General Election 2024: Tories need to "re-evaluate" as Portsmouth seats hang in the balance against Labour

Results for Portsmouth North and Portsmouth South are anticipated around 3.30am. In Portsmouth South, Labour’s Stephen Morgan is poised to maintain his seat with more than half of the projected vote share, according to YouGov.

In Portsmouth North, the outcome remains uncertain. Earlier polls indicated Mordaunt’s likely retention of her seat. However, recent data from YouGov suggests Labour candidate Amanda Martin has surged ahead. In Portsmouth, the race between Mordaunt and Martin is extremely close, with ballot boxes showing narrow majorities shifting by just a handful of votes.

The exit poll has predicted a landslide majority for Labour, winning 410 seats over the Conservatives who are predicted to win 131. Signe Biddle, the Portsmouth South Conservative candidate, said: “It’s closer than I was predicting”.

“It’s not as bad as some of the polls have predicted – obviously it’s a disappointing night for the Conservative. I think the party needs to re-evaluate what it is to be Conservative and make a clear set of values to the electorate.

“Clearly the message is being sent that the electorate doesn’t feel it has somewhere to go and we are naturally centre right – we need to articulate that message better.” She added she feels “optimistic” for Penny Mordaunt despite being predicted to lose her seat in the polls.

Mordaunt had a notional majority of 15,780 in 2019. Labour, currently in second place, would need a 17.2-point swing to claim her seat. The House of Commons leader gained attention for carrying a sword at the King’s coronation, and is likely to be a strong contender for the party leadership again if she retains her seat.

She has previously made two unsuccessful bids for the leadership, losing to Liz Truss and then Rishi Sunak. Elected as an MP in 2010, she became the UK’s first female defence secretary in 2019, but was removed from the role after 85 days in a reshuffle.