The big political beasts who could lose their seats in the UK general election

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• The UK general election result could be incredibly close with up to 100 seats across the country too close to call according to some polls.
• Many of these seats are held by some of the biggest beasts in UK politics.
• Any of these could provide the sort of historic "Portillo moment" that is worth staying up for.
• Here are the key names and seats to look out for, with the times we can expect the results.
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

The result of the 2019 election remains incredibly uncertain with polling experts suggesting there are around 100 seats which could be too close to call.

Some of the seats that are most finely-balanced are currently held by some of the biggest names in UK politics, including current Cabinet ministers, former party leaders and long-serving veterans.

Any of these could provide the kind of "Portillo moment" that will be remembered for years to come by those who stay up to watch the results.

Business Insider has taken a look at some of the biggest names who could lose their seats in today's general election.

Zac Goldsmith

Reuters

Zac Goldsmith

Former London Mayoral candidate Zac Goldsmith could provide one of the most memorable moments of the night as he faces a strong challenge from the Liberal Democrats in his Richmond seat in South West London.

Goldsmith has already been unseated once by the Lib Dems when he resigned in protest at the expansion of Heathrow Airport in 2016. With Heathrow back on the agenda and Goldsmith hanging on to a miniscule majority of just 45, an upset here looks likely.

Richmond is a heavily pro-Remain constituency. YouGov's MRP survey, which asked over 100,000 people about their voting intentions, predicted that Goldsmith is "likely" to lose his seat to Lib Dem candidate Sarah Olney.

Expected declaration time: 6.00 am (GMT)

Theresa Villiers

Reuters

Theresa Villiers

The environment secretary and prominent Brexiteer could prove to be the most high-profile member of the Johnson government to lose her seat. Here Chipping Barnet constituency voted by 59% to Remain in the EU meaning she is a prime target for opposition parties promising to hold a second referendum.

YouGov's projection suggests she is now two points behind her Labour opponent Emma Whysall, having held by just over 300 votes in 2017.

Expected declaration time: 5.30 am (GMT)

Iain Duncan Smith

Reuters

Iain Duncan Smith

The former Conservative leader faces a tight race against Labour's Faiza Shaheen in Remain-voting Chingford & Wood Green on Friday.

Duncan Smith, a prominent Brexiteer, has held the leafy London seat since 1997 but his majority fell dramatically in 2017's snap election with a 7-point swing to Labour.

YouGov's MRP poll put Labour just two points behind the Conservatives in the seat this week, so there is a real chance Duncan Smith could be unseated.

A YouGov spokesman said: "Chingford and Wood Green has been a safe Tory seat since it was created in 1997.

"But with demographic changes and other local factors the comfortable advantage they had has changed."

If the Tories lose here, they could be in for a very bad night.

Expected declaration time: 3.00 am (GMT)

Dominic Raab

Reuters

Cabinet meeting in Downing Street, London

On paper, the Foreign Secretary should have very little trouble retaining his seat. He has a majority of over 23,000 and the seat has been Conservative-held since it was created in 1997.

However, nearly 60% of residents there voted to Remain in 2016 and Liberal Democrat candidate Monica Harding is hoping to capitalise on disaffection with Raab, an arch-Brexiteer.

As Business Insider reported last month, she has picked up some high profile and high-spending support from voters in this prosperous commuter town.

YouGov's MRP poll found that Harding is trailing by Raab by less than two percentage points in the race. If Raab does lose his seat it would be a huge moment.

Expected declaration time: 3.00 am (GMT)

Caroline Flint

Reuters

Caroline Flint

Labour has held Don Valley since 1922. But polls show Caroline Flint, who was elected there in 1997, is at risk from the Conservatives in the Brexit-backing constituency.

In an attempt to prevent her defeat, Flint has transformed herself into one of Britain's most prominent pro-Brexit politicians. It remains to be seen whether it will be enough to stave off one of the night's biggest upsets.

Expected declaration time: 3.00 am (GMT)

Dominic Grieve

Peter Macdiarmid / Getty

Tory MP and former Attorney General Dominic Grieve

The former attorney general has been one of the most significant players in the Brexit drama of the last three years, but was kicked out of the Conservative Party by Johnson earlier this year after voting against a no-deal Brexit. He is now standing as an independent in Beaconsfield, which he has held since 1997. However, polls suggest he is likely to lose the seat to his Conservative rival Joy Morrissey, as will all of the other former Conservatives standing as independents today.

Expected declaration time: 3.00 am (GMT)

Dennis Skinner

Reuters

Dennis Skinner

The "Beast of Bolsover," aged 87, has been an MP since 1970 and has become one of the most well-known politicians in the country.

But the veteran left-wing MP faces the biggest battle of his career in trying to hold onto his heavily Leave-voting seat, which saw an 8 point swing to the Conservatives in 2017.

Expected declaration time: 5.00 am (GMT)

Boris Johnson

Getty

The biggest beast of all under threat in this election is Boris Johnson himself. Current polls suggest he is unlikely to lose his seat in Uxbridge. However, the Labour party has poured huge resources into overturning his 5,000 vote majority in the seat and YouGov's projection puts him 9% ahead in the seat, with the Liberal Democrats and Greens also set to take 9% of the vote, meaning that tactical voters could manage to oust the prime minister. Defeat for Johnson here would be a truly historic moment and cast doubt over whether he could legitimately remain prime minister. Johnson's team believe he could remain in post, with another Conservative MP persuaded to step down and hand over their seat. Whether or not that would stand politically is another matter, however. Either way, this will be a fascinating result to stay up for.

Expected declaration time: 4.30 am (GMT)

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