Bosses in Kent are breathing a sigh of relief as David Cameron appears certain to hold the keys to Number 10.

Latest polls predict an unexpected majority for the Conservatives, with the party possibly making a clean sweep of the county.

Mark Reckless, previously Kent’s only Ukip MP, has lost his seat to Tory candidate Kelly Tolhurst, while party leader Nigel Farage failed to win the seat in South Thanet, prompting him to announce his resignation.

The pound saw its biggest rise in value since 2009 overnight amid predictions of a Conservative majority.

Labour leader Ed Miliband looks set to quit after a disastrous night in which shadow chancellor Ed Balls lost his seat.

Bruce Bell, managing director of Perfectly Clear Marketing, based in Lynstead, near Sittingbourne, said: “What a night, where common sense has prevailed; a fascinating election result we have just witnessed.

“Let’s be honest, in business we love stability and certainty. It leads to confidence building and that ‘have a go, can do attitude’ that is slowly making Britain ‘great’ again.

“For me the coalition government over the last five years, although not perfect, offered up the comfort of a business friendly proactive environment where we have all had the opportunity to thrive.

“Our economy continues to recover, with meaningful growth across many sectors, so let’s continue the hard work.”

In a catastrophic night for the other parties, Labour look set to take just 235 seats - with the Conservatives taking as many as 329.

Meanwhile high-profile figures like Vince Cable and Danny Alexander for the Liberal Democrats were voted out, with the party likely to have just eight MPs in the Commons.

“This will be welcomed by business, if only for stability..." - Clive Stevens, Kreston Reeves

Andrew Griggs, senior partner at accountants Kreston Reeves, which has offices in Canterbury, Chatham and Sandwich, said: “We are surprised a little bit.

“All the predictions before had indicated a coalition but we weren’t sure who that coalition would be between.

“The coalition government of the last five years has taken us through one of the toughest recessions for 70 years and from an economic viewpoint, England is not in a bad position. We are one of the strongest countries in the G20.

“It seems voters have said ‘you’ve taken us through this, can you carry on?’”

Kreston Reeves executive chairman Clive Stevens said: “This will be welcomed by business, if only for stability.

“Had we had an uncertain result, we might have seen a flight to more safe currencies like the dollar.

"The early indications are the stock market has risen and the pound has stenghtened. That is on the back of the certainty of this result.”

Nick Paterno, managing partner of McBrides Accountants in Sidcup, said: “The good news for business coming out of the election, regardless of your political persuasion, is that it appears that there is a definitive result.

“That provides the stability that business craves in order to plan and invest appropriately and is a far cry from the political uncertainty that was predicted to be upon us over the next few weeks.

“Evidence of this effect is the immediate reaction of the currency and stock markets.

“Business owners in Kent can now get on with the job of planning for the growth of their business in the knowledge that there will be a stable political outlook for another five years at least.”