Gay Lib Dem minister David Laws loses his seat
Gay Lib Dem cabinet minister David Laws has lost his seat – alongside most of his party’s other most senior figures.
Mr Laws, the Minister of State for the Cabinet Office, was ousted by voters in Yeovil, receiving 18,865 votes, below Conservative candidate Marcus Fysh on 24,178.
The politician was outed in 2010, after it was revealed he had broken Commons rules by claiming expenses to pay rent to his boyfriend.
He later spoke candidly about the scandal, admitting that he had been in the closet “ever since I can remember being aware of my sexuality”, citing growing up in an “intolerant” environment.
He recovered from the scandal and returned to government in 2012 – and had been touted a potential contender to replace the party’s leader Nick Clegg in case of his resignation.
The seat had previously been one of the party’s safest, with Mr Laws winning 31,843 votes (55.7%) in 2010 – then more than 20 points clear of the second place Tories, on 18,807 votes (32.9%).
Mr Laws last year pledged his party’s support for LGBT-inclusive statutory sex and relationship education.
He said: “We believe that by educating children about sex and relationships in an appropriate way, we can help them to make informed choices in their personal lives and ensure that they have the best opportunity to succeed.
“Liberal Democrats are committed to ensuring that children have access to age-appropriate sex and relationship education regardless of where they go to school.”
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