It seems weeks of paddleboarding, bungee jumping and tackling assault courses have paid off for Ed Davey.
The triumphant leader of the Liberal Democrats has helped his party win its largest number of seats in its history, making it one of last night’s big winners.
The Liberal Democrats’ record 71-seat win (63 more than in the last election) allowed them to oust four cabinet ministers and deny the Conservatives success in constituencies once held by former prime ministers David Cameron, Theresa May and Boris Johnson.
Ministers toppled and chancellor almost defeated
Former Education Secretary Gillian Keegan, former Justice Secretary Alex Chalk, former Culture Secretary Lucy Frazer and former Culture Secretary Michelle Donelan all lost to Liberal Democrat candidates.
Ms Keegan’s seat in Chichester had been held by the Conservatives for a century.
The Lib Dems also narrowly missed out on unseating Jeremy Hunt in his Godalming and Ash constituency, which would have seen a chancellor lose his seat for the first time in a general election.
Just 891 votes allowed Mr Hunt to retain his seat.
The party enjoyed particular success in Surrey, winning the safe Conservative seats of Surrey Heath and Woking.
Sweet Caroline makes a fitting anthem
They also managed to flip the ultra-safe Conservative seats of Stratford-on-Avon and Henley.
This is a justification for the party’s tactic of focusing on target constituencies, many of which were ‘blue wall’ constituencies in the south and south-west of England.
This morning it became clear that the Liberal Democrats had reached a historic milestone, breaking their previous record of 62 seats.
A jubilant Mr Davey celebrated his success by dancing and singing to Sweet Caroline and told his supporters: “We have heard you loud and clear. We have put your concerns at the heart of our campaign.”
