UK 8 May 2015 Shadow chancellor Ed Balls loses his seat in Labour's biggest casualty of the election Tories take Morley & Outwood, in Labour's most shocking defeat. Ed Balls loses his seat. Photo: Getty Sign UpGet the New Statesman's Morning Call email. Sign-up In the most shocking defeat for Labour this election, Ed Balls has lost his seat. The shadow chancellor, and prominent Labour figure, lost Morley & Outwood to the Tory candidate, Andrea Jenkyns, with a result of 18,354 votes to 18, 776. It wasn't expected to be a tight race, but the close results were revealed when a recount was requested on Friday morning. It was clearly Ukip votes that killed off Balls's win. Ukip came third with 7,951 votes. Balls, in a sombre speech, congratulated his "political opponents" in Westminster and praised Jenkyns on her campaign. He said "any personal disappointment I have is as nothing compared to the sorrow I have" for the Labour party's national result. He spoke of a "sense of concern I have about the future", adding: "We will now face a five years where questions will arise about our future of the Union." › Caroline Lucas holds Brighton Pavilion, in a good night for the Greens Anoosh Chakelian is the New Statesman’s Britain editor.
