Labour stormed to victory in the seat of Swindon South, with Heidi Alexander earning 21,676 votes to Sir Roberts’ 12,070.
Reform UK finished in third place with 6,194 votes.
Mrs Alexander previously represented the seat of Lewisham East from which she resigned in 2018 to become deputy mayor of London for transport under Sadiq Khan – but now she’s set for a Commons return.
Sir Robert said politics is at a “crossroads” and the Conservative Party must make the “right choice” if it is to inspire a new generation as he warned against “politics as mere circus” in his farewell speech.
The former justice secretary said: “Our very political system is at a crossroads. Do we value those who work to bring people together and to come into politics to do something rather than be someone?
“Or do we shrug our shoulders and accept politics as a mere circus where people compete for attention by saying things that they either know to be untrue, or which raise hopes and expectations in a way that further erodes trust?”
Several other major Tory candidates such as Grant Shapps, Johnny Mercer and Jeremy Hunt are at risk of losing their seats.
He said: “He will go down as the Conservative Prime Minister and leader who had the worst election result in over a century.”
“That’s not something he would have been looking to do when he became leader of the party,” he added on GB News.
Sir Brandon added: “He didn’t wait until the very last minute for an election and then call it when he had to call it. He chose when to call an election and he’ll know that he made that decision.
“That’s nobody else’s issue, the Prime Minister makes that decision.
“I suspect right now that’s weighing on him very, very strongly.”
The exit poll predicts Labour will enjoy a majority of 170 seats with the Tories scraping to just 131 and the Lib Dems surging to 61.
More to follow.
