To be an MP is a privilege; the public vote for you to represent us, you get a comfy wage, cheap wine and a hammock of expenses. So it’s understandable – when our most beloved public representatives lose their seat – SW1 feels like they lose a friend.

Tonight we celebrate the careers and lives of some of our very good friends, who in a few hours we will be certainly able to forget about forever. There will inevitably be others to add to the list soon, but we’ll have to wait to be sure…

• Chris Leslie, 1997-2019
• Angela Smith, 2005-2019
• Mike Gapes, 1992-2019
• Chris Williamson, 2010-2015, 2017-2019
• Anna Soubry, 2010-2019

And our special memorial this evening goes to Jared O’Mara – 2017-2019. Gone and forgotten…

Our dearly departed useless public servants…