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London bucked the national trend as Labour held firm against the swing to the Conservatives.

It won Putney and held onto marginal seats such as Dagenham & Rainham and Battersea, but saw its majority slashed in many strongholds.

Jeremy Corbyn’s party lost Kensington and failed to win key targets such as Chingford & Woodford Green, where former Tory leader Iain Duncan Smith survived, and

Chipping Barnet, where Theresa Villiers was returned. Only four London seats changed hands, resulting in a status quo: the Tories gained two but lost two, and both Labour and the Liberal Democrats gained one but lost one.

General Election Night: December 2019 - In pictures 45 show all General Election Night: December 2019 - In pictures 1/45 Prime Minister Boris Johnson and his partner Carrie Symonds enter Downing Street as the Conservatives celebrate a sweeping election victory Jeremy Selwyn 2/45 Prime Minister Boris Johnson with partner Carrie Symonds and dog Dilyn at the count for the Uxbridge & Ruislip South constituency in the 2019 General Election PA 3/45 First Minister Nicola Sturgeon celebrates with supporters at the SEC Centre in Glasgow PA 4/45 Lib Dem leader Jo Swinson reacts as she loses her East Dumbartonshire constituency, during the count at the Leisuredome, Bishopbriggs PA 5/45 Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn speaks after the results was given at Sobell Leisure Centre for the Islington North constituency for the 2019 General Election PA 6/45 Boris Johnson press conference Jeremy Selwyn 7/45 Michael Gove Jeremy Selwyn 8/45 Dominic Cummings Jeremy Selwyn 9/45 Prime Minister Boris Johnson's partner Carrie Symonds and dog Dilyn arriving for the count for the Uxbridge & Ruislip South constituency in the 2019 General Election PA 10/45 REUTERS 11/45 Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson leaves the Conservative Party's headquarters Reuters 12/45 Britain's opposition Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn leaves the Labour Party's headquarters Reuters 13/45 A member of the counting staff yawns during the count at the SEC Centre in Glasgow PA 14/45 Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) leader Arlene Foster (C) reacts after learning that Deputy Leader of the DUP (Democratic Unionist Party) Nigel Dodds has lost his seat to Sinn Fein's new MP for North Belfast John Finucane at the count centre in Belfast AFP via Getty Images 15/45 DUP Westminster leader Nigel Dodds reacts after losing his seat as Sinn Fein candidate John Finucane is declared the winner in the Belfast count centre Getty Images 16/45 A police officer breaks up a fight while Hayes and Harlington MP John McDonnell speaks at the vote declaration after retaining his seat Getty Images 17/45 Carla Lockhart of the DUP is elected as MP for Upper Bann at Meadowbank Sports Arena in Magherafelt Co Londonderry as counting begins Westminster election PA 18/45 Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn (R) and Shadow Foreign Secretary Emily Thornberry meet after both retaining their Parliamentary seats following the count at Sobell leisure centre Getty Images 19/45 Liberal Democrats candidate for Edinburgh West, Christine Jardine retains her seat at the Royal Highland Centre, Edinburgh PA 20/45 Sinn Fein's John Finucane celebrates with party leader Mary Lou McDonald (left) and deputy leader Michelle O'Neill after winning in the Belfast North constituency at the Titanic exhibition centre, Belfast PA 21/45 A cat sits on the step of 10 Downing Street as Boris Johnson looks set to be returned there as Prime Minister after early Conservative gains in the General Election results PA 22/45 Britain's Prime Minister and Conservative leader Boris Johnson and his partner Carrie Symonds arrive at the count centre in Uxbridge, west London AFP via Getty Images 23/45 Conservative Party parliamentary candidate Jacob Rees-Mogg leaves, after winning the North East Somerset constituency, at the Sports Training Village, University of Bath Getty Images 24/45 Conservative Party parliamentary candidate Jacob Rees-Mogg's wife Helena and son Peter watch the results of the North East Somerset constituency at the Sports Training Village, University of Bath Getty Images 25/45 Supporters cheer as Green Party candidate Caroline Lucas is announced as the winner for the constituency of Brighton Pavilion at a counting centre Reuters 26/45 Conservative candidate Aaron Bell is declared the winner of the Newcastle-Under-Lyme seat PA 27/45 Michelle Dewberry, the former winner of The Apprentice and Brexit Party candidate for Hull West & Hessle, with former Crystal Palace owner Simon Jordan after she failed to win the Kingston upon Hull West & Hessle seat at the Guildhall in Hull in the 2019 General Election PA 28/45 Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson reacts as he and his girlfriend Carrie Symonds arrive at the Conservative Party's headquarters Reuters 29/45 Brexit Party candidate Richard Tice is seen after Labour Party candidate Mike Hill is announced as the winner for the constituency of Hartlepool at a counting centre for Britain's general election in Hartlepool Reuters 30/45 Jeremy Corbyn, leader of the Labour Party, pauses while speaking at the vote count in his Islington North constituency Getty Images 31/45 Conservative Party candidate Dominic Raab arrives at a counting centre in Esher Reuters 32/45 Labour Party candidate Sharon Hodgson is announced as the winner for the constituency of Washington and Sunderland West Reuters 33/45 Volunteers get counting after the polls closed in the General election Nigel Howard 34/45 Volunteers get counting IN bARNET after the polls closed in the General election Nigel Howard 35/45 Labour in conversation during the General Election count in Barnet Nigel Howard 36/45 General Election Count, Barnet Nigel Howard 37/45 The results of an exit poll are projected onto the outside of Broadcasting House AP 38/45 Independent candidate Count Binface poses after arriving at a counting centre Reuters 39/45 The Labour Party's Chi Onwurah after winning Newcastle Upon Tyne Central PA 40/45 The results of the exit poll are projected onto the outside of Broadcasting House AP 41/45 Labour Party candidate Bridget Phillipson stands next to Brexit Party candidate Kevin Yuill after she was announced as the winner for the constituency of Houghton and Sunderland South Reuters 42/45 A member of the Monster Raving Loony Party arrives at a counting centre in Islington Reuters 43/45 General Election Count, Barnet Nigel Howard 44/45 Volunteers get counting after the polls closed in the General election Reuters 45/45 Prime Minister Boris Johnson and his girlfriend Carrie Simmonds with their dog Dilyn Jeremy Selwyn

As in 2017, Labour holds 49 of the 73 constituencies, the Tories 21 and the Lib Dems three. The Tory gains were in Kensington, regaining a previously safe seat by only 150 votes, and in Carshalton & Wallington, where it defeated Lib Dem MP Tom Brake, who held the seat for 22 years.

The only Lib Dem gain was in Richmond Park, where Sarah Olney, who held the seat briefly after a 2016 by-election, regained it by defeating Tory Zac Goldsmith, an ardent Brexiteer in a pro-Remain constituency.

Labour’s only gain was in marginal Putney, where Fleur Anderson won by 4,774 votes after the previous MP, former Tory cabinet minister Justine Greening, stood down.

Moderate Labour MPs were quick to blame Mr Corbyn, whose own majority in Islington North was cut by more than 7,000. Margaret Hodge, re-elected in Barking with a 15,427 majority, said: “We are the nasty party.”

Siobhain McDonagh, the Blairite who held Mitcham & Morden, said: “This is one man’s fault. Not since 1935 have we had such a bad General Election result.”

Attention will now turn to what the results mean for next May’s mayoral elections. They suggest that London remains a pro-Europe Labour city, good news for anti-Brexit Labour mayor Sadiq Khan, who spent much of the last month pounding the streets in more than 30 seats supporting his party’s candidates.

Voters in marginal Uxbridge and South Ruislip came out for Boris Johnson, who increased his majority by more than 2,000 votes to 7,210, ending speculation he was at personal risk of losing his seat.

The disastrous Lib Dem performance nationwide was less marked in London. Its three high-profile defectors each failed to win but made inroads in seats where victory was always unlikely.

Former Labour minister Chuka Ummuna was defeated by Nickie Aiken, the Tory leader of Westminster council, by almost 4,000 votes in Cities of London and Westminster. But he increased the Lib Dem share of the vote by almost 20 per cent.

Luciana Berger, the former Labour MP who quit the party over anti-Semitism, increased the Lib Dem vote by 25 per cent in Finchley & Golders Green but lost by 6,500 votes to incumbent Tory Mike Freer.

Sam Gyimah, the former Tory MP, came third in Kensington with a nine per cent increase in the Lib Dem vote.

But by claiming 9,312 votes he arguably took support from Labour MP Emma Dent Coad, allowing the seat to be won by Tory Felicity Buchan by only 150 votes.

Prominent Tory Greg Hands survived in Chelsea & Fulham with a 11,241 majority, despite the Lib Dem challenge from City “superwoman” Nicola Horlick.

She cut the Tory majority by almost 5,000 votes. Stephen Hammond, another prominent Tory, survived in Wimbledon by just 638 votes over Lib Dem Paul Kohler, the victim of a brutal burglary who campaigned on police station closures.

The inner-outer London divide remains, with Tories holding only three central seats and the majority of its support remaining in the suburbs. Tory London Assembly member Tony Devenish admitted it had been a “difficult night” in the capital.