Conservative Steve Baker awkwardly told he has less than one per cent chance of keeping his seat live on air

Conservative candidate for Wycombe Steve Baker, who has also been serving as a Minister of State for Northern Ireland since 2022, was in the studio when he was told live on air he has a less than one per cent chance of retaining his seat.

The exit poll for the 2024 general election has predicted a landslide win for Labour with 410 seats, Conservatives 131, Liberal Democrats 61, Reform UK 13, Scottish Nationalist Party (SNP) 10, Plaid Cymru four and Green Party two.

As part of that poll, predictions were made as to how likely it is certain candidates in certain constituents, including high ranking Conservatives who were previously standing as MPs, were likely to keep their seats.

A segment on BBC News' coverage looked at some of the top Tory names that were at risk of losing theirs.

On that list was Baker, who was also sitting in a BBC studio live as the broadcast went out - he laughed and nodded at first as he was told.

When asked about what he made of the prediction, Baker said: "I came into this campaign knowing I was widely expected to lose. I do think the dynamic in Wycombe is slightly different to what's generally expected in the polls.

"I know how the constituency works, happy to talk about it if you like, so I think my chances are quite a bit better.

"I could easily have lost very heavily, it is just possible that there is a path to winning narrowly but we'll see in the morning.

"I absolutely do accept that the polls indicate that very slim chance. It's going to be an incredibly difficult night.

"If it's the range between 110 and 241 Conservative MPs losing their seats, that's going to be an extremely painful night, not only for them but also for all of their staff."

Baker has been the Conservative MP for Wycombe since 2010.

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