NSW Election 2023: Penrith Liberal MP Stuart Ayres admits defeat, congratulates Karen McKeown on victory

Former Penrith Liberal MP Stuart Ayres has admitted defeat, conceding his seat to Labor candidate Karen McKeown after 13 years on the throne.

MP, Stuart Ayres

Former Penrith Liberal MP Stuart Ayres has admitted defeat, conceding his seat to Labor candidate Karen McKeown after 13 years on the throne.

On Tuesday, Mr Ayres posted a video to Facebook congratulating the former mayor on her success in being elected to “the best job in the world.”

The key seat of Penrith was clawed back by the Labor Party in what was an extremely tight competition.

“Yesterday, I called Karen McKeown to congratulate her on her success in the election and for becoming what I think is the best job in the world, the member for Penrith,” Mr Ayres said.

“Thirteen years ago when I became the member for Penrith I thought I’d be in this role for about nine months. What a ride it's been, I’ve loved every day of it.”

In delivering his concession Mr Ayres said he was optimistic about the future of Penrith, describing the community as “a city on the rise”.

“We’re going to be the gateway of the world. I am optimistic about the future of Penrith, I know we have a bright future ahead,” he said.

The concession comes after Saturday night’s election bloodbath in which the Liberal Party lost previously safe seats in a landslide victory for the Labor Party.

On Saturday evening, Mr Ayres warned a room of his supporters there would be no result on the night, but admitted it had been an ugly night for the Liberal Party.

“I’m not going to sugar coat it – it is a narrow path so over the next couple of days we need to let the electoral commission do their work”, he told his supporters.