General election results – live: Farage elected as Shapps loses seat in Tory wipeout; Labour set for landslide
Labour predicted to win majority of 170 seats – but fall short of 1997 result
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Labour is on course for one of the biggest Commons majorities in history with the official exit poll pointing to a crushing defeat for the Tories.
Reform UK leader Nigel Farage has been elected in Clacton, winning a parliamentary seat at his eighth attempt.
Meanwhile Defence Secretary Grant Shapps and Alex Chalk, the justice secretary, are the first two cabinet ministers to lose their seats with several others expected to follow.
Sir Keir Starmer and Rachel Reeves have both retained their seats for Labour but the party’s former leader, Jeremy Corbyn, has held his Islington North seat, standing as an independent candidate.
Labour is expected to win 410 seats while Rishi Sunak’s Conservatives are set to fall to 131 seats, down from 365 five years ago when Boris Johnson secured a 80-seat majority.
The Liberal Democrats are forecast to win 61, with Reform UK on 13, the Green Party on 2, the SNP on 10 and Plaid Cymru on 4.
It will give Sir Keir a 170-seat majority, just shy of Tony Blair’s 1997 record of 179.
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Labour win East Lothian
Former cabinet minister Douglas Alexander has won for Labour in East Lothian.
His win with 23,555 votes marks a return to politics after losing his seat in 2015 to Mhairi Black in one of the major upsets of the night.
The East Lothian seat was previously held by Kenny MacAskill who won it for the SNP before defecting to Alba.
Lee Anderson appears to have argument with GB News
Reform UK’s Lee Anderson appeared to have a row with his employer GB News as he waited to be taken live on the channel following his victory in Ashfield.
Mr Anderson seemed unhappy at being made to wait for his interview with GB News as he stood in front of a number of reporters following the result declaration.
After somebody spoke to him down an earpiece, the newly-elected MP said: “I’m not interested in Keir Starmer, I’ve been here 10 minutes waiting.”
After insisting “I need to go”, the interview then seemed to be cancelled as his microphone was taken from him before he then addressed other reporters.
Left-winger Faiza Shaheen helps Sir Iain Duncan Smith hang on
Left-wing independent candidate Faiza Shaheen has helped former Tory leader Sir Iain Duncan Smith hang onto his Chingford and Woodford Green seat.
Ms Shaheen was dropped as the Labour candidate over a series of social media posts the party deemed controversial, deciding to stand against its candidate Shama Tatler.
It was widely expected that by doing so she would split the left-leaning vote and help the staunch right-winger hold the seat.
And as the pair both secured around 12,000 votes, Sir Iain comfortably held the seat with around 17,281 votes.
Ms Shaheen shook her head as the Labour candidate’s result was announced.
Current status: Labour on 84 seats with Tories only winning seven
With 100 constituency results declared, Labour has won 84 seats with a 41.3% share of the vote.
The Conservatives have seven seats and a 20.2% vote share.
The Liberal Democrats have won in eight constituencies with 9.4% of the overall vote, while Reform UK have 17.3% of the vote, translating to success in one seat.
The Green Party has 6.5% of the votes.
Jeremy Hunt could be facing ‘Portillo moment’
For those looking for this general election’s infamous “Portillo moment” (when the then defence secretary was unseated at the 1997 election), Godalming could be the place to watch.
In the 2019 general election, Jeremy Hunt took the true-blue seat of South West Surrey with a near 9,000 majority and 53 per cent of the vote.
But polls this time round project a much tighter affair, with some forecasting the Chancellor to lose the seat, now called Godalming and Ash under a boundary change that has brought in the leafy village of Cranleigh.
Although not providing many interviews to media outlets, Mr Hunt has been busy campaigning across the ward, holding meetings in town and village halls, as he bid to rally support.
But he faced a problem with Labour and Green activists said to be lending their vote to Lib Dem candidate and leader of Waverley Borough Council Paul Follows in a bid to oust Mr Hunt.
Mr Hunt, who described the contest as being on a “knife edge”, also faces losing votes to Reform UK candidate Graham Drage.
Also standing is James Walsh (Labour), Ruby Tucket (Green Party) and Harriet Williams (Women’s Equality).
Cabinet ministers Grant Shapps and Alex Chalk become first Tory big beasts to lose their seats
Grant Shapps and Alex Chalk have become the first Tory big beasts to lose their seats in the general election.
Defence Secretary Mr Shapps has lost to Labour in Welwyn Hatfield while Justice Secretary Mr Chalk was defeated in Cheltenham to Liberal Democrat candidate Max Wilkinson.
Read the full article here:
Defence secretary Grant Shapps unable to defend 10,955 majority
Read the latest from political correspondent Archie Mitchell here:
Grant Shapps has lost his ultra-safe Tory seat to Labour, squandering a 10,955 majority and any hopes of a future Tory leadership run.
Labour’s Andrew Lewin won the seat with 19,877 votes, over the incumbent defence secretary Mr Shapps, who got 16,078 votes.
Mr Shapps became the sixth minister to lose his seat tonight, with the current record being seven ministers losing their seats on an election night.
Labour is also confident it has taken Penny Mordaunt’s seat.
Grant Shapps loses his seat to Labour party
Defence minister Grant Shapps is the second Cabinet minister to lose his seat, as the constituency of Welwyn Hatfield goes to Andrew Lewin.
It follows justice secretary Alex Chalk losing his seat to the Liberal Democrats.
Sir Keir Starmer: The people have spoken and they are ready for change
Keir Starmer thanked his family and said the country is ready for change after winning his Holborn & St Pancras seat.
Speaking after his win, he said: “Change begins in this community, with the people who came together to make life better. Like the fantastic councillors who work so hard for our area. Service starts in this neighbourhood. The groups, the faith communities, the local organisations who serve week in week out.”
He added: “I promise this, whether you voted for me or not I will serve every person in this constituency. The mothers I’ve sat with lost children to knife crime.
“The pensioners who can’t get the doctor’s appointments they desperately need. The loca businesses who struggled so hard to keep their head about water. I will speak out for you and fight your corner every single day.”
He added: “People here and around the country have spoken and they’re ready for change, to the politics of performance, a return to politics as public service.
“The change begins right here, because this is your democracy, your community and your future.”
Pictured: Sir Keir Starmer with a beaming smile as he was re-elected to Holborn & St Pancras
Sir Keir Starmer has been pictured with a beaming smile as he held onto his Holborn and St Pancras constituency in what is expected to be a landslide victory for Labour.
He won 18,884 votes, a 17 per cent drop from the last election after a number of votes went to independent candidate Andrew Feinstein.
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