The number of votes ex-broker boss Bartleet secured in the general election

Insurance veteran Tom Bartleet managed to secure more than 6,000 votes in the 2024 general election.

Back in May, the former owner and chief executive of Erskine Murray Insurance Brokers announced he would be running in the election as the Liberal Democrat candidate for South Suffolk.

Counting for the seat has now been complete, with the ex-insurance boss finishing in fourth place with 6,424 votes.

Conservative James Cartlidge managed to win the seat after securing the most votes at 16,082.

Back when the election was called, Bartleet said he was running as he felt there was a “real appetite” for change.

“I was so unhappy with the political situation here that I started by delivering some leaflets a couple of years ago for local elections just because I thought I needed to do something to make change happen,” he said on LinkedIn.

“The behaviour of some of our elected officials we have seen would quite rightly not be tolerated in our (insurance) industry. I couldn’t just stand by and felt I had to do something.”

Other results

While Bartleet did not win at the election, it was a strong night for the Lib Dems, with them securing 71 seats, up by 63 from the previous election.

Labour, meanwhile, managed to secure a landslide win.

While 326 seats in the House of Commons are needed for a majority, the party was able to secure more than 400.

It means Sir Keir Starmer will become Labour’s first Prime Minister in 14 years.

“We did it, you campaigned for it, you fought for it, you voted for it and now it has arrived,” Sir Keir told a crowd of supporters.

“Change begins now.”