Casualties: Ministers fall as voters have their say

Employment Minister Jim Knight found himself out of a job after losing his Dorset South seat to Tory candidate Richard Drax.

Mr Knight he was "saddened and disappointed" at his defeat.

Junior justice Minister Claire Ward lost her seat in Watford when Conservative Richard Harrington swept to victory.

Ms Ward, fighting in a key three-way marginal, was defending a majority of just 1,151, having been one of the youngest MPs when she captured the seat in 1997.

Mr Harrington managed not only to topple Ms Ward, 37, but also to fight off the challenge of Liberal Democrat Sal Brinton, who came second in Watford in the 2005 General Election.

The Conservatives came third in 2005, but Mr Harrington won by a majority of 1,435, with Ms Ward more than 3,000 votes behind Ms Brinton, the daughter of former Tory MP and broadcaster Tim Brinton.

Ms Ward admitted just before the result was announced that it had been "a tight fight".

This was one of the seats the Lib Dems were targeting and it was one of the constituencies the party's leader Nick Clegg visited during the campaign.

A handful of prominent Lib Dems lost their seats including Lembit Opik, ousted by a massive swing to the Conservatives in Montgomeryshire, and Susan Kramer in Richmond Park.