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Five prime ministers over 14 years, and it is Rishi Sunak holding the ball when the game is up.

The outgoing prime minister told his Yorkshire constituency on election night: "The British people have delivered a sobering verdict tonight. There is much to learn and reflect on and I take responsibility for the loss."

Here we look back at 14 years of Conservatives in power.

After 13 years of a Labour government, David Cameron made a breakthrough for the Conservatives and won the 2010 General Election. But it wasn't that straightforward.

While the Tories were the biggest party, it was a hung parliament. To give his legislation a chance of getting through, he needed to do a deal with another party.

Five days of negotiations gripped the nation. On day five, Cameron and Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg held a news conference to announce they had entered a coalition together.

Another referendum was granted first. The Scottish National Party had long campaigned for independence, and having been in charge in Holyrood for seven years, the UK government granted them a vote on the issue.

Cameron campaigned to stay in and was joined by prominent politicians from all sides of the political spectrum, including ex-prime minister Gordon Brown. When the vote came, over 55% of Scots voted to remain part of the UK. 

Support for Nigel Farage's UKIP continued to rise in the polls and it was awarded 'major party' status ahead of the 2014 local elections. Held on the same day as the European elections, the party continued to campaign for the UK to leave the EU.

UKIP received the highest number of votes of any party in terms of representation in Brussels. The win put further pressure on David Cameron to keep his word.

Polling pointed towards another hung parliament in 2015, but Cameron secured a shock majority for the Conservatives. In his Downing Street speech, he promised to kick off talks with the EU and negotiate better terms for the UK.

As EU negotiations began, Cameron promised to put the deal he brokered to the public in a referendum - giving them the decision to take it or walk away from the bloc entirely. 

Cameron negotiated new rules with the EU, including an 'emergency break' to limit benefit payments to the bloc's citizens and improved mechanisms for deporting EU migrants.

He set 23 June 2016 as the date for the referendum, and pledged that his government would campaign for Remain.

The PM allowed his cabinet to pick their own side, and a number of high-profile politicians - including Boris Johnson - backed what is now called Brexit.

After a gruelling campaign, Leave won the vote by 52% to 48%, and despite his original promise to stay, the prime minister resigned the morning after. 

The Tory leadership contest - and race to become prime minister - began. Boris Johnson was expected to run, but Michael Gove announced his candidacy first, saying his Brexiteer ally couldn't "provide the leadership needed".

Ultimately, it was Theresa May, David Cameron's home secretary, who triumphed.

She promised to focus on getting the best deal for the UK, uttering the now infamous words: "Brexit means Brexit."

Negotiations began in 2017 after the UK triggered Article 50. Teams went back and forth between London and Brussels as they argued over the terms of the withdrawal agreement and transition period.

Theresa May believed that with only a small majority in the Commons, she should call a snap election.

Her party was ahead in the polls and with more MPs on her side, she would be able to get any deal agreed with the EU passed.

But a flawed manifesto and the surprise popularity of Labour's Jeremy Corbyn saw her lose her majority altogether, and forced her to do a deal with the DUP in Northern Ireland.

This time Boris Johnson did enter the leadership race.

One by one, his rivals were picked off and once the choice was given to Tory party members, he beat his remaining competitor, Jeremy Hunt, by a landslide.

Despite promising throughout the contest that he would get Brexit done by Halloween, he didn't pull it off.

Johnson also angered parliament with controversial moves - including his attempt to illegally prorogue it, and kicking out over 20 Tory Remainer MPs for their stance. 

After a swift return to parliament, the deal was agreed. The 2019 intake backed it and the date for leaving the EU was set for 31 January 2020. Brexit was 'done'.

Downing Street was lit up in the colours of the Union Flag and the bongs of Big Ben signalled what looked like it was going to be the most significant event of the year. 

By March 2020, COVID was spreading in the UK. Rather than a premiership focused on the boosterism of Brexit, Boris Johnson made the decision to lock down the country, announcing it in a TV address.

As the pandemic spread, questions over Johnson's decision-making began to be asked.

When he was struck with the virus himself, he released videos to reassure the public. But soon he was in an intensive care unit, fighting for his life.

A series of lockdowns later and back to full health, Johnson's handling of COVID came under further scrutiny.

Questions were posed over whether he locked down too late, opened up too early, or whether schemes like 'Eat Out To Help Out' led to surges in the virus.

The Owen Patterson lobbying scandal - where the PM seemed to intervene to help his friend by changing the rules - angered an already irate public. Labour led in the polls for the first time in years. 

The scandals kept on coming. First, Johnson's aide Dominic Cummings drove from London to Barnard Castle during travel restrictions, and then successive lockdown-breaking gatherings in Downing Street were revealed.

The prime minister claimed there had been no parties, then claimed he did not attend any. Pictures emerged of him raising a glass with colleagues at the height of COVID.

Baroness Morgan summed up partygate and its impact in an interview with Sky News: "People grudgingly put up with their politicians, hoping only to hear from them at election time.

"But if you have something that is pretty simple, like a politician not following the rules, it cuts through鈥� and that's reflected in voting in the next election."

The final nail in the coffin of Boris Johnson's leadership came with yet another scandal - that of deputy chief whip Chris Pincher, who was accused of groping two men at a London club.

After sending out numerous ministers to defend his friend, claims emerged Johnson knew of his reputation - reportedly saying "Pincher by name, pincher by nature" - but still hired him.

Ministers resigned, beginning with Health Secretary Sajid Javid...

... and then Chancellor Rishi Sunak.

After over 50 ministers quit, Boris Johnson finally conceded defeat. Announcing his resignation, he alluded to a potential comeback with a reference to Roman emperor Cincinnatus.

Another Tory leadership contest in July 2022 saw Liz Truss beat Rishi Sunak and travel to Balmoral to ask the Queen's permission to form a government.

Within days, Truss's premiership was overshadowed by news of the Queen's death. Parliament went into recess while the nation mourned.

When parliament returned, Truss wrote herself into the history books with a largely unfunded mini-budget. Delivered by her chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng, it sent mortgage and interest rates soaring.

Sunak set his five priorities for office including the economy, the NHS, and keeping the Rwanda plan. But there were already clear splits in the party, especially with those who wanted to go further to the right and remain loyal to Boris Johnson.

Home Secretary Suella Braverman resigned and was reinstated within days - but, alongside others, made public her anger over his immigration policies.

David Cameron's former spin doctor Craig Oliver told Sky News: "The reality is, for Rishi Sunak, it was probably all over before he started.

"We'd have the situation of not being able to deal with immigration, partygate and the mini-budget. It's very hard for any politician to deal with those reverses and come back."

In May 2024, Sunak made a surprise election announcement. He said the latest inflation figures were "proof the plan and priorities" were working.

But the polls had consistently shown Labour as 20 points ahead, and Tory MPs worried for their futures.

Disaster loomed early on in the six-week campaign when he left D-Day 80th anniversary commemorations early to record a TV interview.

It then emerged one of his close political allies put down a bet on the election date, allegedly due to his inside knowledge. It turned out he was not the only one.