Grant Shapps loses seat as Tories face wipeout

• Follow the latest updates in our general election liveblog

Grant Shapps has lost his seat, becoming the most high profile casualty so far of an ongoing Tory general election wipeout.

Mr Shapps, the Defence Secretary, was ousted by Labour in Welwyn Hatfield, a constituency he has represented since 2005. Labour won the seat with 19,877 votes. Mr Shapps came second with just over 16,000 votes.

Mr Shapps said after the result was announced that it was “clear tonight that Britain will have a new government in the morning”.

He used his concession speech to urge Labour to commit to a firm deadline for increasing defence spending to 2.5 per cent of GDP.

“I am extremely concerned that unless it [a Labour government] quickly commits to spend 2.5 per cent of GDP on defence, our armed forces may suffer and so will our friends in Ukraine,” he said.

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04:07 AM BST

Our live coverage continues

Follow the latest updates in our new general election liveblog.

03:50 AM BST

Gillian Keegan loses her seat in Chichester

Education Secretary Gillian Keegan has been beaten by the Liberal Democrats in Chichester.

03:49 AM BST

Pictured: Richard Tice at the count in Boston

03:41 AM BST

Jonathan Ashworth loses seat to independent candidate

A big shock for Labour.

Shadow paymaster general Jonathan Ashworth has been beaten by an independent in Leicester South.

03:39 AM BST

Farage: ‘We are coming for Labour’

Nigel Farage said he and Reform UK had taken “the first step of something that is going to stun all of you”.

Delivering his victory speech in Clacton, the Reform UK leader said he hoped the party will be “big enough to challenge at the general election properly in 2029”.

Mr Farage declared: “We are coming for Labour.”

03:36 AM BST

Scottish Labour ‘confident’ of winning majority of seats

Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar has told the BBC he is “confident” his party will secure the majority of seats north of the border.

03:36 AM BST

Anas Sarwar arrives at Glasgow count

Leader of the Scottish Labour Party Anas Sarwar has arrived at the count at the Glasgow Emirates Arena to whoops and cheers as he said that he is “confident” that his part had won an majority in Scotland.

Counting had all but finished at the velodrome as candidates were taken aside to assess the doubtful ballots. Though none of the six constituencies have yet declared, Labour are jubilant and could take all six seats. The city was historically Labour but was won by the SNP in 2015.

03:35 AM BST

Shapps criticises Tories’ ‘endless political soap opera’

A visibly shocked Grant Shapps panned the Tories’ “endless political soap opera” as he delivered his concession speech in Welwyn Hatfield.

He told those gathered: “It’s not so much that Labour won this election, but rather that the Conservatives have lost it.

“On door after door, voters have been dismayed by our ability to iron out our differences in private and do that and then be united in public.

“Instead we’ve tried the patience of traditional Conservative voters with a propensity to create an endless political soap opera out of internal rivalries and divisions which have become increasingly indulgent and entrenched.”

The former defence secretary added: “Today, voters have simply said. If you can’t agree with each other, then we can’t agree to vote for you.”

We forgot a fundamental rule of politics: that people do not vote for divided parties.”

03:32 AM BST

Reform results ‘truly extraordinary’, says Farage

Nigel Farage said he would do his “absolute best” as the MP for Clacton.

The Reform UK leader also vowed to “put Clacton on the map” as he delivered his victory speech.

Mr Farage said his party had achieved something “truly extraordinary” and he believed Reform will come “second in hundreds of constituencies”.

03:29 AM BST

Nigel Farage elected as MP for Clacton

Nigel Farage has been elected as the Reform UK MP for Clacton.

Mr Farage received 21,225 votes.

03:28 AM BST

Jeremy Corbyn becomes independent MP for Islington North

Former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn has beaten his old party to become the independent MP for Islington North.

03:25 AM BST

Shapps: ‘Britain will have a new government in the morning’

Grant Shapps, who has lost to Labour in Welwyn Hatfield, said it was “clear tonight that Britain will have a new government in the morning”.

He urged Labour to commit to a firm deadline for increasing defence spending to 2.5 per cent of GDP.

“I am extremely concerned that unless it quickly commits to spend 2.5 per cent of GDP on defence, our armed forces may suffer and so will our friends in Ukraine,” he said.

03:21 AM BST

Tory sources believe Mordaunt has lost

Conservative sources at the Portsmouth count are briefing their team that Penny Mordaunt has lost the seat she held since 2010.

“We’ve lost a really good MP with knowledge and experience and we’ve got a new MP who has neither,” said one activist.

“She was good for the area and good for residents and it’s a real shame.”

03:20 AM BST

Tice arrives at Boston and Skegness count

Richard Tice has arrived at the Boston and Skegness count where he is hoping to overturn a 25,000 Conservative majority.

Asked how confident he was he said: “Well, let’s just wait and see. Let’s wait for the declaration.”

Mr Tice was accompanied by his partner, the journalist Isabel Oakeshott.

Matt Warman has also arrived at the Lincolnshire count and has been talking to party activists.

Rumours within the hall at the Peter Pain Performance Centre was that the count could be close.

03:19 AM BST

Every SNP seat is ‘in play’, says election expert

Every single seat held by the SNP is “in play” in Scotland given the scale of the swing to Labour, an election expert has said.

Ailsa Henderson, of the school of social and political science at the University of Edinburgh, said Kilmarnock and Louden had been the SNP’s fourth-safest seat.

Labour won the seat comfortably with a remarkable 22 per cent swing.

“On that level of swing, every single seat held by the SNP is in play in this election,” Prof Henderson said.

Labour has just won another SNP held seat, West Dunbartonshire, with a majority of more than 6,000.

03:10 AM BST

Grant Shapps loses seat

Grant Shapps, the Defence Secretary, has lost his seat of Welwyn Hatfield.

Labour won the seat with 19,877 votes. Mr Shapps came second with just over 16,000 votes.

03:08 AM BST

Nation is ‘ready for change’, says Starmer

Sir Keir Starmer said: “Tonight people here and around the country have spoken and they are ready for change.”

He concluded: “You have voted. It is now time for us to deliver.”

03:07 AM BST

Starmer tells constituents he will ‘have your back’

Sir Keir Starmer told his constituents as he delivered his victory speech: “I promise this: Whether you voted for me or not, I will serve every person in this constituency. The mothers I sat with who have lost children to knife crime, the pensioners who can’t get the doctors appointments they desperately need, the local businesses who have struggled so hard to keep their head above water.

”I will speak out for you, have your back, fight your corner, every single day.”

03:05 AM BST

Starmer pays tribute to fellow candidates

Delivering his victory speech, Sir Keir Starmer paid tribute to his fellow candidates.

He said they had “put themselves forward for public service” and it is in the election counts across the county that “beats the heart of our democracy”.

“It all starts here,” he said.

03:00 AM BST

Sir Keir Starmer re-elected as MP for Holborn and St Pancras

Sir Keir Starmer has been re-elected as the Labour MP for Holborn and St Pancras.

Sir Keir held the seat as he received 18,884 votes.

An independent candidate and a Green candidate came second and third, with the Tories in fourth.

02:58 AM BST

Sir Ed Davey re-elected as MP for Kingston and Surbiton

Sir Ed Davey has won his seat of Kingston and Surbiton with 25,870 votes, ahead of his Conservative rival Helen Edward on 8,635, after his stunt-packed campaign.

He said: “It has been a great privilege to serve Kingston and Surbiton and this great community over many years and I’m humbled that you’ve given me the chance to serve you again, so let me start by saying a big thank you.”

02:57 AM BST

Farage hails ‘truly extraordinary’ results for Reform

Reform UK leader Nigel Farage has arrived at Clacton Leisure centre for the count declaration in Essex.

Met by a scrum of photographers, Mr Farage said the results his party were achieving around the country were “truly extraordinary”.

02:55 AM BST

Watch: Jubilant Andy Burnham in disbelief after exit poll is announced

02:54 AM BST

Emily Thornberry re-elected in Islington South

Emily Thornberry has comfortably retained the seat of Islington South and Finsbury for Labour with 22,946 votes.

Her nearest rival, Carne Ross of the Green Party, received 7,491, with the Lib Dems at 4,045, Conservative at 3,584, and Reform with 3,388. Ms Thornberry has been Labour MP for the constituency since 2005.

02:53 AM BST

Tale of two camps in Portsmouth

As the night wore on in Portsmouth the contrast between the mood in the two camps became starker.

While in the Labour half of the hall activists laughed and chatted as the results came in from elsewhere, there was quiet despondency among the dwindling number of Conservative activists, broken only by the odd ironic guffaw.

And while Portsmouth South’s Labour candidate Stephen Morgan worked the hall, pressing the flesh and thanking his ground troops, of Penny Mordaunt there was no sign at all.

02:52 AM BST

Labour wins Kilmarnock seat from SNP

Labour has claimed the Kilmarnock and Louden constituency from the SNP after a huge swing to the party.

In the first Scottish result of the night, Labour’s Lillian Jones secured 19,065 votes, with Alan Brown of the SNP recording just 13,936 votes.

Labour came third in the election in 2019, when Mr Brown won 50.8 per cent of the vote. Five years ago, Labour received just 18.9 per cent.

Kezia Dugdale, the former Scottish Labour leader, had earlier claimed the seat was a bellwether for the election in Scotland.

In a gracious speech, Ms Jones thanked Mr Brown for her service to the constituency but said she would now deliver “change”.

02:51 AM BST

Donelan ‘expected to lose to Lib Dems’

A source close to Cabinet minister Michelle Donelan said she is expected to lose to the Lib Dems, writes Amy Gibbons.

The Science Secretary won a majority of around 11,000 in Chippenham in 2019. Following the boundary changes, she is contesting the new seat of Melksham and Devizes.

The source told The Telegraph: “Not looking great for Michelle’s seat. Sounds like she’s hemorrhaged votes to Reform and there is almost no Labour vote, meaning the Lib Dems are likely to sneak it.”

02:50 AM BST

Labour swing driven by voter ‘revulsion’ with Tories, claims Lord Kinnock

Neil Kinnock said voters turning out for Labour have been captivated by a “mood of expulsion at the sheer decadence of the Conservative government”.

Lord Kinnock told the BBC that the swing towards Labour has been influenced by “a revulsion against the incompetence and the multiple crises” of the Conservative government.

Addressing Sir Keir’s strategy of remaining relatively tight-lipped about Labour’s plans for government, Lord Kinnock hinted at the opposition leader’s master plan, stating: “Because he’s unde-promised, he can’t overachieve.

“Getting to the stage where more people want to vote Labour, that depends upon the words and most importantly on all the actions of government.”

02:49 AM BST

Second recount ordered in Basildon

The returning officer in Basildon and Billericay has just ordered a second full recount.

Further proof that the vote is incredibly close, and further prolonging the agony for Richard Holden, the Tory chairman, and the other candidates.

02:48 AM BST

DUP ‘concedes defeat’ in Donaldson’s old seat

Sir Jeffrey Donaldson resigned as DUP leader in March and did not contest the Lagan Valley seat he has held for 27 years, writes James Crisp in Belfast.

Shortly after 2.20am, it was reported that senior DUP sources were conceding defeat in Lagan Valley in a major blow to the party.

Jonathan Buckley hoped to retain Lagan Valley for the DUP but faces tough competition from the Ulster Unionist Party and Alliance candidates.

Sir Jeffrey made a high profile court appearance on Wednesday, where it was confirmed he would face trial at a later date,  a day before polls opened.

02:47 AM BST

Alliance could be facing tough night in Northern Ireland

Stephen Farry, the deputy leader of the centrist Alliance party, has admitted it will be “very challenging” to keep his North Down seat, writes James Crisp in Belfast.

He is expected to lose his seat to independent unionist Alex Easton.

Alliance, which does not identify as unionist or nationalist, became the third largest party in Northern Ireland in the 2022 Stormont elections.

But there is growing speculation it could turn out to be a disappointing night for Alliance this time round.

02:46 AM BST

Lib Dems confident of win in Boris Johnson’s old seat

The Liberal Democrats have said they are confident of winning Boris Johnson’s former seat of Henley, in Oxfordshire.

A Lib Dem source said the party was “confident of sailing to victory in Henley” which is famous for its regatta.

02:45 AM BST

Turnout up in Hunt’s constituency

I’ve no idea if this helps or hinders Jeremy Hunt - probably the latter - but turnout at 72.3 per cent is down on the turnout four years ago.

In 2019, turnout was 76.8 per cent when Mr Hunt polled more than half the total votes. Counting has begun at the leisure centre on the fringe of leafy Haslemere.

It’s totally unscientific but there are a surprisingly large number of Reform UK votes piling up in the counting baskets. That spells bad news for Mr Hunt who is trying to stave off a resurgent Liberal Democrat party.

02:43 AM BST

SNP facing ‘really tough night’, says long-serving MP

The SNP’s longest-serving MP has said his party cannot “put any sort of gloss” on what is expected to be a dreadful night for the nationalists.

Pete Wishart, who has served in the Commons since 2001, said he was confident about his own Perth and Kinross-shire constituency, one of the party’s safest seats.

A series of senior SNP figures have sought to blame anger at the Tories for the scale of the expected swings from the SNP to Labour.

However, arriving at his count, Mr Wishart said: “I just think it’s going to be a really tough night for the party.

“I don’t think there’s any way that we’re going to be able to put any sort of gloss on it. That’s what we’re hearing from colleagues right across Scotland.”
He continued: “What we’ve got to do is refocus, renew, rebuild relationships with the Scottish public - have a proper and particular look about where we are and how we build back.”

02:38 AM BST

Labour defeat Galloway in Rochdale

Labour has won the seat of Rochdale, defeating George Galloway who won it at a by-election for his Workers Party of Britain back in February this year.

Mr Galloway finished in second place this time around with 11,508 votes, with Labour’s Paul Waugh in first with 13,047.

02:35 AM BST

Looking like Shapps will lose his seat

It’s looking like the Defence Secretary Grant Shapps will lose his seat in Welwyn Hatfield as the final sample recount concludes, writes Dominic Nicholls. 

A Conservative Party source told the Telegraph: “We fought a good campaign but sometimes the numbers just go against you. Long night.”

The official declaration has yet to be made.

02:31 AM BST

Sir Keir Starmer arrives at constituency count

Sir Keir Starmer has now arrived at the count for his Holborn and St Pancras seat in central London.

Sir Keir has been accompanied by his wife, Victoria.

The Labour leader was mobbed by photographers and activists upon his arrival.

02:29 AM BST

Sinn Fein figures arrive at count in Magherafelt

Sinn Fein leader Mary Lou McDonald and deputy leader Michelle O’Neill have arrived at the Magherafelt count centre in Northern Ireland.

Ms O’Neill said she was interested in a “good positive relationship” between the Executive and the incoming Labour government, adding: “The Tories have not been any friend to the people here, haven’t been any friend to public services, haven’t been any friend to any household dealing with the cost-of-living crisis.

“So I think there is an opportunity for us to work with Labour. The number one priority for the Executive certainly will be to try and get a better funder model for public services.”

02:28 AM BST

Ex-Cabinet minister loses seat to Labour

Tory former Cabinet minister Alun Cairns has lost his seat to Labour in the Vale of Glamorgan constituency.

Labour’s Kanishka Narayan won the seat with 17,740 votes, meanwhile Mr Cairns received 13,524 votes.

The Labour Party also succeeded in Bridgend, with Chris Elmore – who previously held the seat for Ogmore – receiving 16,516 votes, in the first result announced in Wales.

Reform UK’s candidate Caroline Jones came in second place with 7,921 votes.

02:27 AM BST

Tory James Cracknell loses out to Labour

Tory candidate and former Olympic rower James Cracknell has lost in Colchester to Labour’s Pam Cox.

02:27 AM BST

Ballots verified in Sunak’s seat, result expected at 4am

Ballots have been verified at the count in Richmond and Northallerton, with some 65.8 per cent of the electorate in the constituency having voted.

The result in Rishi Sunak’s seat is expected at 4am.

02:26 AM BST

Shapps’ seat could be ‘very close result’

The Returning Officer has called for a sample recount in Welwyn Hatfield, a limited process usually indicative of a very close result, writes Dominic Nicholls.  

Only two of the eight counting teams appear to be engaged in the sample recount, which suggests it is a final double-check, rather than a greater concern that a mistake may have been made in the original count.

02:20 AM BST

Lee Anderson re-elected as Reform MP

Lee Anderson has been re-elected as the Reform UK MP for Ashfield.

Mr Anderson, who won the seat as a Conservative candidate in 2019 but later defected to Reform, secured just over 17,000 votes.

Labour was second with just over 11,000 votes. The Tories finished fourth.

Mr Anderson said in his victory speech: “I want my country back and Ashfield can play their part in that.”

He is the first Reform MP of the night.

02:18 AM BST

Rachel Reeves: ‘I can’t wait to get started’

Rachel Reeves has delivered a rousing victory speech after being returned as the Labour member of parliament for Leeds West and Pudsey, telling voters: “I can’t wait to get started”.

She told those gathered for the count: “I don’t want to preempt the results that are still to come, but if what we have seen so far holds out then it is clear that the British people have voted for change.

“That in the coming hours, after 14 years, people will wake up to the prospect of a new government: the first labour victory in nearly 12 decades. A page turned. A new chapter started. A chance to look ahead to a brighter future that seemed so remote for so long.”

The shadow chancellor also hinted at Labour’s grim economic inheritance and said there would be “hard choices” ahead.

“I know that the road ahead will not be easy. There are no quick fixes and the hard choices lie ahead. We are under no illusions about the scale of the challenge that we face or about the severity of the challenges that we will inherit from the Conservatives.

“We will not let you down. I will not let you down, and I can’t wait to get started.”

02:17 AM BST

Scottish Tories ‘ahead in two key races’

Scottish Tories were nervous heading into election night, but believe they are ahead in two key races.

John Lamont, in Berwickshire, Roxburgh & Selkirk, will be “fine” while Andrew Bowie, the nuclear minister, is “safe” in West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine, senior insiders said.

However, they concede Douglas Ross, the outgoing Scottish Tory leader, is in a “tight” race with the SNP in Aberdeenshire North and Moray East.

02:15 AM BST

Reform appears to be doing better than pollsters predicted

The exit polls have already suggested that pollsters had downplayed Reform’s chances, and now constituency-level data is beginning to highlight this too, writes Ben Butcher. 

Across the first nine constituencies to declare, Reform are polling about four points higher than they were projected to do so.

In Washington and Gateshead South, the final constituency-level MRP polls forecast the party to gain 23 per cent of the vote. In reality, they gained around 29 per cent.

Reform has so far secured around 21 per cent of the vote, but the first batch of seats to declare were always forecast to be fertile ground for the party, so this figure could drop.

02:14 AM BST

Grant Shapps could lose seat to Labour

Counting has finished in Welwyn Hatfield, writes Dominic Nicholls. 

A source close to the count has told The Telegraph the Labour Party candidate has around 3,000 votes more than Grant Shapps.

We are expecting the Returning Officer, the High Sheriff of Hertfordshire, to make the declaration imminently.

02:05 AM BST

Labour leader of Basildon Council claims ‘20 votes in it’

Conservative Party chairman Richard Holden’s political future hangs on just 20 votes, it has been suggested, as Basildon and Billericay undertake a full recount.

Gavin Callaghan, the Labour leader of the local council, made the claim on X, formerly Twitter, a short while ago.

According to sources in Mr Holden’s camp, this is the Conservatives’ understanding too.

Whoever comes out on top, the swing away from the Tories is truly remarkable: Mr Holden was defending a Conservative majority of more than 20,000.

02:03 AM BST

Lib Dems claim to have ousted Alex Chalk in Cheltenham

The Liberal Democrats are claiming victory in Alex Chalk’s Cheltenham seat.

The Tory Justice Secretary has been the constituency MP since 2015 but the Lib Dems believe they have won.

A Lib Dem source said: “This is a massive result for the Liberal Democrats and demonstrates the anger that so many Conservative voters have for this Government.

“The people of Cheltenham have elected a local champion in Max Wilkinson who will stand up in Parliament and work hard to protect local A&E services.”

02:00 AM BST

Turnout down in first six seats to declare

Just a handful of seats are in, but already one trend is emerging: declines in turnout.

Of the first six seats to declare, turnout has fallen on average by 6.2 points, writes Ben Butcher. 

In Houghton and Sunderland South, just 51 per cent of the electorate actually voted, having previously been 57 per cent.

Newcastle upon Tyne Central and West saw a massive decline of 9 points, down to 53 per cent.

These figures matter when we think about how much of the electorate actively supports candidates.

Whilst Labour won a convincing 47 per cent of the vote in Houghton and Sunderland South, once we include the people who didn’t vote at all, this support falls to 25 per cent.

01:53 AM BST

Recount in Basildon

A full recount is being undertaken at the Basildon and Billericay count.

Conservative Party chairman Richard Holden’s political future has surely never been in greater jeopardy.

Earlier on we reported suggestions that the contest in the Essex seat had become a three-horse race, with both Labour and Reform in contention to win, however we have just had a firm steer that there are only two parties that remain in serious contention.

We’ll now have to wait at least an hour to find out.

01:50 AM BST

Turnout appears to be down on 2019

It is starting to look like turnout is down at this election when compared to the contest in 2019.

It is still relatively early days in terms of results being declared, but here are some more examples: The turnout in Portsmouth South was 53.05 percent, down from 63.9 percent in 2019.

The turnout for Portsmouth North was 59.25 percent, down from 64.4 percent in 2019.

01:48 AM BST

Rachel Reeves: ‘We are in touching distance of forming the next government’

Rachel Reeves said the Labour Party is “in touching distance of forming the next government”, as she hailed the exit polls predicting a “historic victory” for her party.

The shadow chancellor dismissed concerns raised by the BBC’s Laura Kuenssberg about voters switching from the Conservatives to Reform UK, rather than to Labour.

“If the result unfolds in the way that looks likely, this is going to be an almost unprecedented landslide majority for the Labour Party,” she said.

“That will give us the mandate to make the changes this country needs.”

01:43 AM BST

Lee Anderson arrives at Ashfield count

Reform UK’s Lee Anderson has arrived at the count for his constituency of Ashfield in Nottinghamshire.

Wearing a charcoal grey flat cap, Mr Anderson joked to reporters: “I’m wearing this as a disguise so you wouldn’t recognise me.”

01:41 AM BST

Next Tory leader must be from centre right, says Leadsom

Andrea Leadsom said the next Tory leader needed to be from the centre right and that she was a “big fan” of Penny Mordaunt.

“The night is yet young… there’s a long way to go before those sorts of considerations,” Dame Andrea said.

But she added: “I’m a big fan of Penny.”

Ms Mordaunt’s Portsmouth North seat is too close to call, according to exit polls.

If not Ms Mordaunt, Dame Andrea said she believed “it will need to be someone from the centre right”.

01:38 AM BST

Lib Dems win seat from Tories

Liberal Democrat candidate Tom Gordon has won Harrogate and Knaresborough in the party’s first victory of the night.

The seat had been held by the Tories.

01:38 AM BST

Sir Ed Davey: Election going ‘very well’ for Lib Dems

Sir Ed Davey hailed the performance of the Liberal Democrats as he arrived at the election count for his seat of Kingston and Surbiton.

He was cheered by a group of supporters as he entered The King’s Centre, a community centre in Chessington, south west London.

Asked by the PA news agency how he thought the night was going, Sir Ed replied: “Very well.”

01:33 AM BST

Lib Dems claim to have ousted Gillian Keegan

The Liberal Democrats have claimed to have beaten Education Secretary Gillian Keegan in Chichester.

A Lib Dem spokesman said: “Chichester is going Lib Dem orange, as Gillian Keegan becomes the first Cabinet minister of the night to lose her seat.

“The Conservatives have let down the people of Chichester for too long. This seat has been Conservative for 100 years and a win here for the Liberal Democrats is an extraordinary achievement which has unseated the Education Secretary.”

01:32 AM BST

Pictured: Rachel Reeves talks to the media from her count in Leeds

01:30 AM BST

‘Toss up’ in Islington North could land in Corbyn’s favour

The mood in the Islington North camp is that Jeremy Corbyn may defy his doubters to win his seat.

He and his team are looking unruffled as the count rolls on, keeping their own predictions close to their chest as he roams the large sports hall shaking hands and making small talk.

The Labour candidate Praful Nargund is not here yet, although is due shortly.

A win for Mr Corbyn, who is standing as an independent against his old party, would be a rare upset for what otherwise appears to be a triumphant night for Labour.

With 90 minutes still to go until the result is due to be announced, the whispers on the ground in Islington are that the “toss up” predicted by pollsters may just land in his favour.

01:29 AM BST

Reports: Islington North ‘looks challenging’ for Labour

Reports coming out of Islington North suggest Jeremy Corbyn may prevail as an independent candidate, potentially taking the shine off a Labour landslide victory.

Labour sources have said that Islington North “looks challenging for them”, the BBC’s Chris Mason reported.

The former opposition leader held the seat with a stonking 26,188 majority at the 2019 election but was kicked out of the Labour Party in 2020 following an anti-Semitism row.

01:26 AM BST

Lib Dems believe they will win 47 seats, beating 1997 mark

The Liberal Democrats believe they will win 47 seats.

A party source said: “We now believe we have won 47 seats, beating our 1997 result. This is an astonishing night for the Liberal Democrats.”

The Lib Dems won 46 seats in 1997.

01:24 AM BST

‘We’ve been airing our dirty linen in public’, says Tory MP

Dehenna Davison, the former Tory MP for Bishop Auckland, has blamed “airing our dirty linen in public” for the scale of the Conservative Party’s projected defeat.

“We are supposed to be a united force,” she told the BBC. “I think we lost sight of that over the last few years and have found so many factions within our own that the in-fighting has begun.

“We’ve been frankly airing our dirty linen in public in a way that I don’t think is dignified for any party, and I think that’s what’s led to the scale defeat that we’ve seen tonight.”

Ms Davidson added: “There are a lot of us who have to take a long hard look in the mirror and I think all accept a level of responsibility for the position we find ourselves in now.”

01:22 AM BST

Labour win Cramlington and Killingworth

Labour have won the seat of Cramlington and Killingworth.

It is a new seat at this general election but broadly equates to a Labour hold.

01:20 AM BST

Labour eyeing major election milestone

Labour sources are now saying that they expect to be the largest party in England, Scotland and Wales after the general election.

They would be the first party to do that in 23 years.

01:18 AM BST

Tension mounts in Basildon

The tension is mounting at the Basildon and Billericay count, amid a delayed result and increasing speculation that the vote has become a three-horse race, with Reform performing better than expected.

Earlier in the evening Nigel Farage’s insurgent party had been spoken of solely in terms of how much support they would cost the incumbent Tories (Conservative chairman Richard Holden is the candidate).

However, some - some - at the count are suggesting Reform might have done well enough to get within touching distance of winning the contest outright.

We should find out within minutes. Meanwhile, the candidates shuffle around nervously.

01:17 AM BST

Lib Dems confident of victory in Tory stronghold of Tunbridge Wells

The Liberal Democrats are confident of victory in Tunbridge Wells, long before the declaration.

On the campaign trail in June, party leader Sir Ed Davey took part in an assault course in Kent with the party’s candidate Mike Martin.

A Liberal Democrat source said: “They’re set to elect a Lib Dem local champion in former British Army officer Mike Martin, who will stand up for the community.”

The seat has been held by the Tories since its creation in 1974.

01:14 AM BST

Pictured: Streeting smiles during broadcast interview as Labour heads for power

01:11 AM BST

Lib Dems confident of beating Jeremy Hunt

A Liberal Democrat source said they were “confident” the party would defeat Jeremy Hunt in the new constituency of Godalming and Ash.

The constituency Mr Hunt is contesting is 81 per cent likely to go to the Liberal Democrats according to the exit poll for Sky News, BBC and ITV News.

The Liberal Democrat source said: “The exit poll is obviously encouraging. It’s early in the night. But we are confident.”

01:09 AM BST

Speculation Corbyn could win in Islington North

01:05 AM BST

Pictured: Tory candidate Chris Green reacts at Bolton count

01:04 AM BST

Huge media presence at Jeremy Hunt’s count

If anybody needed a clue that Jeremy Hunt’s seat is in danger, then look no further than the number of journalists who have turned up for the count. In 2019, the local council in this part of Surrey handed out a ‘handful’ of media passes to reporters covering Mr Hunt’s constituency. In 2019, just one TV crew bothered to turn up.

This time, the council has doled out 70 media passes.

Counting, which should take a couple of hours, hasn’t yet begun at The Edge leisure centre. Votes are still being verified and the count can’t begin until that takes place. The result is expected around 3.30am.

Mr Hunt is not expected until shortly before the announcement in what may also be an indication that defeat is likely if not probable. By contrast his rival, the Liberal Democrats’ Paul Follows has been bounding about the counting hall for some time now.

01:02 AM BST

Reform source ‘quietly optimistic’ of Tice victory in Boston and Skegness

A Reform UK source has said party activists are “quietly optimistic” that Richard Tice will overturn a 25,000 Conservative majority to become the MP for Boston and Skegness.

The party’s Lincolnshire campaigners were buoyed by a recent prediction by pollsters that the chairman of the party could secure a majority in the famously Brexit-supporting Lincolnshire constituency.

Modelling by Electoral Calculus, a pollster and political consultancy, predicts that Mr Tice could get 36.8 per cent of the vote compared to just 27.8 per cent for the Tories.

Matt Warman, 42, has represented the constituency as its Conservative MP since May 2015. He successfully retained the seat in 2017 with an increased majority of 16,572 and then won it again in 2019 with a majority of 25,621.

12:57 AM BST

Tory leadership contest will be like ‘group of bald men arguing over a comb’, says Buckland

Robert Buckland slammed Suella Braverman and other Conservative colleagues for their “astonishing ill-discipline” and being “spectacularly unprofessional” in calling the result of the election before voters went to the polls.

The former justice secretary told the BBC: “I’m fed up of performance art politics. I’ve watched colleagues in the Conservative Party strike poses, write inflammatory op eds and say stupid things they know they have no evidence for instead of concentrating on doing the job they were elected to do. I’ve had enough of it.”

In a coruscating upbraiding of Conservative colleagues after losing his seat in Swindon South in one of the first results of the night, he said: “We’ve seen in this election astonishing ill-discipline within the party. We can see articles being written before a vote is cast in the general election about the party heading for defeat and what the prognosis should be. It’s spectacularly unprofessional and ill-disciplined.”

Asked by Laura Kuenssberg if he was referring directly to Mrs Braverman, who wrote a Telegraph op ed calling the result of the election two days ago, Mr Buckland said: “Yeah and I’m afraid that’s not an isolated example. I’m fed up of personal agendas and jockeying for position.

“With the Conservatives facing electoral Armageddon, it’s going to be like a group of bald men arguing over a comb.”

12:54 AM BST

Senior Tory expects to be ‘swept away in tsunami’

A Tory minister said he expected to lose his seat, predicting he will be “swept away in this tsunami”.

Steve Baker, who is standing in Wycombe, told Sky News: “I feel great, but the people I feel sorry for are the staffers who are going to lose their jobs and don’t deserve to.

“I’m expected to be swept away in this tsunami, and many of your viewers will rejoice in it, I’m sure.”

He added: “If I lose, it will be the best thing that could happen to me and my wife.”

12:53 AM BST

Labour source: Reform will not win 13 seats

A Labour source has claimed that Reform will win fewer than the 13 seats predicted by the exit poll according to their data analysis.

The source told The Telegraph: “Our data is suggesting Reform will not win many of the seats the exit poll suggests. They will get less than 13 seats.”

12:50 AM BST

Mordaunt ‘could be on course to lose her seat’

A Conservative number cruncher in Portsmouth has suggested that Penny Mordaunt is set to lose her seat by around 5,000 votes.

If true that would be a significant upset for a candidate who had a large personal following and would mean this Royal Navy town sending two Labour MPs to the Commons.

“I feel sorry for Penny. She was a very good MP and she was very well liked locally,” he told reporters. “But Labour ran a very good campaign and have benefitted from the swing against us nationwide.”

Ms Mordaunt had been widely tipped as one of the favourites to take over from Rishi Sunak should he quit as Tory leader.

12:49 AM BST

Polling expert: Exit poll is ‘dream scenario’ for Nigel Farage

The general election exit poll suggesting Reform could end up with 13 seats would be Nigel Farage’s “dream scenario”, according to a polling expert.

Chris Hopkins, Savanta’s political research director, said: “If this exit poll is right, this feels like Nigel Farage’s dream scenario - he’ll be rubbing his hands with glee.

“He’s got enough MPs to make a racket in Westminster, and the party he shares the closest political space with could be reduced to a long period of soul searching. It could be that Reform UK is second in a huge number of seats.”

12:44 AM BST

How would a 170 seat majority compare with past Labour victories?

The general election exit poll suggested Labour could end up with a majority of 170 seats.

That would not be the party’s best ever result, but it would be close:

12:42 AM BST

Labour holds Newcastle Central as Reform finishes second

Labour has held onto the seat of Newcastle Central, with Reform again finishing in second place and the Tories in third.

12:41 AM BST

Ruth Davidson: Tories facing a ‘massacre’

The Tories are facing “a massacre” if the exit poll is correct, according to the former leader of the Scottish Tories.

Baroness Davidson said there was “no dressing up” the results of the poll, which forecast a landslide Labour majority.

However, she claimed it could have been worse and that the Tories had actually performed better than expected.

She told Sky News: “The word coming out of central office (CCHQ) was that we could have been below three figures. There was a chance.

“There’s no dressing this up. This is a massacre. It is a massacre. But if this is right, they’ve pulled a good few dozen back from where they were.

“There was 80 we thought we had, with another possible 40 to 60 in play. We seem to have got most of the upper end of that.”

12:39 AM BST

Portsmouth South race ‘looks very close’ for Mordaunt

One of Labour’s foot soldiers told The Telegraph he was “feeling pretty confident” about how his candidate Stephen Morgan’s vote was holding up in his Portsmouth South constituency.

But, he added, the real point of interest was over in Portsmouth North, “where things look very close” for Penny Mordaunt and the Conservatives.

There was a resigned if despondent mood among the huddle of Tory activists overseeing the Portsmouth Guildhall count.

“We were like the kid at school who is picked on by five others. We were never going to win that fight,” said one. “But I don’t understand why Reform supporters joined in beating us up. All they did was let in Labour and that’s not going to get them what they want on things like tax and immigration.”

12:37 AM BST

Sunak expected to signal he will step down as Tory leader

Rishi Sunak is expected to signal later today that he will resign as leader of the Conservative Party as the Tories head for a disastrous set of general election results.

It is unclear what the timeline could be for him stepping down as Tory leader amid speculation that a leadership contest could be stretched out over a longer period than normal.

12:34 AM BST

Sir Robert Buckland: UK politics is ‘at a crossroads’

Sir Robert Buckland, the former justice secretary, said he believed the UK’s “very political system is at a crossroads” as he delivered a concession speech after losing his seat of Swindon South.

The tory former justice secretary said: “Do we value those who work to bring people together and who come into politics to do something rather than be someone, or do we shrug our shoulders and accept that politics is a mere circus, where people compete for attention by saying things that they either know to be untrue or which raise hopes and expectations in a way that further erodes trust?

“I know what side I’m on, I know what choice I would make. I believe with sincere and fierce conviction that my party has to make the right choice too if we are to inspire a new generation with a real promise of a better future.”

12:30 AM BST

Tory chairman faces anxious wait in Basildon

The Conservative camp in Basildon and Billericay is clearly in a state of some anxiety that Richard Holden, the party’s national chair, may not have done enough to win the seat.

Ask them which way they think the vote will go and what you get is a sucking of teeth and a muttered “it’s close”.

One senior member of the campaign, speaking to the Telegraph off the record, said he believed Mr Holden was still more likely to win than the Labour candidate, Alex Harrison, with whom recent polls had put him neck and neck, but that it was really too close to call.

12:25 AM BST

Corbyn arrives at Islington North count

Jeremy Corbyn has arrived at the Islington North count, three hours before it is due to declare.

Making a low-key entrance through the doors of a sportshall, with his young campaign team around him, he can bypass security by virtue of not having a bag.

He waits for everyone in his party to have their name ticked off the list, fiddling with trying to put a purple wristband on before a count volunteer helps him.

In the hall, he is greeted like an old friend. One flat-capped young man wearing a Vote Corbyn t-shirt gives him a hug and another comrade wearing a Lib Dem badge loudly wishes him “good luck”.

He likes to make his way around the tables, it is said, and begins the circuit immediately, hailing familiar faces as he goes.

12:19 AM BST

Sir Robert Buckland loses Swindon South to Labour

Former justice secretary Sir Robert Buckland has lost Swindon South to Labour’s Heidi Alexander.

He is the first high profile Tory to lose their seat.

12:19 AM BST

Nadine Dorries accuses Alistair Campbell of sexism

Nadine Dorries has accused Alastair Campbell of sexism for suggesting she needed to “get over Boris Johnson” as they appeared together on the Channel 4 News election night programme.

Mr Campbell, the former Labour spin doctor, said: “Honestly Nadine, you’ve got to get over Boris Johnson.”

As he continued speaking she interjected and said: “Actually I find that quite a sexist comment actually, Alistair thank you.”

He replied: “Well it’s not, it’s not.”

She said “well I think it is Alistair” and he replied “it really isn’t”.

12:15 AM BST

Could Liz Truss be headed for a Portillo moment?

Counting is underway in the Lynnsport leisure centre in Kings Lynn, where Liz Truss will learn her fate. The mood is quietly studious, and none of the candidates have yet arrived, writes Abigail Buchanan. 

In theory, South West Norfolk – which Ms Truss has won in four consecutive elections – is a Tory safe seat. The former prime minister is defending a stonking majority of 26,192. Tonight, though, nothing is for certain. Should Truss lose, she will become the first former occupant of No 10 to lose their seat since Ramsay McDonald lost Seaham in 1935.

It will be a lengthy wait for Ms Truss and the other candidates, as a result is not expected until 5:30am. Activists for James Bagge, the disillusioned lifelong Conservative and member of the “Turnip Taliban” running against Truss as an independent, are optimistic about his chances.

“It feels seismic,” says one. “40 to 50 per cent of the people we spoke to today were on board with Bagge. We might find we are flattened in the results, but it feels like something’s shifting.”

12:11 AM BST

Tories facing their ‘Waterloo’, says George Osborne

The election result is looking like the Tories’ Waterloo but the party will eventually be back, George Osborne has suggested.

The former chancellor said: “As for the Conservatives, it’s going to sound odd but there’ll be a bit of a sigh of relief, even though it’s the worst result since 1832 when the Duke of Wellington was running the Tory Party, this feels more like the Tory Party’s Waterloo frankly.”

He predicted many Cabinet ministers would lose their seats but added: “It would be a huge mistake to take a lot of comfort from this but there were people thinking and the polls were suggesting it could be an extinction night for the Tory Party, an extinction-level event and the Tory Party would never come back. I think there’ll be a lot of Conservatives saying ‘we can come back.”

12:10 AM BST

Tories in danger of being ‘drummed out of’ London, warns Jo Johnson

A Tory peer said his party is “in danger of being drummed out” of London.

Lord Johnson of Marylebone, who is a former minister, and is the brother of Boris Johnson, was speaking after an exit poll predicted the Tories would only hold onto three seats in the capital.

He told Sky News: “The Conservatives are in danger of being drummed out of the capital of this country. That’s a terrible indictment of their appeal to metropolitan open-minded liberal voters. They have got to appeal to the people who live in our big cities.

“It’s important the Tories stay open minded and try to appeal to the centre of British politics as they did in 2010 and 2015.”

He adds: “It’s hard to imagine a worse outcome than the one delivered by this campaign. I’m stunned by Reform’s arrival... this is a dramatic development. It’s quite possible to imagine Reform will come second across vast swathes of constituencies in the red wall, north-west and the midlands.”

12:06 AM BST

Labour hold Sunderland Central as Reform finish second in third seat in a row

We now have the third result of the evening.

Labour has held the seat of Sunderland Central, with candidate Lewis Atkinson securing almost 17,000 votes.

Reform has, for the third constituency in a row, finished in second place with almost 11,000.

The Tories finished in third with just under 6,000.  The Tories finished second in 2019, only about 3,000 votes behind Labour.

12:02 AM BST

Voters ‘sick of all this woke stuff’, says ex-Cabinet minister

Outgoing health minister Andrea Leadsom said “all this woke stuff” played a part in voters deserting the Tories.

Ms Leadsom told the BBC’s election night coverage a group had told her in the pub yesterday that “they’re sick of all this woke stuff, they’re sick of all this trying to be more Left-wing than Labour”.

“They don’t feel that the Conservatives have been conservative enough,” Ms Leadsom said.

When it was put to her that her party had pledged to reintroduce national service, she said: “Yeah, well, national service in the sense of supporting young people to be able to do something worthwhile to put back into their community, not national service as in going round shooting people. So I think that was misrepresented.”

11:59 PM BST

One to watch: Could turnout be lower in 2024 than in 2019?

We have, of course, only had two seats declared so far.

But one thing worth watching is the turnout.

In Houghton and Sunderland South the turnout was 57.8 per cent in 2019 but this year it was lower at 52.1 per cent.

It will be interesting to see if that is replicated in other seats in the coming hours.

11:52 PM BST

SNP facing ‘a lot of questions’ if exit poll is correct, says Sturgeon

Nicola Sturgeon has said there are a “lot of questions” for the SNP to answer about the party’s election campaign.

The former Scottish first minister said the party’s projected haul of just 10 seats was “at the grimmer end of expectations” and acknowledged it was a “seismic” win for Sir Keir Starmer’s Labour.

“There are clearly big issues with a result of this scale for the SNP,” Ms Sturgeon told ITV. “The SNP’s been in government for 17 years, we’re in government now at a time when austerity is biting, the impact of Brexit is biting... This was a ‘kick the Tories, get the Tories out’ election.

“This is not a good night for the SNP on these numbers and there’ll be a lot of questions that need to be asked as we come out of it.

“I think there will be a question about whether there was enough in the campaign to effectively give a USP to the SNP in an election that was effectively about getting the Tories out and replacing them with Labour.”

11:49 PM BST

Result in Jeremy Corbyn’s Islington North seat expected at 3am

At Islington Tennis Centre, where Jeremy Corbyn will later find out whether voters in Islington North are loyal to him or the Labour Party, the count is quietly underway.

Mr Corbyn, who was first elected in the constituency in 1983 and served 41 years as its Labour MP, is running as an independent, facing the lesser-known name of Praful Nargund, a local councillor, representing his former party.

The seat has been one of the most closely watched, and tightly fought, of the 2024 campaign. Previously considered a safe Labour seat, Mr Corbyn’s loyal fanbase has split the vote with polling experts calling the result a “toss up” on the day.

The result is not expected until around 3am, with 18 tables of volunteers from all walks of life diligently verifying and counting papers quicker than they can be delivered.

It is a reminder that however high-tech life is elsewhere in 2024, the electoral process in Britain still relies on human beings.

11:47 PM BST

Pictured: Farage toasts exit poll as Reform records strong early results

11:43 PM BST

Police Scotland investigating potential electoral fraud

Police Scotland are investigating potential electoral fraud in Glasgow. Four uniformed officers wearing blue gloves entered the count at the city’s Emirates Arena to remove ballot papers at around 11pm.

The action was taken after the returning officer reported four cases of suspected “personation” - when there have been two apparent attempts to vote using the same identification.

Officers originally only requested one of these ballots, but later returned to request a further two. They were able to pinpoint the polling station that the votes had been cast at, leading to minimal disruption to the count.

It comes as all six Glasgow constituencies were predicted to be won by Labour from the SNP. The city was a Labour stronghold until the party lost almost all of its seats north of the border in the 2015 election. If it wins back Glasgow it will be seen as a historic return for Sir Keir’s party to the Scottish heartlands. Exit polls predicted that the SNP could win just 10 seats in Westminster.

11:41 PM BST

What could the exit poll mean for your constituency?

With just a handful of seats expected over the next hour, the majority of seats will not land until the early hours of the morning, writes Ben Butcher, The Telegraph’s data editor. 

For those who can’t wait, our data science team have modelled what the exit polls and early results could mean for every seat in Great Britain.

So far, it is good news for the Prime Minister, with our forecast currently predicting he will keep his seat. Meanwhile, Chancellor Jeremy Hunt and Leader of the House Penny Mordaunt are forecast to lose theirs - although the latter at a closer margin than previously thought.

Use our tool to see what is likely to happen in your area.

11:39 PM BST

Jeremy Hunt awaits fate at Surrey leisure centre

Jeremy Hunt will learn his fate at a count being held in a leisure centre in Haslemere, Surrey, fittingly perhaps called The Edge. Mr Hunt is on the edge of the precipice with exit polls giving him only a 19% chance of victory. Or in other words an 81% chance of defeat.

If he does lose - and we should find out at about 3.30am ish - Mr Hunt will go down in history as the first Chancelllor to lose his seat at a general election.

The Liberal Democrat activists at the count appear quietly bullish. “People are just fed up with the Tories,” said one. There is a recognition in parts of the constituency that Mr Hunt has been a good local MP who did a fine job in stabilising the economy in the wake of the Liz Truss/ Kwasi Kwarteng budget that crashed the economy. Or as one Lib Dem told me: “Clearly there are different types of Tories...”

Mr Hunt is defending a majority of 8,817 from last time out although boundary changes suggest a larger notional majority in the newly created constituency of Godalming and Ash of more than 12,000. He defeated his rival Paul Follows, leader of the local Lib Dem run council last time out. This time around Mr Follows is expected to win.

Ballot boxes are being rounded up from a sizeable county constituency made bigger by the boundary changes so precise timings for anyone wanting to catch a possible ‘Portillo’ moment are less clear than in previous elections.

11:38 PM BST

‘Too early to tell’ if Mordaunt could be ousted - Labour sources

Penny Mordaunt is defending a substantial majority of 15,780 from 2019, when she won Portsmouth North with 28,172 votes - 61.4 percent of those cast.

Her nearest rival last time round was Labour’s Amanda Martin, who polled less than half of Mordaunt’s total, but is this time expecting to do much better.

Labour activists appeared quietly confident she could overturn Mordaunt’s majority tonight, though if asked they stuck to the party’s official line of “it’s too early to tell”.

Portsmouth North has voted for the winning political party in every general election since the seat was re-established in 1974. Mordaunt has held it since 2010 and Labour would need a swing of 17.2 percent to win the seat, with Martin describing that as “a massive task”.

11:37 PM BST

Labour wins second seat as Reform is runner up again

Labour has won the seat of Blyth and Ashington, with Reform finishing in second place, relegating the Tories to third.

Ian Lavery was comfortably re-elected for Labour after he won just over 20,000 votes.

Reform’s Mark Peart was second with just under 11,000. The Tories Maureen levy got just over 6,000.

Blyth and Ashington is a new seat.

11:33 PM BST

Andrea Leadsom questions Tories’ election strategy

Andrea Leadsom has said the exit poll may indicate the Tories were “wrong” not to “go after Reform straight away”.

The former Tory Cabinet minister said it was a “devastating” night for her party.

She told BBC News: “It’s never easy when you are the prime minister to decide when to call a general election... it is a very, very difficult and very personal decision for any prime minister.”

She added: “Maybe it was wrong not to go after Reform straight away but again, all of these are very carefully thought through as to what is the right approach and what we wanted to do was focus on what Labour would be doing with people’s taxes.”

11:31 PM BST

Count for Shapps’ seat being held at Roller City

The count for the Welwyn Hatfield seat, most recently held by Defence Secretary Grant Shapps, is being held in Roller City, a fun park in Welwyn Garden City, writes Dominic Nicholls.

Posters adorn the wall exhorting visitors to “have fun” and “play safely”.

With a majority of just 10,955 and the exit poll suggesting he has only a 6 per cent chance of retaining his seat, Mr Shapps may be disinclined to follow the advice. Result expected around 3.30am.

11:28 PM BST

Tories took core vote ‘for granted’, says Rees-Mogg

Sir Jacob Rees-Mogg suggested the Tories had taken their core voters “for granted”.

The Tory former business secretary told the BBC: “It is clearly a terrible night for the Conservatives. I’m afraid I think the Conservative Party took its core vote for granted.”

He added: “We have no divine right to votes. We need to win voters at every single election. And if you take your base for granted, if you don’t manage to stop the boats coming over, if you don’t manage to control migration when that’s what your voters are concerned about, your voters will look to other parties. So I think failing to deliver on Conservative core principles did us a lot of harm.”

11:27 PM BST

Reform on course for ‘historic night’, says deputy leader

The deputy leader of Reform UK says it will be a “historic night” for the party if the exit poll is true.

Speaking after the poll predicted Reform UK could win 13 seats, David Bull told Sky News: “If this is true, it is a historic night. To win 13 seats for a start up... we’re only four years old.. that would be an incredible result for us.”

He adds: “We’re a common sense party that believes in low tax, low regulation and low growth. We say that immigration needs to come down and there’s the resonance for people around the country.”

He said “attacks” from Rishi Sunak and the press on Reform UK meant support for the party grew. He said the Tories are “destroyed” and pledged that Nigel fFrage will be Prime Minister by 2029.

11:26 PM BST

Labour sources expecting Tory chairman Holden to win in Basildon

Labour is expecting Conservative chair Richard Holden to squeeze through in Basildon and Billericay, a source in the local party has said.

The Cabinet minister is defending a majority of more than 20,000 set in 2019 by his predecessor John Barron, who has stepped down, but recent polls have suggested the incumbent party to be neck and neck with Labour.

However, a prominent member of the local Labour campaign said in the last few minutes that while the Labour vote has “held up”, with fewer switching to Reform than feared, they currently expect Mr Holden to win with a majority of less than 5,000.

11:24 PM BST

Tory activists given appropriate soundtrack at count in Portsmouth

Upstairs in the grand surroundings of Portsmouth Guildhall the guests at Sabrina and Kallum’s wedding were dancing to The Wanted’s All Time Low.

Downstairs in the counting hall the city’s Tory activists and campaigners were preparing themselves for precisely that.

As Sabs and Kallum’s wedding party started to swing the TV exit poll was predicting a Labour landslide and a terrible night for the Conservatives.

One lady at the Guildhall reception quickly seized on what was a providing an unwelcome soundtrack for those with the blue rosettes.

“That song’s going to be a pretty accurate parallel for someone by the sounds of it,” she said. “Did you see the exit poll?”

Behind her hundreds of ballot boxes were being emptied onto trestle tables for the ballot papers to be verified ahead of the votes being counted for the constituencies of Portsmouth South and Portsmouth North, the latter held by Penny Mordaunt until the election was called six weeks ago.

While many Tory seats were predicted to crumble hers was said to be too close to call. It was going to be a long night, upstairs and downstairs.

11:23 PM BST

What Labour victory means for Northern Ireland

Labour has pledged to ditch the Conservative’s Legacy Act, which will be welcomed by unionists and nationalists alike, writes James Crisp, The Telegraph’s Europe editor.

The Act gives an amnesty to Troubles-era killers cooperating with the new Independent Commission for Reconciliation and Information Recovery. The new Act would also halt future civil cases and legacy inquests.

However, it was opposed by Sinn Fein, who argue it is designed to protect British veterans, and the DUP, which believes it protects Republican terrorists.

It also led to a rare interstate European Court of Human Rights challenge from the Republic of Ireland and Labour’s victory is expected to lead to a reset in strained relations with Dublin.

Sir Keir has also pledged to agree a veterinary deal, which will reduce trade barriers between Britain and Northern Ireland caused by the Irish Sea border and post-Brexit trading arrangements.

That could ease pressure on the DUP, which wants to remove as many checks as possible over the border. However, the unionist party will have felt more comfortable had their Tory allies, and fellow Brexiteers, stayed in power.

11:22 PM BST

Lib Dem deputy: Ed Davey has ‘lit up’ our campaign

Sir Ed Davey has shown “phenomenal leadership” and has “lit up this campaign”, the Liberal Democrat deputy leader has said.

Daisy Cooper told the BBC that it looked like her party was “on course for a once-in-a-century result”, after the exit poll predicted the Liberal Democrats would win 61 seats.

“It does look like we’re on course for a once-in-a-century result for the Liberal Democrats and I think that is testament to the phenomenal leadership of Ed Davey who has lit up this campaign, and our positive vision and our plans for how we want to save the NHS and fix social care”.

She added: “Our goal was to unseat as many Conservative MPs as possible. Up until this evening, we said we were in second place to the Conservatives in around 80 seats across the country, and later this evening we’ll find out how many of those MPs we’ve been able to unseat.”

11:18 PM BST

Labour win first seat of the night as Reform surge into second place

Bridget Phillipson has been re-elected as the Labour MP for Houghton and Sunderland South as Reform surged to a second place finish.

The shadow education secretary’s constituency is the first result of the night to be declared. She secured 18,837 votes.

Reform’s Sam Woods-Brass got 11,668 votes, beating the Tories who fell to third with 5,514.

11:12 PM BST

Streeting: Exit poll is ‘remarkable’

Wes Streeting labelled the exit poll showing Labour on course for a crushing general election victory “remarkable”.

The shadow health secretary told the BBC: “This is a remarkable exit poll. They are not results, it is an exit poll. But in 2019 we were on the brink of extinction and told that in order to get a majority of one we would need a 1997-style swing. This exit poll shows a 1997-style majority.

“I’ll believe it when I see it but this is a remarkable exit poll and a testament to the change that Keir Starmer has led in the Labour Party.

“I don’t think that guy has had nearly enough credit for the steel, the determination that he has shown to really grab the Labour Party by the scruff of the neck and force it to learn why we lost.”

11:11 PM BST

Pictured: A glum Kwarteng and Dorries appear on Channel 4’s election night programme

11:09 PM BST

Ballot boxes arrive at Skegness count as Reform’s Tice hopes for victory

The first ballot boxes have started arriving at Bolton and Skegness count centre in Lincolnshire where Richard Tice, the Reform UK chairman, is hoping to overturn a huge Tory majority.

Matt Warman, 42, has represented the constituency as its Conservative MP since May 2015. He successfully retained the seat in 2017 with an increased majority of 16,572 and then won it again in 2019 with a majority of 25,621.

Mr Tice, a 59-year-old former businessman and MEP, announced that he would stand for the rural seat just 24 hours after the general election was announced in May.

At the time, he was the leader of Reform, a position he had held for three years. But, when Nigel Farage dramatically announced he would stand in Essex for the party, Mr Tice moved to chairman as Mr Farage became the Reform leader.

Before entering politics, Mr Warman worked for the Daily Telegraph from 1999 until 2015, focusing on technology. He reported on the launch of products including iPhones, the BBC iPlayer and the Apple Watch, as well as interviewing the founder of Amazon, Jeff Bezos.

Neither Mr Warman nor Mr Tice have arrived yet at the count.

11:06 PM BST

Pictured: Ballot boxes arrive at the count in Sunderland

11:04 PM BST

Lammy: ‘I fully expect to be foreign secretary’

David Lammy said he fully expected to be foreign secretary if the Labour Party enters government.

The shadow foreign secretary was asked on Sky News about rumours that Douglas Alexander could “give you a run for your money” to be foreign secretary.

Mr Alexander, who held a number of Cabinet roles during the Labour governments of Sir Tony Blair and Gordon Brown, has not been an MP since 2015 but is standing this year in Lothian East, Labour’s top target in Scotland where the SNP is defending a majority of 2,207.

“I have seen the tittle tattle in some parts of the right wing media, but I’ve got to tell you, in preparing potentially for Government, preparing for NATO, preparing for the European Political Community, with war in Europe and huge problems in the Middle East, this is a very serious role.

“Of course I’ll serve wherever Keir Starmer wants me to but I do fully expect to be foreign secretary if we get across the line.”

11:03 PM BST

Lord Hague: Tories heading for ‘catastrophic result’

Former Tory leader Lord Hague said it was looking like a “pretty catastrophic result” for the Conservative Party.

Speaking to Times Radio, he said: “When you compare it to any previous election, even the one that I fought in 2001 when we got 166 seats, it’s a pretty catastrophic result.

“If that is the result… that would of course be a catastrophic result in historic terms for the Conservative Party.

“It’s also set against, though, the expectations of all those predictions over the last few weeks, many of which have been that the Conservatives will get even fewer seats than that, even down to 64 seats in one prediction a couple of days ago.

“And one of the things on my mind has been, since the Conservatives have been likely to lose the election for some time… can they form a viable opposition? And if it is 131 seats, if that turned out to be correct, you can just about mount an effective opposition with 131 seats.”

11:02 PM BST

Tories are getting punished for last 14 years, says Rayner

Labour’s deputy leader Angela Rayner said she believed voters were punishing the Conservatives for the last 14 years.

Ms Rayner said the exit poll, which projected a Labour landslide, was encouraging but stressed that the results were not yet in.

“Keir has done a tremendous job in transforming the Labour Party and putting forward a programme for government that the country can get behind and after 14 years of the chaos and the scandals and the decline we have seen under Tories I think they are getting punished for that – that’s pretty clear in the polls as well,” she told Sky News.

11:01 PM BST

Pictured: Gleeful Angela Rayner talks to broadcasters after exit poll

10:59 PM BST

Tory wipeout result of 14 years in power, not single event, says Kwarteng

Kwasi Kwarteng argued the expected Tory general election wipeout was the result of the last 14 years rather than a single flashpoint.

Emily Maitlis, hosting Channel 4’s election night coverage, referred to Liz Truss’s mini-Budget and told the former chancellor: “Kwasi Kwarteng... this is on you.”

Mr Kwarteng, who did not stand at this election, replied: “It’s on the whole party. It’s on 14 years.”

10:56 PM BST

‘Don’t air recriminations in public’, urges senior Tory

Steve Baker, the former minister of state for Northern Ireland, has issued a plea to members of the Conservatives about airing their grievances in public as the party seeks to rebuild after the election.

Mr Baker told the BBC: “What I would do is make a plea to all Conservatives at whatever level, whether elected to parliament or formally, to just think extremely carefully about what they say in public.

“Now is the moment when we start to rebuild the Conservative party and it begins by not airing recriminations in public. We’ve got to learn to air our differences privately and work through them in the spirit of goodwill.”

Addressing how the Conservatives could rebuild in opposition, Mr Baker said: “It seems to me that the old idea of being an absolute monarchy governed by regicide now belongs firmly in the past.”

10:55 PM BST

Lammy suggests new nickname for Sir Keir Starmer

David Lammy has suggested a new name for Keir Starmer, joking he should instead be known as “Keir Charmer”.

The shadow foreign secretary was speaking after an exit poll predicted a landslide Labour victory with a 170 seat majority.

He told Sky News that the Labour leader has “changed the party” and said people now want him to change the country.

Labour deputy leader Angela Rayner added: “We understand the weight on our shoulders... and I would say to the people of this country, I will always put you first, and I will fight really hard every day to turn things around.”

10:54 PM BST

Telegraph readers respond to exit poll

The comments are flooding in on tonight’s general election live blog as Telegraph readers respond to the exit poll and the prospect of a Labour government.

Here is a selection of the comments so far:

10:53 PM BST

Starmer will feel the ‘weight of responsibility’, says Sturgeon

There are “big questions” about whether Sir Keir Starmer and Labour have a “good plan” for Britain, Nicola Sturgeon has said.

The former SNP first minister told ITV that Sir Keir’s party would be “ecstatic” after the exit poll result but would soon feel “literally overwhelmed” by the responsibilities of government.

“Labour will be jubilant tonight and they will be ecstatic, it looks as if they’ve just recorded an absolute overwhelming victory.

“But regardless of that, regardless of how good a plan you think you have for government, and I think there are big questions about whether Labour does have one, the overwhelming feeling when you walk through the doors of in Keir Starmer’s case No 10 or in my case Bute House is just the weight of responsibility.

“You are literally overwhelmed by that in the moment and all of the problems you have until that moment you have been commenting on and blaming someone else for, they’re suddenly in your in-tray, and you’re the one that has to try to work out a way through them, navigate a way forward.”

10:50 PM BST

Lammy urges Labour not to get ahead of itself after exit poll

David Lammy has insisted there is a “margin of error” in the exit poll and has urged Labour not to get “too ahead of ourselves”.

Speaking after an exit poll predicted a Labour majority of 170, the shadow foreign secretary told Sky News: “Of course this is an encouraging exit poll, but a poll does not translate to votes. There are lots of marginal seats out there.

“There is a margin of error in those polling numbers that could go either way. Let’s not get too ahead of ourselves.”

On how the party will keep discipline with so many MPs, he said: “I remember the 1997 intake. It was a large intake of MPs, it was disciplined and coherent, it was very clear the mission we had, and we governed for a significant period.

“I think with a large intake, we can do that again.”

10:49 PM BST

Labour winning big in Scotland because of Tory incompetence, says senior SNP politician

Angus Robertson, the former SNP leader in the House of Commons, claimed his party are forecast to lose 38 seats in Scotland because voters are fed up with Tory “incompetence”, rather than the SNPs failings in government.

Mr Robertson told the BBC: “The public has just been so sick of Conservative UK governments that they have wanted them out, and I think the Labour message of ‘vote Labour, vote Keir Starmer for change’ has resonated on Scottish doorsteps as well.”

Probed on whether the SNPs losses have not in fact been caused by the SNPs shortcomings in government, he said: “This was a UK election where people had the opportunity of kicking out Rishi Sunak, getting rid of the Boris Johnson nightmare, getting rid of the Liz Truss government and the record of total Tory incompetence, and I think the change message chimed.

“We know that’s a very powerful message, and I think voters in Scotland decided in a UK election to vote to change the UK government, and the Labour party managed to land the message that they were the principal vehicle to do that.”

10:47 PM BST

Starmer could win power with 36 per cent vote share - lower than Corbyn won in 2019

Labour could secure its landslide victory with just over 36 per cent of the vote, it has been suggested.

Electoral Calculus estimates published by GB News suggested Labour could secure 36.1 per cent, with the Tories on 25.8 per cent, Reform on 17.2 per cent and the Lib Dems on 9.4 per cent.

Those numbers are interesting for a number of reasons.

A vote share of 36.1 per cent for Sir Keir Starmer would be lower than the 40 per cent Labour got in 2019 under Jeremy Corbyn’s leadership.

Labour won’t care if it means victory tonight but Mr Corbyn’s supporters are likely to think they had bad luck going up against Boris Johnson in 2019, when the Tories secured 42.4 per cent.

10:42 PM BST

Ballot boxes start to arrive at counts

The first ballot box has arrived at the Peterborough count centre, with the first for North West Cambridgeshire expected any minute, writes Lauren Shirreff.

The box arrived just after the 10pm exit poll landed, to an excited rush from journalists and photographers. “Do they always run like that?” one counter asks.

Hot on its heels came a nervous-looking Sam Carling, the 22-year-old Labour candidate for NW Cambs — his Tory opponent Shailesh Vara, who has held the seat for nearly two decades, is yet to appear.

10:41 PM BST

Pictured: Nigel Farage talks to supporters at event in Clacton

10:39 PM BST

Tories respond to exit poll: ‘This is a projection, not a result’

A Conservative Party spokesman said: “This is a projection, not a result, so it’s important we wait to see the actual results come in.

“But if these results are correct it is clear that Starmer and Angela Rayner will be in Downing Street tomorrow. That means your taxes will rise and our country will be less secure.

“It’s clear that based on this result we will have lost some very good and hardworking candidates. There is a long night ahead and we should wait to see the shape of the government that the people have chosen. We will know soon enough.”

10:38 PM BST

Tories facing ‘extremely painful night’, says senior Conservative

Steve Baker said it was a “pretty devastating night for the Conservative Party.”

The former Tory minister said he believed his chances of remaining an MP are “quite a bit better” than some of his colleagues but he “could easily have lost very heavily”.

“It is just possible that there’s a path to winning narrowly, but we’ll see.”

Mr Baker said it would be “an extremely painful night” for Tory MPs at risk of losing their seats and their staff.

Mr Baker was told as he appeared on the BBC that the exit poll suggested he had a 1 per cent chance of re-election.

10:35 PM BST

Baroness Davidson: Sunak ran ‘one of the worst campaigns in living memory’

Baroness Davidson, the former leader of the Scottish Tories, said Rishi Sunak has run “one of the worst election campaigns in living memory”.

Speaking after the exit poll results, she told Sky News: “We upset pensioners by making the cut to National Insurance over income tax, we upset mortgage payers because of the Liz Truss year... we upset young people with the idea of national service which we then dropped halfway through the campaign.

“We upset Remainers by being the party of Brexit in 2019. We upset Brexiteers this time around because we promised immigration would go down and it went up.”

“How do you cobble together a group of people who are going to vote for a party if you don’t have a coherent narrative of what the last 14 years is like if you’ve broken  your promises, if you run probably one of the worst election campaigns in living memory, and if you have also lost your reputation for competency in government?”

10:33 PM BST

Sturgeon: ‘Not a good night for the SNP’

Reacting to the exit poll, Scotland’s former first minister Nicola Sturgeon told ITV: “This is not a good night for the SNP on those numbers.”

She added: “This is at the grimmer end of the expectations for the SNP if the exit poll is right.”

10:32 PM BST

Starmer thanks voters as Labour head for huge victory

Sir Keir Starmer has thanked those who voted for him and “put their trust in a changed Labour Party” after the exit poll revealed he is on course for a landslide.

“To everyone who has campaigned for Labour in this election, to everyone who voted for us and put their trust in our changed Labour Party – thank you,” he posted on Twitter.

10:32 PM BST

Angela Rayner: ‘I’m not counting my chickens’

Angela Rayner remained tightlipped in her reaction to the exit polls, saying “I’m not counting my chickens”, despite Labour being tipped to win a landslide.

The Labour deputy leader told the BBC: “The numbers are encouraging, but of course the exit poll is a poll so we haven’t had any results yet.

“If you look at where we were in 2019, just to get a majority of one, we’ve had to have a swing greater than Tony Blair’s in 1997.”

Ms Rayner added: “The ability and the opportunity to serve the British people and to bring about that change they’re desperate for would be an absolute privilege for me, but I’m not counting my chickens until we’ve got those results coming in.”

10:31 PM BST

Labour on course to overtake SNP in Scotland

A political sea change looks to be on the cards in Scotland, with Labour on course to overtake the SNP.

The SNP has been the dominant force north of the border since 2015.

But the exit poll suggested the SNP could win just 10 seats tonight.

That would be a huge fall from the 48 it won in 2019.

10:25 PM BST

Peter Mandelson: ‘An electoral meteor has now struck planet earth’

Labour peer Lord Mandelson has said “an electoral meteor has now struck planet earth” after exit polls showing Labour on track to win a huge landslide victory.

The former Labour communications expert told the BBC: “Angela Rayner is allowed to be sober, she’s going to carry big responsibilities in the government if this exit poll is right.”

He added: “In a sense it’s not surprising given everything the country has gone through over the past 10 years. I think it would have required Superman as leader of the Conservative Party to lead them back to some sort of victory, and Mr Sunak is not Superman. 

“This is an extraordinary achievement for Keir Starmer and his team.”

10:20 PM BST

Starmer could fall short of Blair’s 1997 victory

Sir Keir Starmer looks set to enter No 10 Downing Street - but he will do so having fallen short of Sir Tony Blair’s performance in 1997.

Sir Tony secured a majority of 178, winning a total of 418 seats.

Tonight’s exit poll suggested Sir Keir could end up with a majority of 170, winning 410 seats.

10:15 PM BST

Labour ‘assumed nothing about the result’, says McFadden

Pat McFadden said Labour had “assumed nothing about the result” of the general elecxtion as he responded to the exit poll.

The party’s national campaign coordinator said in a statement: “Keir Starmer’s transformation of the Labour Party has been remarkable. He has put country before party and has transformed Labour from a party focused on itself to one back in the service of the British public. We have campaigned as a changed Labour Party, ready to change Britain.

“It’s going to be a long night, and it will be several hours until we know the full picture of results. Labour will need a swing bigger than Tony Blair achieved in 1997 to achieve a majority of just one seat.

“It is remarkable that Labour was in a competitive position in this election given what happened in 2019. Whatever has been claimed throughout the campaign, the Labour Party has assumed nothing about the result and has worked tirelessly to bring our message of change to people across the country.

“Britain’s future was on the ballot at this election. And, if we are successful tonight, Labour will get to work immediately with our first steps for change.”

10:13 PM BST

Sir Ed Davey ‘humbled’ by potential Lib Dem result

Sir Ed Davey said that he was “humbled” by the exit poll, which has shown the Liberal Democrats on course for its best results for a century.

The Liberal Democrat leader promised voters that “we will not let you down” as he commented after the exit poll was published, which put his party on 61 seats. He said: “The Liberal Democrats are on course for our best results in a century, thanks to our positive campaign with health and care at its heart.

“I am humbled by the millions of people who backed the Liberal Democrats to both kick the Conservatives out of power and deliver the change our country needs.

“Every Liberal Democrat MP will be a strong local champion for their community standing up for the NHS and care. Whether you voted for us or not, we will work day in and day out and we will not let you down.”

10:02 PM BST

Exit poll: Labour heading for landslide as Tories are wiped out

The Labour Party is on course for a massive landslide general election victory, with the Tories facing wipeout, according to the exit poll.

This is the result of the exit poll:

• Labour: 410 seats 

• Conservatives: 131 seats

• Liberal Democrats: 61 seats

• Reform UK: 13 seats 

• SNP: 10 seats 

• Plaid Cymru: 4  seats

• Green Party: 2 seats 

10:00 PM BST

Polls close in general election

Polls have now closed in the 2024 general election.

The exit poll will be released imminently.

09:58 PM BST

Sunak thanks Tory activists for ‘incredible effort’

An email has been sent to Tory supporters in the name of Rishi Sunak thanking them for their work during the campaign, writes Dominic Penna.

Mr Sunak’s message to members, sent out 10 minutes before the all-important exit poll, reads: “Thank you for your hard work, thank you for your support, and thank you for your vote.

“No matter what the outcome of this election is, I’ve personally seen the incredible effort put in by thousands of Conservative supporters and members.

“From knocking on doors and hitting the phones to ensuring your vote is counted, every action, big and small, has made a difference.”

09:53 PM BST

Sunak thanks voters as polls set to close at 10pm

09:39 PM BST

Oliver Dowden awarded a knighthood

More dissolution honours have just been announced.

Oliver Dowden, the Deputy Prime Minister, has been knighted, while former deputy prime minister Therese Coffey has been made a dame.

The two Conservatives have been given top honours alongside three other party colleagues, with ex-defence secretary Ben Wallace and former chief whip Julian Smith both made knight commanders of the Order of the Bath, while Scottish Secretary Alister Jack has been made a knight of the Order of the British Empire.

09:34 PM BST

Good evening...

This is Jack Maidment, taking over from my colleague Tim Sigsworth.

I will be in the hot seat throughout the night as the general election results roll in.

I will do my best to keep you updated with all of the key developments.

09:28 PM BST

When is my constituency expected to declare?

09:26 PM BST

Rishi Sunak announces dissolution honours an hour before polls close

Rishi Sunak’s Government has announced dissolution honours an hour before polls close.

The bionic MP Craig Mackinlay was nominated for a peerage alongside Theresa May and Dr Hilary Cass.

The former MP for South Thanet was put forward by Rishi Sunak along with the former Prime Minister and the author of the Cass review into NHS transgender care.

Others nominated by the Prime Minister include Sir Graham Brady, chairman of the backbench 1922 Committee, Sir Alok Sharma, the former energy secretary, and Dame Eleanor Laing, the ex-deputy speaker of the Commons.

Sir Keir Starmer put forward a total of eight nominees, including Dame Margaret Beckett and Harriet Harman, both of whom are former deputy leaders of the Labour Party.

09:11 PM BST

How accurate is the exit poll?

The exit poll is famous for the insight it provides into what the election result will look like – and the 10pm ballot does have an impressive track record

Prof Sir John Curtice, who leads the team that crunches the numbers broadcast to the nation as the polls close, says that its recent history makes the forecast worthy of close attention.

“The record isn’t perfect, but since 2005 the exit poll has given a pretty good indication of where the result will end up on the night. It also tends to be more accurate than opinion polls carried out before voting happens,” he says.

People at each station are approached at random by fieldworkers, who hand them a replica ballot. The voter then privately fills in the ballot to indicate how they voted and puts it into a box.

Read our full explainer here

09:02 PM BST

The Telegraph’s guide to surviving election night

“Once you make that decision on Thursday, there’s no going back,” Rishi Sunak wrote on X (née Twitter) this week, in an ominous warning to his followers. “Don’t do something you might regret.”

Wise words. Election night is upon us. The night ahead is a minefield dense with potential regrets, lurking in wait for the unwary citizen.

With our handy guide, however – and not to be confused with our official hour-by-hour guide here – you can make the most of your evening.

The most important thing to remember is that election night is more a marathon than a sprint, which is to say it is a lot like watching the marathon.

Read Ed Cummings’ guide on how to survive election night here.

08:56 PM BST

Catch up on the final day of the campaign

A frenetic polling day has seen candidates and party leaders mount last-ditch bids to get their voters out and convince any who are undecided to back them.

To catch up on all that has happened today, read through our live blog.

08:54 PM BST

When will the first seats declare?

The first of the 650 seats are likely to declare their results from 11.30pm.

Sunderland has historically been the first to declare.

But in 2017 and 2019, Newcastle defeated their local rivals two elections in a row.

The rest of the results will follow over the course of the night.

By 7am almost every constituency is expected to have declared, meaning it will be clear who has won the election.

08:50 PM BST

What is the exit poll?

The first indication of what the result of the election will be is the exit poll, which is released at 10pm.

Polling company Ipsos UK has sent interviewers to 133 polling stations around the country where they will ask voters who they voted for.

These answers are then used to produce a prediction of what the election result will be.

08:49 PM BST

Good evening

Welcome to The Telegraph’s live coverage of the general election results.

We will have all the information you need to know about every constituency in the country, as well as all the shocks, surprises and unexpected moments.