During a very long and miserable campaign by both Labour and the Tories, we Liberal Democrats had to resort to some pretty inventive campaign stunts to grab national attention. These efforts  aimed to inject some much-needed positivity into the campaign.

Finally, Election Day arrived, A momentous occasion where the collective voices of millions shape our nation’s future. Where employees (the politicians) meet their managers for their performance review and interviews (the voters). This is my election diary.

Morning:

I was jolted awake by my dad’s cat, whom I am currently looking after.  Begrudgingly, I got out of bed and fed her her second meal of the morning. To unwind, I turned on the news, played some music, and tidied up my dad’s house. The day felt sluggish, and the anticipation of the election results only made time crawl slower. I couldn’t wait for the government to change.

Afternoon:

Feeling restless, I ventured out for a long walk to my local polling station. On my way back, I chatted with various people.  I noticed a concerning trend: many in Stoke-on-Trent Central were planning to vote for Reform UK. Discussions often centred on Farage’s rhetoric about the NHS, immigration, and “woke culture.”

Stoke has a troubling history with far-right politics, having seen the BNP hold council seats and UKIP’s Paul Nuttall come second in the 2016 by-election. Despite its low immigrant population, people feel threatened by immigration.  Stoke’s managed decline since the 1980s of poverty, drug addiction, inadequate housing, and council mismanagement is evident. Unlike Liverpool or Manchester, it hasn’t seen significant regeneration. I remember a local headline from my teenage years promising EU-funded regeneration that never materialised. It worries me that Reform UK’s divisive politics are gaining traction here.

Back home, I recorded a few videos and decided what to wear for the count.

Evening: Voting

I arrived at the polling station, where a clerk reminded me to have my ID ready. I confidently reached into my pocket, only to realise I’d left it at home. Embarrassed, I raced back to fetch it.

10 pm: Exit Poll

I watched the exit poll with mixed feelings.  While impressed by the forecast 61 seats, my mood became somewhat deflated. I wondered why I wasn’t more jubilant. All the predictions of us hitting the 70s and seeing the Conservatives pushed to third seemed off. I was troubled by Reform UK’s projected 13 seats. I vented on Twitter, but friends reminded me Reform will now face scrutiny in Parliament, where their policies can be challenged.

10:30 pm: Off to the Count

Our local election agent picked me up. He seemed more buoyant than me. He  predicted Reform would do worse, the Tories would drop, and Lib Dems would break 70 seats.

We arrived at the local count centre, passed security, and were greeted by BBC cameras in this former Red Wall seat turned Tory. It was moving to see democracy in action.

Surveying the count, I saw a respectable pile for our three Lib Dem candidates. Reform UK’s pile was worryingly high, their members looking pleased. Labour members seemed optimistic. We spoke with Labour candidate Gareth Snell. 

We watched Ed Davey’s victory speech, his positive energy shining through. Many areas turned Liberal Democrat, including my aunt’s constituency of Cheadle. I texted her the good news, knowing she would be thrilled despite her postal ballot not arriving before her Norway holiday. Then came Penny Mordaunt’s dignified defeat speech as she become the first of several Cabinet ministers to lose. 

We were disappointed to just miss unseating Jeremy Hunt. Finally, the big one: Liz Truss was defeated. 

Stoke’s seats declared

Labour took the first two Stoke seats but  Reform UK came second ahead of the Conservatives or a close third. Reform UK shouted that they’d get it next time and not one came to congratulate other Party members. Sadly,  we lost our deposits.

Stoke South faced a recount due to a 19-vote discrepancy compared to manual counts. The Tory incumbent was still 600 votes short.

Eventually, it was declared for Labour by a 600-vote margin. The Labour victor gave a gracious speech, thanking the former Tory MP for his service.

We had hoped to increase our vote  and secure our deposits. Sadly we didn’t despite running a very small, but targeted campaign. 

By the time I retreated to bed, I was exhausted and elated. What a night!

* Andrew Chandler is the Digital Officer for North Staffordshire Liberal Democrats