Exclusive: David Cameron tells CCHQ staffers ‘this is the sweetest victory of them all’

After a very good night of results, David Cameron addressed party staffers at Conservative HQ in Westminster this morning. A clip of the Prime Minister’s victory speech has made its way to Coffee House. You can watch what Cameron said below:

Exclusive: David Cameron’s victory speech to CCHQ staffers this morning #ge2015 #conservative https://t.co/nKtdhBVxr7 — Sebastian Payne (@SebastianEPayne) May 8, 2015

Here is the text of part of what Cameron told the gathered party staffers, all of whom appear to be a very jubilant mood:

‘..to be with you guys and say thank you, you are an amazing team. I’m not an old man but I remember casting a vote in ’87 and that was a great victory. I remember working, just as you have been working, in ’92 and that was an amazing victory and I remember 2010, achieving that dream of getting Labour out and getting the Tories back in and that was amazing. But I think this is the sweetest victory of them all.’ ‘There’s so many things to be proud of in this result: the fact that we held on in Scotland, the fact we extended our representation in Wales, the fact that candidates I’ve seen that work so hard, week in week out, some of them year in year out, have triumphed in so many seats. The fact that every election we always think we’re going to displace those Lib Dems in the West Country and we’ve finally done it.’ ‘There’s so many things to celebrate: the fact the pundits got it wrong, the pollsters got it wrong, the commentators got it wrong — not to mention some of the people on the blogs, it sometimes annoys me they got it wrong. No, because the real reason to celebrate tonight, the real reason to be proud, the real reason to be excited is we are going to get the opportunity to serve our country again. ‘That’s what it’s all about — that brilliant, positive upbeat manifesto. All the things we’ve done we’ve done in the last five years to get to where we are, laying that foundation and now being able to offer real hope to people in our country. We are on the brink of something so exciting, as I said at the start of this campaign. I never quite believed we’d get to the end of this campaign in the place we are now. But that’s what it’s about: so tonight — not tonight, this morning — this morning, celebrate. You are an amazing team, this has been the most professional campaign…’

I understand from my CCHQ mole that co-chairman Andrew Feldman also spoke and raised a big cheer for his thanks to Jim Messina and Lynton Crosby — the two imported campaign gurus who have delivered the Tories’ victory. The party’s other co-chairman Grant Shapps didn’t speak, oddly enough.

UPDATE: I’ve heard from sources at CCHQ that Shapps didn’t speak with Cameron because they wanted the Prime Minister to shake as many hands as possible. Shapps spoke after the PM had left and told the staffers he’d placed a £50 bet on an outright Tory majority on 21 March. This has paid out £350 and I understand that the money will be put behind the bar to begin a thank you party. At least someone saw this coming…