour surge next time around.

Michael Gove

Another leading Brexiteer who could be heading for the exit, according to Survation, is Michael Gove.

The levelling up secretary has been the MP for Surrey Heath since 2005 and has a commanding majority of more than 18,000.

But with the polls continuing to forecast doom for the Conservatives, Gove has also been put into the ‘at risk’ category.

Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, Michael Gove speaking during the Scottish Conservative party conference at the Event Complex Aberdeen. Picture date: Saturday March 2, 2024. (Photo by Michal Wachucik/PA Images via Getty Images)

Michelle Donelan

The science secretary is another minister whose previously-healthy majority now looks highly vulnerable.

YouGov say Donelan will lose her Chippenham seat - which she has held since 2015 and retained in 2019 with a 11,288 majority - if their latest poll is repeated on election night.