Pharmacy minister Mowat loses north west seat

Pharmacy minister, David Mowat, has lost his seat as MP for Warrington South in one of the key losses for the Conservative party.

The 2017 general election yesterday (8 June) resulted in a hung parliament, with no party winning a clear majority. Until a new Government is formed, Government and NHS business will continue as they had done during the election period.

The Pharmacist has contacted the Department for Health (DH) for comment over the election result and Mr Mowat losing is seat.

The Pharmaceutical services Negotiation Committee (PSNC) said: 'Pharmacy minister, David Mowat, has lost his seat as an MP, but until new ministers are appointed, he will officially retain his responsibilities despite no longer being an MP.

'As soon as the health ministerial team is known, PSNC will be seeking to meet to develop policy to secure a strong and stable future for community pharmacy. PSNC will also continue to work closely with LPCs to build and make the most of Parliamentary support for community.'

Another Conservatice frontbencher and former health minister, Nicola Blackwood, lost her bid for reelection in Oxford West and Abingdon, to Liberal Democrat Layla Moran by 816 votes. Ms Blackwood had entered the race with a 9,582 lead following her 2015 win.

Former health minister and current treasury minister, Jane Ellison of the Conservatives, also lost her seat in Battersea, south London, in what was revealed to be the first major victory for Labour as the votes were counted over night.

Ms Ellison was the former public health minister for the Conservatives and had held her Battersea seat since 2010. In the 2015 election, she was reelected with a vote increase of 5%, giving her a 7,938 majority. However, Labour’s Marsha de Cordova won taking 25,292 votes to Ellison’s 22,876 – a 10% swing to Labour in an area that was 80% in favour of remain.

The party won 318 seats of the 649 councted at the time this article was published.