Sir Keir Starmer is on course to be the UK’s next prime minister as an exit poll indicated a landslide Labour victory.
- Exit poll predicts Labour majority with 410 seats
- The Conservatives are set for 131 seats
- The dissolution honours list has been published
- Electoral Commission warns there has been 'unacceptable abuse of candidates'
Here’s the latest:
10.46pm
Former first minister of Scotland Alex Salmond has said the 10 seats for the SNP predicted by the exit poll was not due to a lack of support for independence.
He said: “London commentators are crowing about seeing the back of the independence argument. But the slaughter of the SNP is not because (of) independence. How could it be? The SNP did not even campaign on it.
“In reality the support for independence is strong. It is the SNP who are weak. The independence case must now find new vehicles to move forward.”
10.45pm
Former Tory leader Lord Hague said it was a “pretty catastrophic result”.
Speaking to Times Radio, he said: “When you compare it to any previous election, even the one that I fought in 2001 when we got 166 seats, it’s a pretty catastrophic result.
“If that is the result… that would of course be a catastrophic result in historic terms for the Conservative Party.
“It’s also set against, though, the expectations of all those predictions over the last few weeks, many of which have been that the Conservatives will get even fewer seats than that, even down to 64 seats in one prediction a couple of days ago.
“And one of the things on my mind has been, since the Conservatives have been likely to lose the election for some time… can they form a viable opposition? And if it is 131 seats, if that turned out to be correct, you can just about mount an effective opposition with 131 seats.”
10.43pm
Labour’s deputy leader Angela Rayner said she thinks voters are punishing the Conservatives for the last 14 years.
Ms Rayner said the exit poll, which projects a Labour landslide, was encouraging but stressed that the results were not yet in.
“Keir has done a tremendous job in transforming the Labour Party and putting forward a programme for government that the country can get behind and after 14 years of the chaos and the scandals and the decline we have seen under Tories I think they are getting punished for that – that’s pretty clear in the polls as well,” she told Sky News.
10.42pm
It is “absolutely the case” people who support independence voted for Labour, the SNP’s campaign chief has said.
Speaking to the PA news agency from the counting centre in Glasgow, Stewart Hosie said: “I think that’s absolutely the case.
“That motivation to get the Tories out was so overwhelming, everything else – Brexit, austerity, cost of living – was just pushed out of the way.”
10.41pm
Steve Baker said he thought the election result would create “a bad situation for the country but one from which we can recover”, which he said would not have been the case if Jeremy Corbyn had been in Number 10.
The minister added that Rishi Sunak’s early exit from D-Day commemorations was “plainly a mistake” but praised the Prime Minister’s “capacity to execute and grip detail”.
“I’ve got a great deal of admiration for him. I think he will do what he believes is in the national interest,” Mr Baker told BBC News.
Of the exit poll, he said: “I think this will create a bad situation for the country but one from which we can recover.
“That wouldn’t have been the case if Jeremy Corbyn and John McDonnell had taken power.”
He refused to be publicly drawn on whether he would run for the Tory leadership, saying: “I don’t want to get into that tonight… I’ve got a great deal for respect for Rishi Sunak. I think he’s a man with a brilliant mind and a great heart for our country.”
10.38pm
Lord Mandelson has said he is “gobsmacked” by the exit poll and the scale of the forecasted Labour victory.
He also said Rishi Sunak “is not Superman”.
Lord Mandelson told the BBC: “I think that an electoral meteor has now struck planet Earth.
“In a sense it’s not surprising given everything the country’s gone through over the last 10 years. I think it would have required Superman as leader of the Conservative Party to lead them back to some sort of victory and Mr Sunak is not Superman, but I would have to say this: this is an extraordinary achievement for Keir Starmer and his team.
“Nobody in 2019, nobody would have imagined this was possible and they and the team and all the people who’ve won this campaign deserve absolutely every piece of credit that’s coming their way.”
The exit poll has forecast Labour to win 410 seats, slightly less than the party’s 1997 victory on 418.
10.32pm
Former justice secretary Sir Robert Buckland, who exit polls show is expected to lose Swindon South to Labour candidate Heidi Alexander, said he was prepared for “whatever the electorate throw at me”.
“That’s politics, Kay,” he told Sky News.
“I’ve lost before, I’ve won four elections on the trot, I’m used to what defeat looks like and I’m prepared for it, but my political life is not over.
“I feel a bit like Tony Benn tonight. I’ll be leaving Parliament to spend more time on politics.
“I’ve got causes dear to my heart such as autism, disability justice, that I will be fighting for just as hard outside parliament as i used to in parliament.
“So I’m ready for whatever the electorate throw at me and I treat victory and defeat like those two imposters, just the same,” he said, quoting Rudyard Kipling.
10.29pm
The pound has held steady against the US dollar after an exit poll revealed the Labour Party is on course for a landslide victory, affirming the expectations of traders pinning hopes on a period of political stability.
Sterling was more or less flat against the US dollar at 1.276, and against the euro at 1.18, just after 10pm when polls across the country closed.
Currency traders had been expecting a Labour majority, leading to a relatively muted reaction for the pound, which is one of the strongest indicators of the reaction of financial markets.
10.28pm
Reacting to the exit poll, Scotland’s former first minister Nicola Sturgeon told ITV: “This is not a good night for the SNP on those numbers.”
She added: “This is at the grimmer end of the expectations for the SNP if the exit poll is right.”
10.27pm
Angela Rayner said the results were “encouraging” but a number of seats were on a “knife edge.”
It was put to her that the results were “a bit more than encouraging”, to which the Labour deputy leader replied: “If you look at where we were in 2019, just to get a majority of one we’d have had to have a swing greater than Tony Blair in 1997.
“So we know a number of seats were on a knife edge from our own data, but I also know that all of our activists and our candidates have been going out there not taking anything for granted and speaking to the electorate about what matters to them.”
She told BBC News it would be “an absolute honour and a privilege to be re-elected”, first as the MP for Ashton-under-Lyne and to be able to serve as deputy prime minister.
10.20pm
The Electoral Commission has warned there had been “unacceptable abuse and intimidation of candidates,” as well as acknowledging “there is room to improve the experience for some” during voting after the late arrival of postal ballots.
In a statement following the closure of polls, chief executive of the watchdog Vijay Rangarajan said: “Today, tens of millions of people exercised their democratic right and had their say at the ballot box. Overall, our initial assessment is that polling day ran smoothly and people were able to cast their votes securely. We continue to support administrators as they undertake counts tonight.
“Millions of people were able to have their say, but we know there is room to improve the experience for some. A record number of postal votes were successfully returned, but some couldn’t vote both in the UK and abroad because of the late arrival of postal votes.
“There was a robust and vibrant campaign, but unacceptable abuse and intimidation of candidates. We will collect evidence from people who participated in these elections as voters, candidates, campaigners and administrators, to better understand their experiences. We will recommend improvements to the systems where necessary.”
10.18pm
Labour’s national campaign chief Pat McFadden said: “Keir Starmer’s transformation of the Labour Party has been remarkable.
“He has put country before party and has transformed Labour from a party focused on itself to one back in the service of the British public. We have campaigned as a changed Labour Party, ready to change Britain.”
But despite the exit poll indicating a landslide win, he added: “It’s going to be a long night, and it will be several hours until we know the full picture of results. Labour will need a swing bigger than Tony Blair achieved in 1997 to achieve a majority of just one seat.”
10.17pm
Ruth Davidson called the projected election result a “massacre” for the Conservative Party after exit polls were released.
But she said the word coming out of Conservative central office earlier was that the Tories could be below three figures in terms of seats.
The former leader of the Scottish Tories said on Sky News: “So actually 131 – while, there is no dressing it up, this is a massacre – they’ve actually, if this is right, pulled a few back from where they thought they were.”
10.15pm
The Liberal Democrats are on course for our best results in a century, thanks to our positive campaign with health and care at its heart.
— Ed Davey (@EdwardJDavey) July 4, 2024
I am humbled by the millions of people who backed us to both kick the Conservatives out of power and deliver the change our country needs.
As polls closed, Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey said: “The Liberal Democrats are on course for our best results in a century, thanks to our positive campaign with health and care at its heart.
“I am humbled by the millions of people who backed the Liberal Democrats to both kick the Conservatives out of power and deliver the change our country needs.
“Every Liberal Democrat MP will be a strong local champion for their community standing up for the NHS and care. Whether you voted for us or not, we will work day in and day out and we will not let you down.”
10.14pm
Sir Keir Starmer has thanked those who voted for him and “put their trust in a changed Labour Party” after the exit poll revealed he is on course for a landslide.
“To everyone who has campaigned for Labour in this election, to everyone who voted for us and put their trust in our changed Labour Party – thank you,” he posted to X, formerly Twitter.
To everyone who has campaigned for Labour in this election, to everyone who voted for us and put their trust in our changed Labour Party - thank you. https://t.co/q6yDNPnAbo
— Keir Starmer (@Keir_Starmer) July 4, 2024
10.11pm
The SNP are on course to drop to 10 seats in Scotland, an exit poll for the General Election suggests.
The party won 48 seats at the last election in 2019, but would loosen its Westminster grip after almost a decade if the prediction comes to fruition.
10.08pm
Labour is on course for a landslide, according to the exit poll projection, with 410 seats.
The Conservatives are set for 131 seats.
The exit poll also forecasts the Liberal Democrats on 61 seats, Reform UK on 13 and The Green Party on two.
In Scotland, the SNP are expected to secure 10 seats with Plaid Cymru in Wales on four.
It would be the lowest number Tory MPs on record.
10pm
Polls have closed across the country in the 2024 General Election and Sir Keir Starmer is on course to be the UK’s next prime minister as an exit poll indicated a landslide Labour victory.
9.53pm
Shortly before polls closed, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said: “To the hundreds of Conservative candidates, thousands of volunteers and millions of voters: Thank you for your hard work, thank you for your support, and thank you for your vote.”
To the hundreds of Conservative candidates, thousands of volunteers and millions of voters:
— Rishi Sunak (@RishiSunak) July 4, 2024
Thank you for your hard work, thank you for your support, and thank you for your vote. pic.twitter.com/GcgvI7bImI
9.44pm
Deputy prime minister Oliver Dowden has been knighted, while former deputy prime minister Therese Coffey has been made a dame.
The two Conservatives have been given top honours alongside three other party colleagues, with ex-defence secretary Ben Wallace and former chief whip Julian Smith both made knight commanders of the Order of the Bath, while former Scottish secretary Alister Jack has been made a knight of the Order of the British Empire.
9.42pm
Former deputy speaker Dame Eleanor Laing and ex-MP Craig Mackinlay, who has battled sepsis which cost him his hands and feet, have also been given peerages.
Former Cop26 president and Cabinet minister Sir Alok Sharma has also been made a peer.
9.41pm
There are also peerages for former minister Kevan Jones, who has played a prominent role in campaigning for justice for sub-postmasters caught up in the Horizon scandal, former deputy speaker Dame Rosie Winterton and veteran ex-whip John Spellar.
9.31pm
Labour veterans Dame Margaret Beckett, Harriet Harman and Dame Margaret Hodge will also take seats in the House of Lords.
Sir Keir Starmer’s nominations in the dissolution honours include former Parliamentary Labour party chairman John Cryer.
9.24pm
Rishi Sunak has rewarded his right-hand man Liam Booth-Smith with a peerage, announced less than an hour before polls closed in the General Election.
Lord Booth-Smith, who had been Mr Sunak’s chief of staff in Downing Street, was included in the Prime Minister’s dissolution honours list.
9.22pm
Former prime minister Theresa May and former chairman of the Conservative backbench 1922 committee Sir Graham Brady have been given peerages in the dissolution honours list.
Early on Thursday Mr Sunak voted in his Richmond constituency.
He waved at reporters as he and his wife Akshata Murty arrived hand-in-hand at the Kirby Sigston Village Hall, as he hopes to be returned to Parliament as the MP for Richmond and Northallerton.
Sir Keir was also joined by his wife, Victoria, as he visited a polling station in his Holborn and St Pancras constituency.
