Election results – live: Boris Johnson says NHS will be priority as he reaches out to Remainers following historic win
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Boris Johnson has said he will make the NHS an "overwhelming priority" during his renewed tenure in No. 10 following a political “earthquake” which which saw Labour support give way top a comfortable Tory majority.
However he has not extended the same olive branch to voters north of the border - telling Nicola Sturgeon he would not lend any support to a second independence referendum.
Meanwhile Jeremy Corbyn has refused to take responsibility for the worst Labour showing since 1935 - blaming Brexit for the party’s devastating defeat.
Labour leader expected to break his silence shortly
Jeremy Corbyn is due to speak within the next hour - but journalists trying to doorstep have failed to get any answers.
‘I feel dirty – but Labour took us for granted’: Why Workington Man has no regrets about voting Tory
Colin Drury finds out how Boris Johnson won over the hypothetical voter experts said he needed to take a majority, by paying a trip to Workington this morning.
Scottish government to publish detailed case for second independence referendum, says Sturgeon
The Scottish Government will next week publish the "detailed democratic case" for a transfer of power to enable a second referendum on Scottish independence - after the SNP won a decisive victory north of the border.
"This is not about asking Boris Johnson or any other Westminster politician for permission," Nicola Sturgeon said.
"It is an assertion of the democratic right of the people of Scotland to determine their own future. Given what I fear the Tory government has in store for Scotland, that right to choose our own future has never been more important.
"So, to the Prime Minister, let me be clear. This is not simply a demand that I or the SNP are making. It is the right of the people of Scotland - and you as the leader of a defeated party in Scotland have no right to stand in the way."
PM leaves the palace - and greeted with cheers at No 10
Boris Johnson has left Buckingham Palace after an audience with the Queen which lasted more than 35 minutes.
The politician was ushered inside and was led to the Queen’s private apartments where, following convention, the head of state will ask Johnson whether he will form a government.
There were loud cheers from inside Downing Street as Boris Johnson returned from his meeting with the Queen.
Boris Johnson leaving Buckingham Palace (Getty)
‘People in this country are in favour of radical left-wing policies’
It all got very heated on GMB this morning – as the feud for the future of the Labour party gets well-and-truly under way.
The left-wing commentator and Corbynista Grace Blakeley: “The policies that have been democratically chosen and developed by the Labour party are incredibly popular.”
The Tory-supporting broadcaster Iain Dale responded: “You have just gone down to the worst defeat since 1987 – what part of that don’t you understand? … You’re a robot!”
Blakely said: “Literally, it’s because of Brexit,” before claiming: “People in this country are in favour of radical left-wing policies.”
Blakely also clashed with former Labour advisor Ayesha Hazarika. The Corbyn-backer told Hazarika it was no good “going back the 1990s”.
Hazarika fired back: “Imagine - when we won elections!”
Varadkar suggests Johnson ready to sign up to EU standards
The Irish premier Leo Varadkar has suggested Boris Johnson could use his majority to sign up to EU standards and avoid a no-deal Brexit at the end of 2020.
Varadkar said he believed Johnson would agree to keep the UK closely aligned to European rules on labour rights and environmental protections to ensure he can sign a tariff-free and quota-free trade deal.
Corbyn says he won’t leave until ‘early part of next year’
It doesn’t sound like we’ll see a new Labour leader anytime too soon. Jeremy Corbyn has said he is “very sad” at the party’s worst general election result in more than 80 years.
When asked about his timetable to leave as leader, Corbyn said: “The National Executive will have to meet, of course, in the very near future and it is up to them. It will be in the early part of next year.”
When asked what went wrong, Corbyn said: “Those in Leave areas in some numbers voted for Brexit or Conservative candidates, which means we lost a number of seats and we didn't make the gains I hoped we could have done, particularly in the Midlands and Yorkshire and the north.”
Corbyn added: “I’ve done everything I could to lead this party, I’ve done everything I could to develop its policies and since I became leader the membership has more than doubled and the party has developed a very serious [...] and fully costed manifesto, and I’ve received more personal abuse than any other leader has ever received by a great deal of the media.”
Wetherspoons boss just got £44m richer
He may have thrown his support behind Nigel Farage and the Brexit Party, who failed to win a single seat at the election, but Wetherspoons boss Tim Martin was £44m richer on Friday.
With the stock market soaring following the result, shares in Wetherspoons jumped nearly 10 per cent by lunchtime on Friday, meaning Martin’s 32 per cent stake is now worth £531m.
On Thursday night it was worth £487m, meaning – on paper at least – the outspoken Brexiteer saw his fortune jump by £44m. A Wetherspoons share is now worth 1,619p, up from 1,482p.
Boris Johnson and Tim Martin (AFP)
European Council president congratulates PM – but warns Brussels ready to ‘defend its interests’
After congratulating Boris Johnson for his election victory, European Council president Charles Michel tweeted: “Of course, we hope to keep in the future a very strong strategic relationship with the UK.”
He added: “But the EU is ready to defend and promote its interests.”
Swinson has no regrets: proud to be ‘unapologetic voice of Remain’
The now former Lib Dem leader Jo Swinson has said she is “proud that Liberal Democrats were the unapologetic voice of Remain” in the election and “does not regret trying everything” to avoid Brexit.
She added: “Obviously it hasn’t worked, and I like you am devastated but I don’t regret trying, trying everything. Because the prize was to save our future ... in Europe.”
On stepping down as leader, she said: “One of the realities of smashing glass ceilings is a lot of glass comes down on your head.”
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