Tom Brake will return to represent Carshalton and Wallington for the fifth time when parliament resumes later this month.
The veteran politician has held the constituency for the Liberal Democrats, bucking the trend that has seen the party tank across the country.
Mr Brake MP held the constituency that he has represented since 1997 with 16,603 votes.
Conservative candidate, Matthew Maxwell Scott, ran the Liberal Democrat close taking 15,093 votes.
A shell-shocked Tom Brake was not in a victorious mood as news of heavy Lib Dem defeats filtered through
Mr Brake accepted that the night had dealt a heavy blow to the party and said that going into coalition with the Conservatives had cost them.
“It’s a question of taking stock over the next few days.
“It was a decision taken by the overwhelming number of parliamentarians and members; it was very much a collective decision.
“It was the right decision for the country, but we’ve paid a really high price at this election.”
He then added that it was the Liberal Democrats who had borne the brunt of anger from the general public and that the Conservatives had been rewarded for decisions that had been made collectively.
Mr Maxwell Scott was in bouyant mood when he arrived, but ultimately fell just short of replacing Mr Brake
Mr Maxwell Scott, who gave up his job as a BBC script writer to fight his campaign, said: "I thought at one point that it would be even closer.
“It’s difficult going against a MP who has been in for so long.
“I am very proud of what we have achieved with limited resources.
“I am delighted that 15,000 turned out to put their trust in me and I am just sorry I won’t be able to give them the MP they deserve.”
Away from the two big guns it was a big night for UKIP candidate Bill Main-Ian.
The former policeman secured almost 6,000 more votes than was won by Frank Day in 2010, and almost leapfrogged Labour's Siobhan Tate, into third.
UKIP's Bill Main-Ian picked up more than 7,000 votes but couldn't quite take third spot
Results in full:
Tom Brake – Liberal Democrats – 16,603
Matthew Maxwell Scott – Conservatives – 15,093
Siobhan Tate – Labour – 7,150
Bill Main-Ian – UKIP – 7,049
Ross Hemingway – Green Party – 1,492
Ashley Dickenson – Christian Peoples Alliance – 177
Richard Edmonds – National Front - 49
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