General election 2024: what to expect hour by hour on the night in Reading

People throughout Reading will be going to the polls today for the general election.

It is likely to be a momentous night, and will be the first general election since 2010 which is being fought on a new political map.

In Reading, the change to the political map has led to the creation of three new constituencies Reading Central, Reading West and Mid Berkshire and Earley and Woodley.

Another similarity to 2010 is that we are likely to see a change in government.

Labour was in charge from 1997 to 2010, when the Conservatives became the biggest party following the 2010 May general election.

In-person voting ends at 10pm today (Thursday, July 4). Here is how the night may play out from then on.

10pm: the exit poll

Once the polling stations close, the votes are taken to the counts where the victors will be declared.

This is also when the exit poll will be announced, which is probably the most accurate prediction of how the nation voted.

It was introduced in 2005, Prime Minister Tony Blair's third election victory.

The exit poll is generally considered accurate, except from 2015, when it predicted a hung parliament.

Instead, David Cameron's Conservative Party won with a majority of 26 seats, allowing them to eject the Liberal Democrats and govern on their own.

11pm: early results 

Early results will be coming in from 11pm, but none of the constituencies in Berkshire are expected to be declared early.

According to The Guardian, Blyth and Ashington, and Houghton and Sunderland South, both in north-east England, are expected to be declared first at around 11.30pm.

Midnight to 2am: results from throughout the country come in

From here on out, results will be tricking in.

It is understood around 85 seats will be declared in this timeframe, well short of the total of 650 throughout the UK.

3am: Berkshire results expected 

Results from Berkshire are expected from here on out.

The Reading Central constituency is set to be declared around 3am, where Matt Rodda, the previous Labour MP for Reading East faces off against sitting Conservative and Green Party candidates, contenders from the Lib Dems, Reform UK and the Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition and Michael Turberville, an Independent.

The Bracknell result is also expected at 3am, where incumbent Conservative MP James Sunderland faces off challengers from Labour, the Lib Dems, the Greens, Reform UK, the Heritage Party and Olivio Baretto, an Independent.

4am: Another local result expected 

The third result expected is for Slough, where incumbent Labour MP Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi is in a battle with 10 challengers from the other nationwide parties, and also the Heritage Party, the Workers Party of Great Britain, and four Independents.

6am onwards: Reading suburb results come in 

At 6am the result is expected for the battleground new Earley and Woodley constituency, which is being contested by the three main parties, the Greens and the Social Democratic Party.

The new constituency covers its eponymous towns, Whitley Shinfield and surrounding villages.

Results are also expected for the reformed Wokingham, Windsor and Maidenhead constituencies, which are all guaranteed new faces as the three Conservative MPs elected in 2019 have all stood down.

The last constituency to declare in Berkshire will be Reading West and Mid Berkshire, where the result is expected between 6am and 7am.

The constituency covers West Berkshire villages and the Reading suburbs of Tilehurst, Calcot and Theale.

7am onwards: final results 

The final results are expected from 7am onwards, with the biggest party expected to go to King Charles III to form a new government.