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There was a palpable sense of anticipation. At BBC Broadcasting House, where 精东影视鈥檚 correspondent had been invited to spend the night watching the corporation鈥檚 election coverage, the audience was looking forward to a knife-edge result.

Of course, as we know now, things turned out very differently. The excitement palpably deflated the moment the BBC announced its exit poll, which predicted that the Tories would comfortably emerge as largest party.

The most nervous looking man on the Broadcasting House plaza was Ben Page, chief executive of the polling firm Ipsos MORI, which had overseen the poll for the corporation. Exit polls have been wrong before, most notably in 1992 when the BBC tipped a Labour victory.

However, as the results started to trickle in after midnight, Page began to look a bit more relieved. Indeed, it soon became apparent that the prediction that the Tories would be the largest party had been overly-cautious.

During the pre-results lull, a vaguely W1AA air settled over the plaza, the bulk of which was taken up with the Beeb鈥檚 tile constituency map of the UK. The gym shoe-clad BBC bigwig Alan Yentob contributed to the slightly surreal air by taking selfies, with the corporation鈥檚 chair Rona Fairhead in tow.

The shock scale of the Conservative victory has scotched predictions that Britain is entering a new era of multi-party politics

But once the results came streaming in, attention was fixed firmly on the unfolding electoral catastrophe for Labour and the Liberal Democrats.

The shock scale of the Conservative victory has scotched predictions that Britain is entering a new era of multi-party politics. Despite Labour鈥檚 dismal showing, the share of the vote commanded by the two main parties was up compared to 2010. The smaller parties, particularly UKIP, appeared to be the main beneficiaries of the Lib Dem implosion. Predictions that weak government would bring decision making to a halt are yesterday鈥檚 fish and chip paper.

David Cameron鈥檚 success will mean that the Tories are able to govern on their own. In normal circumstances, the slim size of the Conservative majority would spell a recipe for unrest on the eurosceptic backbenches.

However, the fact that the prime minister鈥檚 campaign has exceeded expectations will give him plenty of political capital. A host of MPs will be grateful to Cameron for the size of their increased majorities or being in the House of Commons at all, increasing the PM鈥檚 power within the Parliamentary party.

Cameron鈥檚 strengthened position will also enhance his authority to negotiate with the UK鈥檚 EU partners over the terms of British membership. Then, if and when a deal is secured, Cameron will have a stronger platform from which to sell it to the British public.

The construction industry can also take heart from Cameron鈥檚 stated commitment to 鈥極ne Nation鈥� Conservatism, which could open the door to fresh capital spending on health facilities, homes and schools.

Cameron probably feels comfortable about making this pitch to the centre ground because his party has successfully beaten off the challenge from UKIP on the right. While the arch-eurosceptics secured the support of one in ten voters, they won only one constituency, suggesting that the public is happy to vote UKIP as long as it is just a protest.

Tory candidates will probably feel a bit more comfortable therefore about taking on the blanket, anti-greenfield development line peddled by the Kippers. For the industry, dull continuity is more welcome than the excitement craved by the political junkies who turn up at election night broadcasts.

David Blackman is a freelance journalist and 精东影视鈥檚 feature writer