Grant Shapps loses a seat as the Conservatives are eliminated

The first ballot boxes have started arriving at the Bolton and Skegness counting center in Lincolnshire, where Richard Tice, chairman of Reform UK, is hoping to overturn a large Tory majority.

Matt Warman, 42, has represented the constituency as its Conservative MP since May 2015. He successfully retained his seat in 2017 with an increased majority of 16,572 and then won it again in 2019, with a majority of 25,621.

Mr Tice, a 59-year-old former businessman and MEP, announced he would stand for a rural seat just 24 hours after May’s general election was announced.

At the time, he was the leader of the Reformation, a position he held for three years. But when Nigel Farage dramatically announced he would stand in Essex for the party, Mr Tice stepped in as chairman as Mr Farage became leader of reform.

Before entering politics, Mr Warman worked for the Daily Telegraph from 1999 to 2015, focusing on technology. He reported on product launches including the iPhone, BBC iPlayer and Apple Watch, as well as interviewing Amazon founder Jeff Bezos.

Neither Mr. Warman nor Mr. Tice has yet reached the count.