Liam Fox's emotional speech and reaction after losing his seat

Ousted North Somerset MP Dr Liam Fox has said it was “an honour and a privilege” to represent the area as he packs up his Westminster office after 32 years.

Sir Liam was Somerset’s longest serving MP. First elected in 1992, he survived the Labour landslides under Blair but was defeated in the 2024 general election by Labour’s Sadik Al-Hassan by just a few hundred votes. It is the first time the North Somerset area has had a Labour MP and the first time for 100 years that it has gone anything but Conservative.

In a video posted to social media captioned simply with “Goodbye.” on Monday, Sir Liam said: “Here we are in the House of Commons for the last time, packing up our office which is a task you have to undertake when you leave. I would like to take this opportunity to thank all my former constituents in North Somerset.

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“It was an honour and a privilege to have represented you in the House of Commons for more than 30 years and I will always be hugely grateful for that opportunity.

“I am sorry that I won’t be able to carry on some of the work we were taking forward together, especially on Down Syndrome, the fixed rentcharge problem in Portishead, and the large number of pending individual cases which will now have to be handled by your new MP.”

Sir Liam introduced the Down Syndrome Act 2022 as a private member’s bill, recognising people with Down’s Syndrome as a specific minority and ensuring their social care needs are met.

He added: “The general election in 2024 changed the course of the United Kingdom and the course of North Somerset. I warned a vote for Reform was a vote for Labour and that’s what it turned out to be in both cases.”

Sir Liam thanked his supporters and “fantastic” staff and added: “For me, it is now time to turn a new page so after 32 years in this place it is now a huge thank you and goodbye.”