Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

As it happenedended

Election results – live: Boris Johnson says NHS will be priority as he reaches out to Remainers following historic win

Follow all the latest updates 

General election 2019: Boris Johnson arrives at Downing Street

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

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.

Obligatory dog photos

To pass the time as we wait for that exit poll at 10pm, here are a few more polling station pooches.

Chris Baynes12 December 2019 20:56

Follow results through the night with our live tracker

We'll be running an interactive guide to all 650 constituencies as their election results are announced tonight.

The link below takes you to our one-stop-shop results page, including a map of 2017 and 2019 results for every seat in the country, a live tracker of the race to secure a majority, and a chart you can use to check how any constituency has voted.

These will be updated throughout the night as results come in.

Chris Baynes12 December 2019 21:08

How reliable is the exit poll?

It's exactly half an hour until voting closes and the exit poll is released. Here is a primer on exactly how reliable that result has proven in the past. (In brief: it's usually very accurate, but perhaps not as accurate as you might think.)

Andrew Griffin12 December 2019 21:29

Wet, cold election day comes to a close

It has been a very wet, very cold, largely very dark election day, and there are just 20 minutes left of polling. Here's a photo from SNP candidate Mhairi Black which is very redolent of the conditions outside. (This is also the most trending post by a politician on social media, according to Crowdtangle data.)

Andrew Griffin12 December 2019 21:41

​Voting closes at 10pm – but as long as you are there, you can vote

There's just 15 minutes left to go until voting closes. But it's important to note that is just the deadline for getting to the polling station: if you're there, even if there's a big queue, you have to be able to vote.

Andrew Griffin12 December 2019 21:45

BBC prepares for exit poll map

New Broadcasting House, the BBC's home in Central London, is getting set up to show its map of the UK in its plaza.

Andrew Griffin12 December 2019 21:52

BBC live coverage begins

It's 9.55, there's five minutes left until voting closes and the exit poll is released, and the BBC's live coverage has begun. The first order of business will be announcing – and dissecting – the exit poll.

Andrew Griffin12 December 2019 21:57

Exit poll forecasts huge Tory majority

A huge conservative majority is forecast, the exit poll has shown.

The Conservatives are expected to win 368 seats, and Labour 191. That gives the Tories a majority of 86.

That will be the biggest Conservative majority since 1987. And it would be the worst Labour result in modern times.

Andrew Griffin12 December 2019 22:01

Full exit poll results

Here is the full forecasted parliament:

Conservatives: 368

Labour: 191

SNP 55

Liberal Democrats: 13

Plaid Cymru: 3

Green: 1

Brexit Party: 0

Other: 19

Andrew Griffin12 December 2019 22:02

Full seat changes from exit poll

Here's how those seats would change the look of parliament:

Conservatives: +50

Lab: -71

SNP: +20

LD: +1

PC: -1

Andrew Griffin12 December 2019 22:05

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in