Election results – live: Boris Johnson says NHS will be priority as he reaches out to Remainers following historic win
Follow all the latest updates
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.
Chancellor Sajid Javid votes in general election
Sajid Javid, who the prime minister guaranteed would remain at the Treasury if he wins the general election tonight, has posted an image of himself voting this afternoon in the general election.
The effects of austerity will ripple on for years to come - May Bulman
On the stage of the Conservative conference last year, Theresa May pledged to end the Conservatives’ austerity measures, declaring: “The British people need to know that the end is in sight. And our message to them must be this: we get it.”
The then prime minster vowed that Brexit would bring an end to the public spending cuts introduced in the wake of the financial crash a decade ago. Whether austerity can be ended quite so easily is in itself a matter of debate, but when Ms May told the crowds in Birmingham that Britons’ “hard work had paid off”, what she didn’t acknowledge was that for many in the country it isn’t possible to move on from the damage wrought by her government’s policies.
Leo Varadkar hopes for a parliament that isn't hung
Arriving at the EU summit in Brussels - the one the UK is not attending - the Irish prime minister said: "The best thing for Ireland, for the UK and for Europe would be an end to the uncertainty, so whether that’s prime minister Johnson winning with a large majority, or Remain parties winning a majority, we’ll work with whatever the outcome is.
What has been very hard to work with was a hung parliament that wasn’t able to come to a majority decision on anything. “I just hope we’re not in that position tomorrow.”
US congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez backs Labour at election
The left-wing US congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has shared a video from Jeremy Corbyn's twitter feed, saying: "This video is about the UK, but it might as well have been produced about the United States.
"The hoarding of wealth by the few is coming at the cost of peoples' lives. The only way we change is with a massive surge of *new* voters at the polls. UK, Vote!"
Woman dressed as Elmo gets into bizarre confrontation with Jeremy Corbyn
The election isn’t a done deal - John Rentoul
"If I were Isaac Levido, the Conservative election campaign chief, I would be worried about one graph produced by the team behind YouGov’s MRP poll yesterday. On page 54 of the notes on the methodology of the poll, there is a scatter plot of the team’s estimates of the number of seats the Conservatives are likely to win tomorrow."
Long queues reported at polling stations as voters turn out for 'election of a lifetime'
Voters have reported long queues outside polling stations, with some members of the public walking away without casting their ballots.
As voting got underway for one of the most important elections in a generation, waits of more than half an hour were reported at schools, community centres and churches across England, with queueing appearing widespread in places such as London, Manchester and Cambridge.
Images of voters forming long lines in the cold weather prompted speculation about whether there had been a spike in turnout compared to the 2017 general election.
What I learnt about northern voters from five weeks on the campaign trail
Labour’s red wall may fall on the Brexit altar – but progressivism remains in the blood, writes Colin Drury.
Read his piece here:
PM's Brexit plan would shrink economy by nearly 2%, say trade experts
The UK Trade Policy Observatory (UKTPO) says its analysis of the impact of leaving the EU and switching from frictionless trade to a free trade agreement indicates an economic downturn of 1.8%.
Even if mitigating trade deals with the US, Australia and New Zealand were agreed at the same time as writing a Brussels deal, the Conservative Party leader's withdrawal plans would still see UK output decline by 1.4%, the academics said.
Such a hit would slice £28bn off the economy and mean every household in the country would be £1,000 worse off, according to the BBC's Newsnight, which first published the research.
Michael Gasiorek, a professor of economics and a fellow of UKTPO, said the relatively low tariffs Britain enjoys on most US goods meant a free trade agreement with Donald Trump would not offset the damage done by leaving the European single market and customs union.
"Nearly 43% of UK trade is currently with the EU, while under 12% is with the US," Prof Gasiorek said.
"Reducing barriers on 12% of trade simply cannot compensate for increasing barriers on 43% of trade.
"For every 1% reduction in trade with the EU, in order to compensate for this, a deal with the US would have to increase trade by three to four times as much. This is not feasible."
A Conservative spokesman said: "The prime minister's fantastic deal makes clear that we will have a future relationship based on free trade and friendly co-operation.
"By striking trade deals around the world we will create exciting new opportunities for British businesses."
The Tory manifesto claims free trade is the "best way" to increase exports, cut prices and increase investment.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments