Colman: First sitting MP out

The Conservatives have taken Putney back from Labour.

The South West London seat was previously safe Tory territory, although it was lost in the landslide of 1997.

Labour was defending a majority of 2,771 in the seat held by Tony Colman.

It was previously held by Conservative Cabinet minister David Mellor, who was deseated in 1997 as Tories across London were wiped out.

However, young candidate Justine Greening returned the constituency to the Tory fold with a lead of 1,766 votes and a six-point swing.

The win marks the start of a Conservative comeback in the capital and the first gain for Michael Howard of election night, vindicating his strategy of targeting marginal seats.

Greening said Labour had "not delivered on improved public services".

And she added that voters were "no longer willing to tolerate a government that is simply not straight with people on issues of national importance".