Sky Sources: Miliband To Resign As Leader

Sky sources say Labour leader Ed Miliband will resign after his party's disastrous night at the polls.

Crowds of supporters and staff members gathered outside to applaud him as he entered the party's headquarters earlier, and he is expected to speak publicly within the next few hours.

On Twitter he wrote: "I am grateful to the people who worked on our campaign and for the campaign they ran. The responsibility for the result is mine alone.

"Defeats are hard, but we’re a party that will never stop fighting for the working people of this country."

One Labour source told Sky News he "won't make lunchtime" after the Tories won a majority, while Rochdale MP Simon Danczuk confirmed that Mr Miliband is due to resign.

Mr Danczuk also revealed that he had received a text from Ed's brother David ahead of the election, wishing him luck.

However he said he has an open mind over who should be next Labour leader.

Labour's difficult night began with an exit poll predicting its tally of seats would represent the party's worst result since 1987. It was compounded by a dismal morning which saw shadow chancellor Ed Balls lose his Morley and Outwood seat to the Tories by 422 votes.

Mr Balls said that his personal sadness was nothing compared to his "sense of sorrow I have at the result Labour has achieved across the UK".

He said the country now faced five years of doubt over the union and over Britain's continued membership of the European Union.

"We've always been a party that is internationalist," he said, adding that Labour will "emerge in the coming weeks and months more united and determined."

The Tories are now projected to win 328 seats, giving them a majority of six seats. Labour is set to win 233 seats.

Forecasts of major defeats north of the border have been borne out with both Scottish Labour Party leader Jim Murphy and shadow foreign secretary Douglas Alexander losing to the SNP.

Mr Murphy said people were "waking up on a terrible morning for Scotland and for working class people across the UK."

Mr Alexander said: "This, of course, has been a very difficult night for Labour.

"Scotland has chosen to oppose this Conservative government but not place that trust in the Labour Party. It will be our responsibility to re-win that trust in the months and years ahead."

Labour's John Mann tweeted: "Can't say that Labour leadership weren't warned repeatedly - those who even bothered to meet that is. Never hurts to listen."

Labour also lost what was its safest seat in Scotland, with Nicola Sturgeon's party seizing the Kirkcaldy and Cowdenbeath constituency which had been held by former prime minister Gordon Brown.

Labour's former Cabinet minister Peter Hain, who stood down at the election, said: "This is devastating for us in Scotland, where an avalanche happened and swept us aside."

Writing on his blog, former Labour spin doctor Alistair Campbell said: "Whereas I thought we took too long to elect a leader last time, perhaps the debate about the party’s future this time should be even longer.

"Because perhaps one of our problems is that we did not in reality have the debate that we should have had, with ourselves and with the public, from the moment Tony Blair made way for Gordon Brown."

He later told Sky: "This defeat is so bad for us, and I think it’s much more than about the leader."