Election results - live: Corbyn under mounting pressure to quit as Boris Johnson tours north to celebrate victory
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Boris Johnson has told traditional Labour voters who helped him win an 80-seat majority at the general election he would “repay your trust” during a visit to Tony Blair’s old constituency of Sedgefield.
It comes as Jeremy Corbyn faces fresh calls to stand down as Labour leader immediately, with David Blunkett condemning his “ultra-left wing sect of losers”. John McDonnell said he will not be part of the future shadow cabinet, stating: “I’ve done my bit … we’ll all go now.”
There were several arrests as hundreds of protesters came out onto the streets of the capital in the wake of Mr Johnson’s election victory, chanting “not my prime minister” and “defy Tory rule”.
Celtic fans livid at Sir Rod Stewart’s Boris tweet
Sir Rod Stewart is facing a backlash after he congratulated Boris Johnson for his election win.
The veteran singer included a “well done Boris” message in a tweet about his latest album – sparking an angry response from anti-Tory voters and Celtic suppoorters (Sir Rod is a big fan of the side).
“Well done Boris? Stay away from Celtic please,” said Ronan McGhee said.
“Don’t ever want tae see you wearing Celtic slippers again Rod...” Ross Logan said.
Kevin Barry Curran Bolingoli added: “Announce lifetime ban from Celtic Park.”
Sir Rod Stewart (PA)
‘We have lost’: Heseltine says battle to stay in EU is over
Michael Heseltine has said the battle for UK membership of the EU is lost – and the question will not be reopened for 20 years.
“We have lost, let’s not muck about with the language,” the former deputy prime minister told the BBC Radio 4 Today programme. “Brexit is going to happen and we have to live with it.
“There will now be a long period of uncertainty, but we can’t escape from that, so we must do the best we can.”
Brushing off the prospect of an immediate campaign to rejoin, Lord Heseltine said: “I don’t think it’s gone, but it won’t be my generation. It will be 20 years or something before the thing is once again raised as an issue.”
Racism claims and ‘forced labour camps’: The most controversial new Tory MPs
Lee Ashfield, who suggested “nuisance tenants” should have to live in forced labour camps, is just one of several Tory MPs under investigation as they take up their places on the Commons benches.
We’ve taken a closer look at some of new intake facing racism claims and other allegations.
Defeated Labour candidates pile the blame on Corbyn
More ex-Labour MPs who lost their seats in the election have blamed Jeremy Corbyn’s leadership and the party’s alienation of its northern voters for the loss.
Former Bishop Auckland MP Helen Goodman told the BBC “the biggest factor was obviously the unpopularity of Jeremy Corbyn as the leader”, adding: “The fact of the matter is that Jeremy Corbyn failed as a communicator, whatever his good personal qualities, and he undoubtedly has good personal qualities, he failed as a communicator.”
Labour MP Anna Turley said Corbyn was “absolutely” more of a reason than Brexit for her constituents voting for another party, adding: “In my constituency, even though it was a 67 per cent Leave constituency, it was four to one the leadership over Brexit.
“I mean obviously the issues run deeper than that, the Labour party is bigger than just one person, but the reality is there were issues around our perception around competence.”
However, Labour MP for York Central Rachel Maskell - who retained her seat - said it is not just Corbyn who should take responsibility for Labour’s defeat.
She said: “We’ve all got to take responsibility but I don't think apportioning blame to a complex situation in a simplistic way is really the way to approach this, we’ve got to understand what is really happening across our political system.”
What we learnt from an election that has changed British politics
John Rentoul has taken a closer look at what we gleaned from Thursday night’s historic election.
Corbyn’s sons urge supporters to ‘continue the fight’
Jeremy Corbyn’s sons have expressed their pride in their father despite him leading the Labour party to its worst general election defeat in more than 80 years.
In a message posted on Twitter by Tommy Corbyn with his brothers, Seb and Benjamin, they said defeat “hurt” and they praised his record of a lifetime of campaigning for the “less fortunate”.
They said he had paid the price for being “honest, humble and good-natured” in the “poisonous world” of politics, with years of “the most despicable attacks filled with hatred”.
As Labour leader, they said that he had produced “the most wonderful manifesto this country has ever seen”.
“He took on an entire establishment. This meant the attacks from all sides intensified and became even more poisonous while he was leader. We’ve never known a politician to be smeared and vilified so much,” they said.
“His unbelievably broad shoulders and incredibly thick skin endured all of this so that we could all live in the hope of a world free of racism or hunger. The man led with a strength difficult to quantify.”
Despite the rejection of his vision by voters, they insisted that its time would come.
“To assume that the ideologies he stands for are now outdated is so wrong. In the coming years we will see that they are more important than ever,” they said. “From the three proudest sons on the planet, please continue the fight.”
Hung parliament and 70 Lib Dem MPs: the general election result (if we used a PR voting system)
Boris Johnson would have been denied a majority in parliament if the UK had used the voting system adopted for European parliament polls at the general election, new research shows.
Analysis by the Electoral Reform Society shows the Tories would have won 77 fewer seats under the regional list proportional representation method of voting. The Lib Dems would have taken 59 more seats and Labour another 10.
The proportional representation system used in our European parliament elections would have left the Tories with only 288 seats, the largest party in a hung parliament – leaving open the possibility of a “rainbow” coalition government.
More details here:
David Blunkett calls on unions and MPs to revolt and force Corbyn out as soon as possible
Our political editor has more on the intervention in Labour’s succession battle by the party’s former home secretary David Blunkett.
The New Labour-era figure has issued a call for trade unions and MPs to lead a revolt to force Jeremy Corbyn out and install an interim leader who will begin the process of steering the party away from his radical programme.
It comes as former MPs queue up to blame Corbyn for losing them their seats on Thursday, with one former shadow minister warning of “the end of the Labour movement” in the UK if the party fails to respond.
‘We’ll all go now’: McDonnell rules himself out the race for Labour leadership
John McDonnell has said he won’t be part of any future shadow cabinet, ruling himself out of the race to be to be the next Labour leader.
“We’ll all go now – and new leader will come in place [and] appoint their shadow cabinet. I won’t be part of that shadow cabinet. We need to move on at that stage with that new leader.”
He also referred to “40 years of neglect” of the electorate, as his party tries to regain support in the north and Midlands.
‘I will repay your trust’: PM delivers message to Labour switchers
Boris Johnson has told traditional Labour voters who backed the Tories at this election he would “repay your trust” during a visit to Tony Blair’s old constituency of Sedgefield.
The prime minister acknowledged it would have been “difficult” for many people who “may have been breaking voting habits of generations” in Labour’s heartlands in the north and Midlands.
“Everything I do as your prime minister will be devoted to repaying that trust. And what are we going to do to repay that trust? Get Brexit done.”
Boris Johnson in Sedgefield (PA)
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