A record number of senior ministers, including the defence secretary and one touted as a possible future leader, lost their parliamentary seats as the governing Conservative Party suffered a series of catastrophic defeats in Britain’s election.Defence minister Grant Shapps and Penny Mordaunt, leader of the lower house of parliament, were among ten cabinet ministers who lost their seats, surpassing the previous record of seven in 1997 when Tony Blair brought Labour to power in a landslide election victory.After the Conservatives lost more than 200 seats, Labour was set to govern for the first time since 2010.Shapps hit out at Conservative divisions during his concession speech, blaming his colleagues for losing the support of voters.”We’ve tried the patience of traditional Conservative voters with a propensity to create an endless political soap opera out of internal rivalries and divisions, which have become increasingly indulgent and entrenched,” he said.
