General Election: Rishi Sunak concedes to Keir Starmer after Labour landslide

Follow our latest live blog with updates from the General Election here.

The Tories have lost all their MPs in Wales after Welsh Secretary David TC Davies lost his seat in Monmouthshire to Labour.

Sir Jacob Rees-Mogg congratulated Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer on "what seems to be a historic victory".

He lost to Labour's Dan Norris - who he previously unseated during an election in 2010 - in the new North East Somerset and Hanham constituency.

Speaking at the University of Bath after the result was declared, Sir Jacob said: "May I begin by giving my warmest congratulations to Dan Norris, who has been a servant of North East Somerset or Wansdyke as it then was before and I am sure will be a devoted constituency MP in the future.

"And congratulate Sir Keir Starmer who has led his party to what seems to be a historic victory. And this is the great virtue of our democracy, so I congratulate both of them."

Sir Jacob then thanked his agent, campaign director and constituency staff who had "worked so hard over the last 14 years".

He said: "And one final thought, from Caractacus Potts, and that is from the ashes of disaster grow the roses of success. So thank you very much everybody, and good night."

Sir Keir Starmer has arrived at Labour's victory rally in central London.

To rapturous applause, he began his speech saying: "We did it."

Sir Keir said the UK was waking up this morning to "the sunlight of hope", which was "shining once again on a country with the opportunity after 14 years to get its future back".

It comes as Labour has won the General Election after reaching the required 326 seats.

The BBC's swingometer has broken with some swings going above 20%. A sign of how remarkable some of tonight's results are.

Outgoing Tory MP Sir Charles Walker has relentlessly torn into Suella Braverman as the party recriminations begin.

Reacting to her victory speech, Sir Charles fumed: "Absolutely disgraceful speech!"

"On a really difficult night for the Conservative party that was just the bottom.

"The absolute bottom, the dredge, absolutely a disgraceful thing to do.

"Some backbencher this great statesmanlike role at a count, I mean really the bottom."

He said he will leave the Tories if Ms Braverman becomes the next leader.

Former deputy Prime Minister under Liz Truss Therese Coffey has lost her Suffolk Coastal seat.

Her vote was down a whopping 27 points.

Penny Mordaunt has lost to Labour in a massive blow to the Tories.

In a tough night for the Tories, she lost by fewer than 1,000 votes.

Tory bigwig Sir Michael Fabricant has narrowly lost Lichfield to Labour.

The blonde bombshell and Boris Johnson backer lost by just 810 votes. 

Rishi Sunak has been filmed arriving at his count in Northallerton, North Yorkshire.

Suella Braverman apologises for the result across the country.

She says: “I’m sorry my party didn’t listen to you. The Conservative Party has let you down. The great British people voted for us over 14 years and we did not keep our promises.

“We’ve acted like we’re entitled to your vote… We need to learn our lesson because if we don’t, bad as tonight has been for our party, we’ll have many worse nights to come.

“The country deserves better and we’ve got to do better and I will do everything in my power to rebuild trust.

“We need to listen to you. You have spoken to us very clearly.”

Reform UK has secured its third MP in Great Yarmouth.

After Lee Anderson and Nigel Farage, Rupert Lowe secured a victory of nearly 1,500 over Labour.

Reform: 36%

Lab: 32.6%

Con: 25.3%

The Tories are down 40.5%

The BBC has updated its projected results, around five hours after the initial exit poll.

Here's the updated numbers:

Labour - 405

Conservative - 154

LibDem - 56

SNP - 6

Plaid Cymru - 4

Reform - 4

Green - 2

Others - 19

There's been a shock string of Labour defeats across the country in the last few minutes.

Firstly Iain Duncan Smith retained his Chingford seat after an independent split the vote.

Then the Tories gained Leicester East.

Then Labour lost to Jeremy Corbyn in Islington North

And now shadow cabinet minister Jonathan Ashworth has lost to an independent candidate in Leicester South.

Sir Keir was not expecting, or hoping, for any of these outcomes.

Grant Shapps speaking after losing his Welwyn Hatfield seat:

"What is crystal clear to me tonight is that it is not so much that Labour won the election but that the Conservatives have lost it.

"We have tried the patience if traditional Tory voters with a propensity to create a soap opera ‘Today voters have simply said if you can’t agree with each other, we can’t vote for you.

"There is a danger we now go on some lateral tangent. We must not let that happen."

Former Tory leader Iain Duncan Smith has more than quadrupled his majority.

Faiza Shaheen was ditched as Labour's candidate in a brutal manor at the start of the election, only to announce an independent campaign.

Con: 35.6% (-12.6)

Lab: 25.8% (-19.4)

Ind: 25.7% (+25.7)

Ref: 7.5% (+7.2)

An astonishing result for the Tories on a night Labour was supposed to sweep London.

Theresa May's former chief of staff, Nick Timothy, has won Matt Hancock's old seat in West Suffolk.

He's very much one to watch over the coming years, and will want to play a big role in reforming the Tory party especially towards controlling immigration.

Ed Davey has won his seat in Kingston and Surbiton.

Speaking after the declaration: “I don’t know if you could tell, but I’ve rather enjoyed this campaign".

"But what I enjoyed most wasn’t the paddle boarding or bungee jumping, it was speaking to voters here in Kingston and Surbiton."

He promised to continue standing up for a society "where we value care and properly support carers".

George Galloway has lost his seat in parliament to Labour.

Mr Galloway won 11508 to Labour candidate Paul Waugh's 13047.

Responding to the loss, former Labour leader Neil Kinnock described him as "repulsive" and "repellant"

After making hay with the Tory's betting row, Sir Keir now faces egg on his face.

In March he bet a Daily Mirror journalist £50 that Lee Anderson would lose his seat.

Mr Anderson's victory has now lost the Labour leader that princely sum.

Lee Anderson has just won a huge victory in Ashfield - Reform UK's first elected MP of the night.

He won a sizable 5,500 majority, down just 200 on 2019.

The LibDems are calling victory in Cheltenham, the seat of Justice Secretary Alex Chalk.

If true it will be the first Tory 'big beast' to be ousted in this landslide.

A Lib Dem source said: “This is a massive result for the Liberal Democrats and demonstrates the anger that so many Conservative voters have for this Government. The people of Cheltenham have elected a local champion in Max Wilkinson who will stand up in Parliament and work hard to protect local A&E services".

Speaking after winning her Leeds seat, shadow chancellor Rachel Reeves said: "The British people have voted for change".

"After 14 years people will wake up to the prospect of a new government, the first Labour victory for nearly two decades… a page turned, the chance to look forward to a brighter future.

"Thanks to Keir Starmer’s leadership, a changed Labour Party.

"We have sought the opportunity to govern not for self interest but in the national interest.

"I know the road ahead will not be easy. There are no quick fixes and the hard choices lie ahead."

There's been some worrying news for Reform UK as Labour won Barnsley North despite the Exit Poll saying they had a 99% chance of winning it.

Instead, Labour's Dan Jarvis took the seat with a near 8,000 majority.

All eyes on the next Reform target seat.

Labour has gained Darlington after the Tories won it in 2019, but by a tiny vote increase of 0.3%.

Labour now has a small 2,000 majority in the seat despite having easily held it for nearly two decades before 2019.

It could be that the popularity of local Tory mayor Ben Houchen has held up the Conservative vote more than the average.

A full recount is underway in Basildon and Billericay, where Tory chairman Richard Holden is standing.

This suggests the result is going to be very close.

There are two accounts suggesting there are just 20 votes in it.

The result was meant to be out an hour ago, yet we're still waiting.

Speaking to the BBC this evening, shadow Chancellor Rachel Reeves says it's up to Keir Starmer whether she'll be moving into No. 11 tomorrow, but she "very much hopes to play my part" in the next Government.

She added: "If the results unfold in the way the exit polls suggest this will be an historic victory for the Labour Party.

"I very much hope to play my part in that.

"People are crying out for change, that’s the message I heard loud and clear during this election."

Nigel Farage has reacted to news from yesterday evening that Rishi Sunak and Keir Starmer have appointed a swathe of new people to the House of Lords.

He tweeted: "This corrupt political system has just given out peerages a plenty to their own".

"It all has to end. The House of Lords is an abomination."

The blue-on-blue Tory recriminations from this evening’s defeat have already begun, as former Tory MP grandee Sir Robert Buckland tore into the likes of Suella Braverman.

Sir Robert, who was defeated in South Swindon earlier tonight, launched the bruising civil war as he blasted colleagues for lies and “performance arts politics”.

He fumed “I’m fed up with performance art politics. I’ve watched colleagues in the Conservative Party strike poses, write inflammatory op-eds and say stupid things they know have no evidence for instead of getting on with the job”.

“I’ve had enough of it. I want the Conservative Party to get back to the ethos of doing stuff well, of being competent, not pretending to please the media."

Labour sources believe they will be the largest party in England, Wales and Scotland.

This will be the first time this has happened since 2001.

Labour has said they now expect to "be largest party in England, Scotland and Wales - first party to do that in 23 years".

On the campaign trail in June, party leader Sir Ed Davey took part in an assault course in Kent with the party's candidate Mike Martin.

A Liberal Democrat source said: "They're set to elect a Lib Dem local champion in former British Army officer Mike Martin, who will stand up for the community."

Sir Robert blasted the "ill-discipline" within the Conservative Party after losing his seat.

"I think that we have seen in this election an astonishing ill-discipline within the party," the former justice secretary said.

"We can see articles being written before a vote is cast at the General Election about the party heading for defeat and what the prognosis should be.

"It is spectacularly unprofessional, ill-disciplined. That is not the Conservative Party I joined and have been an active member of for now nearly 40 years."

Asked later if he was speaking about an article written by Conservative former home secretary Suella Braverman, Sir Robert replied: "I am afraid that is not an isolated example."

He told the BBC such a move "would be a disastrous mistake and it would send us into the abyss, and gift Labour government for many years".

Sir Robert Buckland said politics is at a "crossroads" and the Conservative Party must make the "right choice" if it is to inspire a new generation as he warned against "politics as mere circus" in his farewell speech.

The former justice secretary said: "Our very political system is at a crossroads. Do we value those who work to bring people together and to come into politics to do something rather than be someone?

"Or do we shrug our shoulders and accept politics as a mere circus where people compete for attention by saying things that they either know to be untrue, or which raise hopes and expectations in a way that further erodes trust?

"I know what side I'm on, I know what choice I would make, and I believe with sincere and fierce conviction that my party has to make the right choice too, if we are to inspire a new generation with the real promise of a better future."

Reform UK's challenger to Deputy Prime Minister Oliver Dowden has predicted voters are "going to get fed up" of Labour and "look for something different" in the near future.

Darren Selkus, standing in Hertsmere, Hertfordshire, said: "People are voting for Labour because they're not the Conservatives and everything's going to change for the better.

"When it doesn't change for the better whether that's in six months, one year, two years, eventually people are going to get fed up and look for something different and that's when I hope that they recognise that Reform UK have the ideas to change the direction and make a difference."

Asked about the next five years of politics, Mr Selkus said he expects "mass immigration, more of it, high taxes, more of it".

He added: "Labour obviously are going to win, they're not going to increase VAT, income tax or national insurance but they're going to increase every other tax that there is."

On Reform UK's performance, Mr Selkus said: "What's really critical is what the national vote share is, you know, I'm hoping that we'll get six or seven million votes and if we hit that sort of number then it's massive, so, 13 seats is approximately that so yeah, that'd be exactly what I'd be hoping to do."

Boris has texted Nadine Dorries on Channel 4 but she won’t say what he texted her. Watch the video here:

Welsh Secretary David TC Davies has said he is expecting to lose his seat in Monmouthshire, as an exit poll indicated Sir Keir Starmer’s Labour Party will sweep to power.

The Tory minister does not see himself back in Parliament following tonight’s results, BBC Wales has reported.

The result of Mr Davies’ constituency is “too close to call”, according to the exit poll carried out today by Ipsos UK, which predicts a 61% chance of a Conservative hold and a 39% chance that Labour will claim the seat.

Mr Davies has served as the MP for Monmouth since 2005, and has been Wales’ minister in the cabinet since October 2022.

Former justice secretary Sir Robert Buckland has lost Swindon South to Labour’s Heidi Alexander.

Labour source in Islington suggests Jeremy Corbyn could be on course for a narrow victory – likely to be as few as 1500 votes in it

The election results may take Scottish independence “off the immediate agenda” for the incoming government, but it would be “foolish” to think the issue has gone away, Nicola Sturgeon has said.

Speaking on ITV, the former first minister said: “A lot of the people – if not the majority of people – who in this election have shifted from the SNP to Labour, they still believe in independence, they haven’t shifted their opinion on independence.

“So it might take the issue off of the immediate agenda for Keir Starmer, but it would be – I think – foolish to suggest that the independence question has gone away.”

Former Conservative chancellor George Osborne has described the exit poll prediction of the Tories’ worst performance on record as the party’s “Waterloo”.

Reacting to the exit poll, he told ITV News: “As for the Conservatives you know, it’s going to sound odd, there’ll be a bit of a sigh of relief, even though it’s the worst results since 1832 when the Duke of Wellington was running the Tory party, so this one feels more like the Tory party’s Waterloo, frankly.

“We’re going to see a load of people lose their seats, household names of those who follow politics, household names.

“And it’d be a huge mistake to take a lot of comfort from this, but there were people thinking, and the polls were suggesting, it could be an extinction night for the Tory party, an extinction level event, and the Tory party would never come back.

“I think there’ll be a lot of Conservatives saying we can come back and then the final point; the second big story of the night is Reform. They have entered the palace, the Palace of Westminster.”

David Bull, Reform’s deputy leader, said that his party was “about to change history”.

Asked about Reform’s issues with candidates accused of racism, he told the BBC that every party had those kinds of issues.

“I think it’s in every party,” he said, adding that the Reform party is new.

“We had to literally sprint to get those candidates.

“Anyone who looks at the rise of Reform will see that what we’re doing is breaking political history. I’ve said this before, everyone said that in that Brexit result, you won’t do it, we changed history, we’re about to change history once again.”

Asked which seats he thought Reform, which the exit poll projects to net 13 seats, could win, he listed Clacton, Great Yarmouth, Wellingborough and Boston and Skegness.

The Scottish Conservatives remain “very competitive” in target seats, a party source has said following exit poll suggestions.

The source told the PA news agency the UK predictions showed a “bad picture” but that it was a very different situation in Scotland, with exit polls described as “not correct”.

The source said: “The exit poll is not correct at all and the result will be very tight in Scotland.

“It’s a bad picture UK-wide but a very different picture in Scotland and the party remains very competitive in target seats in Scotland.”

Dame Andrea Leadsom said voters have told her they do not feel the Tories are "Conservative enough" and are "sick of all this woke stuff".

In dealing with the aftermath of the result, she added: "The Conservative Party is the natural party of government and has been in this country for many long years and so we will be very ruthless about it, we will certainly be very forensic about it."

“There are clearly big issues with a result of this scale for the SNP,” Ms Sturgeon told ITV. “The SNP’s been in government for 17 years, we’re in government now at a time when austerity is biting, the impact of Brexit is biting... This was a ‘kick the Tories, get the Tories out’ election.

“This is not a good night for the SNP on these numbers and there’ll be a lot of questions that need to be asked as we come out of it.

“I think there will be a question about whether there was enough in the campaign to effectively give a USP to the SNP in an election that was effectively about getting the Tories out and replacing them with Labour.”

Asked whether he thought the Tories should have sought to join forces with Mr Farage, the former Conservative minister said: "We are where we are and the disaster doesn't seem to have been averted.

"You'll have to ask Nigel what his plans are. I think he looks for and seeks a realignment of the right in British politics, and it will be interesting to see whether he can achieve that."

Voters didn't expect numerous Conservative leadership contests, Sir Jacob Rees-Mogg has suggested.The former Tory minister said: "It's clearly a terrible night for the Conservatives."

He added: "There's no way of describing this as anything other than a bad night for the Conservative party."

Asked where it went wrong for the Tories, Sir Jacob said there were "issues with changing the leader", adding: "Voters expect the prime minister they have chosen to remain the prime minister and for it to be the voters who decide when that person is changed."

He continued: "I'm afraid I think the Conservative Party took it's core vote for granted, which is why you see so many people who may have voted Conservative previously, going off to Reform."

Nigel Farage's electoral agent Peter Harris has said the Reform UK leader is "up for the challenge" of facing up to a Labour government, and the exit poll prediction of 13 seats for Reform is "hugely exciting".

Mr Harris, a Reform UK councillor, said: "We were always hoping for multiple seats, 13 - I'd like even more than that, really. So I think we wait and see once all the votes are counted we'll see how many we've actually got, but yeah, hugely exciting.

"Obviously, I'm completely focused on Clacton and our candidate here, Nigel Farage, we're extremely confident that he's going to be one of those 13 seats that gets elected to Westminster."

On Mr Farage's potential impact in Westminster, Mr Harris said: "He stood alone in the European Parliament, and he got the changes that he wanted and as he said to the European Parliament that when he first got there, they laughed at him and then when we left he said 'well, you're not laughing now'.

"So you know, I can see Nigel will be a huge voice not just for Clacton but a huge voice for so many people in this country that have felt abandoned and betrayed. So, yeah, I think Nigel is up for the challenge."

The deputy leader of Reform UK says it will be a “historic night” for the party if the exit poll is true.

Speaking after the poll predicted Reform UK could win 13 seats, David Bull told Sky News: “If this is true, it is a historic night. To win 13 seats for a start up... we’re only four years old.. that would be an incredible result for us.”

He adds: “We’re a common sense party that believes in low tax, low regulation and low growth. We say that immigration needs to come down and there’s the resonance for people around the country.”

He said “attacks” from Rishi Sunak and the press on Reform UK meant support for the party grew. He said the Tories are “destroyed” and pledged that Nigel fFrage will be Prime Minister by 2029.

Labour shadow education secretary Bridget Phillipson has won the Houghton and Sunderland South constituency, in the first result of the night.

She said in her victory speech: "Tonight the British people have spoken, and if the exit poll this evening is again a guide to results across our country as it so often is, then after 14 years the British people have chosen change.

"They have chosen Labour and they have chosen the leadership of Keir Starmer. Today our country with its proud history has chosen a brighter future. The British people have decided that they believe as Labour believes that our best days lie ahead of us - hope and unity, not decline and division, stability over chaos.

"A government powered by hope, by the belief that tomorrow cannot just be different from today, but better. A government of service, a government with purpose above all to change our society for good."

Ms Phillipson took 18,847 votes, ahead of Reform UK on 11,668, with the Conservatives on 5,514, the Liberal Democrats on 2,290 and The Green Party on 1,723. The turnout was 51.2%.

Andrea Leadsom has said the exit poll may indicate it was "wrong to go after Reform straight away".

The former Tory Cabinet minister said it was a "devastating" night for her party.

She told BBC News: "It's never easy when you are the prime minister to decide when to call a general election... it is a very, very difficult and very personal decision for any prime minister."

She added: "Maybe it was wrong not to go after Reform straight away but again, all of these are very carefully thought through as to what is the right approach and what we wanted to do was focus on what Labour would be doing with people's taxes."

Wes Streeting said he was "delighted" by the exit poll.

The shadow health secretary told BBC News: "Of course I'm delighted by the exit poll. I've seen many exit polls over the years.

"They don't tend to look like these ones, and if we have won this General Election, that is historic for the Labour Party, but even more importantly, is an opportunity for the country, for us to rebuild our economy and our public services and rebuild trust in politics."

Wes Streeting said his party had run a "disciplined campaign" because it knew it needed to win seats from the Conservatives, praising Sir Keir Starmer's "steel and determination" to "grab Labour by the scruff".

The shadow health secretary told BBC News: "I'll believe it when I see it, but this is a remarkable exit poll and a testament to the change that Keir Starmer has led in the Labour Party.

"I don't think that guy has had nearly enough credit for the steel and the determination that he's shown to really grab the Labour Party by the scruff as it were."

It was put to Mr Streeting that the figures did not show resounding enthusiasm for the party in seats that voted for it five years ago, to which he responded: "Keir Starmer could literally be on his way to Buckingham Palace to be made prime minister and pundits would be saying 'oh, it's still a disappointing night for Labour'.

"I mean, come on, give me a break - I've had enough of this now."

Steve Baker said it was a matter for Rishi Sunak whether he stays on as Tory leader during a likely period of “recriminations”.

He said there would likely be “recriminations” during a “grieving period” and that the Prime Minister would “weigh extremely carefully” what he thinks is best for the country.

Asked whether Mr Sunak should step aside now, Mr Baker told BBC News: “There will be undoubtedly recrimination, there will be shock, there will be anger, denial.”

He added: “I’m sure he will be reflecting on whether his role might be to be there for a while to get us through the recriminations phase.

“But as I say, it’s a matter for him and knowing him reasonably well, I believe his mind will be set on what is right for the country and part of what is right for the country, and your viewers may not like it, but is having a functioning Conservative Party, and I’m sure he will be mindful of that.”

David Lammy said he fully expects to be foreign secretary if the Labour Party enters government.

The shadow foreign secretary was asked on Sky News about rumours that Douglas Alexander could “give you a run for your money” to be foreign secretary.

Douglas Alexander, who held a number of cabinet roles during the Labour governments of Tony Blair and Gordon Brown, has not been an MP since 2015 but is standing this year in Lothian East, Labour’s top target in Scotland where the SNP is defending a majority of 2,207.

“I have seen the tittle tattle in some parts of the right wing media, but I’ve got to tell you, in preparing potentially for Government, preparing for NATO, preparing for the European Political Community, with war in Europe and huge problems in the Middle East, this is a very serious role.

“Of course I’ll serve wherever Keir Starmer wants me to but I do fully expect to be foreign secretary if we get across the line.”

Nicola Sturgeon has said this “not a good night for the SNP”.

The exit poll suggests her party will collapse to just 10 seats, even lower than Reform UK.

Meanwhile the SNP's campaign chief described the prediction as “stark” but added that it was “just an exit poll”.

“In the next few hours, we’ll see how accurate or otherwise it is.

“In 2005, I think we were down to five or six MPs and we went on to win the Holyrood election in 2007,” he said.

“In 2010, I think we returned six and went on to win a majority in Holyrood in 2011.

“So I’m not worried about what this means for the SNP, but clearly if this result or something like it comes to pass, it tells us that the overriding motivation for almost everybody in this election was simply to get the Tories out and people appear to have decided that a vote for Labour is the way to do that.”

Reform UK is set to win some seats of Labour in the Red Wall as well as from the Tories down south.

Safe Labour seats like Barnsley North, Barnsley South and Hartlepool all have a likelihood of more than 90% to go to Reform UK.

So far the party's top spokespeople are remaining schtum.

A Tory source has insisted that the exit poll is just a projection and called on everyone to wait until the results come in.

However they conceded it's clear that based on the result they will have lost some very good and hardworking candidates.

William Hague tells Times Radio that there should now be a battle for what Conservatism is.

He says the party must not turn to the right "but there will be a fight over that".

Admits it's "not so easy to get back" and says "odds are against" Tories winning the next election.

The exit poll results in full.

Former Labour bigwig and part-time Keir Starmer advisor Lord Mandelson says he is "gobsmacked".

He tells the BBC "I think an electoral meteor has now hit planet Earth".

The SNP is set to drop to just 10 seats, an exit poll suggests.

The BBC/ITV/Sky survey was published as polls closed at 10pm, predicting a 170 seat majority for Labour across the UK.

Pat McFadden, Labour's national campaign coordinator, 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.

“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.

“It is remarkable that Labour was in a competitive position in this election given what happened in 2019. Whatever has been claimed throughout the campaign, the Labour Party has assumed nothing about the result and has worked tirelessly to bring our message of change to people across the country.

“Britain’s future was on the ballot at this election. And, if we are successful tonight, Labour will get to work immediately with our first steps for change.”

Commenting on the closing of polls, Liberal Democrat Leader 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.”

Rishi Sunak has posted a tweet thanking all his party's volunteers and activists for their hard work during the election.

Just 15 minutes to go until the Exit Poll drops.

Thousands of Britons were left unable to cast their votes in the General Election due to postal ballot delays, with voters claiming that postmen were instructed to prioritise parcel deliveries over ballots.

This disruption has affected as many as 120 constituencies, as the postal system sees a soaring demand.

Many voters reported receiving their ballots too late to participate in today's all-important election.

Sir John Curtice, the main man behind 10pm's explosive exit poll, has revealed he will have known the result since 2pm today.

While everyone else has to wait while the top secret results are finalised, Sir John said: "We get data continuously throughout the day. The data does move, but usually, we pretty much know what is going to happen by 2pm".

He said: "The record isn’t perfect, but since 2005 the exit poll has given a pretty good indication of where the result will end up on the night. It also tends to be more accurate than opinion polls carried out before voting happens."

He explained that fieldworkers go to constituencies and get replica ballots from voters at polling stations.

Sir John added: "We use these replica ballots to make models that predict how constituencies will have voted.

"The data we get from those ballots is compared against how people voted at the same polling station at the previous general election.

Tory activists tell the Express they are optimistic about squeezing Reform voters, with one local party member saying they're getting one in three to return to the Tory folds.

However an MP in a key Reform constituency says it's looking very difficult for them.

According to one source close to CCHQ, some over there now fear 15 Reform UK MPs could get elected.

The King has been graciously pleased to signify His intention of conferring Peerages of the United Kingdom for Life upon the undermentioned:

Nominations from the Leader of the Conservative

Party The Rt Hon Sir Graham Brady PC - Lately Member of Parliament for Altrincham and Sale West, and Chairman of the 1922 Committee.

The Rt Hon Chris Grayling PC - Lately Member of Parliament for Epsom and Ewell, and former Secretary of State for Transport, Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice and Leader of the House of Commons.

The Rt Hon Dame Eleanor Laing DBE PC - Lately Member of Parliament for Epping Forest, lately Deputy Speaker of the House of Commons.

Craig Mackinley JP - Lately Member of Parliament for South Thanet.

The Rt Hon Theresa May PC - Lately Member of Parliament for Maidenhead, former Prime Minister and Home Secretary.

The Rt Hon Sir Alok Sharma KCMG PC - Lately Member of Parliament for Reading West and former Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, Secretary of State for International Development and President for COP26.

Liam Booth-Smith - Lately No10 Downing Street Chief of Staff.

Nominations from the Leader of the Labour Party

The Rt Hon Dame Margaret Beckett GBE PC - Former Foreign Secretary and former Deputy Leader of the Labour Party.

John Cryer - Lately Member of Parliament for Leyton and Wanstead.

The Rt Hon Harriet Harman KC PC - Lately Member of Parliament for Camberwell and Peckham, and formerly Deputy Leader of the Labour Party.

The Rt Hon Dame Margaret Hodge DBE PC - Lately Member of Parliament for Barking and former Minister of State for the Department for Culture, Media and Sport.

The Rt Hon Kevan Jones PC - Lately Member of Parliament for North Durham and former Minister for Veterans at the Ministry of Defence.

Barbara Keeley - Lately Member of Parliament for Worsley and Eccles South and formerly Shadow Minister for Music and Tourism.

The Rt Hon John Spellar PC - Lately Member of Parliament for Warley and formerly Comptroller of the Household in the Whips’ Office.

The Rt Hon Dame Rosie Winterton DBE PC - Lately Member of Parliament for Doncaster Central and former Deputy Speakers in the House of Commons.

Nominations from the Liberal Democrat Party

Caroline Pidgeon MBE - Lately Leader of the Liberal Democrats in the London Assembly.

Nominations from the Ulster Unionist Party (UUP)

Thomas Elliott MLA - Member of the Legislative Assembly for Fermanagh and South Tyrone and former leader of the Ulster Unionist Party.

Nominations for Crossbench Peerages

Minette Batters - Former President of the National Farmers’ Union of England and Wales.

Dr Hilary Cass OBE FRCN FRCGP - Former president of the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health.

Below are the latest Betfair Exchange odds for all of the would-be contenders:

Kemi Badenoch 9/2

Penny Mordaunt 6/1

Tom Tugendhat 7/1

Priti Patel 7/1

Nigel Farage 13/1

Suella Braverman 14/1

James Cleverly 14/1

Polling expert Sir John Curtice revealed that he is privy to exit poll information hours before the rest of us.

The political scientist told a UK in a Changing Europe event recently that he and his colleagues usually know what is happening at around 2pm on election day, eight hours before the rest of the country.

He said: "We get data continuously throughout the day. The data do move, but usually we pretty much know what is going to happen by 2pm."

Voters in Dorset might want to tread carefully after one person brought their python.

No sitting Prime Minister has ever failed to win their seat.

While precedent dictates that a Prime Minister must be an MP, there is no requirement to immediately resign, as per the Institute for Government (IfG).

It was reported earlier this week that Mr Sunak has told his inner circle he is concerned about the contest for his seat.

The exit poll, which is released the moment the polls close at 10pm on an election night, gives the first big indication of how a vote has gone.

Fieldworkers head to polling stations chosen to best represent the demographics of the whole country, including urban and rural seats.

In 1974, the exit poll was a tad wide of the mark - predicting a 132-seat Labour majority when in reality it was actually just three seats.

But in recent elections, the exit poll has been extremely accurate.

Laura Lock, deputy chief executive of the Association of Electoral Administrators has warned that the system needs changing, moving the deadline five days earlier from 11 working days before polling day to 16.

She said: “Election teams are doing their very best to run this snap election, but with a short timetable and an election held when many are on holiday – plus print and delivery suppliers working at capacity – demand has severely tested the system."

Watch Nigel Farage's message below...

Kemi Badenoch hit out at her local council over missing postal votes after more than 2,600 were delayed in North West Essex.

The Business Secretary wrote on X: “Five years ago, all but four Conservatives on Uttlesford council were voted out. People wanted ‘Change’. Instead, they got ‘Change for the WORSE’, electing an independent residents group who ran a blame-the-Tories campaign.

“The community is now saddled with council leadership unable to carry out basic functions competently…. Now they’ve potentially disenfranchised up to 2,600 postal voters by forgetting to send them their ballot papers. Don’t change for the worse.”

Penny Mordaunt is out and about in Portsmouth North as voters take to the polls.

The Commons Leader shared a picture on Instagram of her posing next to a car with the slogan: "Vote Penny to save your pennies."

The RSPB is encouraging members of the public to share their love for nature during the General Election with the #BirdsAtPollingStations hashtag.

It is a new take on the #DogsAtPollingStations craze where people post pictures on social media of their pooches outside polling stations.

The initiative is aimed at reminding people to vote and take their ID with them.

RSPB’s chief executive, Beccy Speight, said: “Birds can’t vote, but we can, so it’s important to remember to do so and to take appropriate ID.

"It is essential that whoever is in power from July 5 makes halting nature loss and protecting our lands and seas a priority."

Northern Ireland First Minister Michelle O'Neill voted at the polling station at St Patrick's Primary School in Clonoe, Co Tyrone.

She briefly spoke with a Sinn Fein member in a makeshift mobile outside the polling station.

Ms O'Neill spent several minutes inside to cast her vote.

Asked by photographers for a thumbs-up, she laughed and said: "Will a smile do?"

As she left the polling station, she shouted goodbye to local children and waved to voters.

Giles Watling, the Tory candidate who is battling to be re-elected in Clacton, has shared a series of posts while out and about in the Essex town today.

He said: "It's Polling Day! Been so great to get out and meet so many people. We're going to win this!"

Chancellor Jeremy Hunt urged voters to re-elect him as a “strong local voice” in the new constituency of Godalming and Ash in a video posted on X.

He is among Tory big beasts widely expected to lose their seats in today's election.

Reform UK leader shared a picture on X of him holding a dog outside a polling station.

He accompanied it with the #DogsAtPollingStations hashtag.

Nigel Farage tucked into a 99 Flake ice cream as he stepped out in Clacton this morning.

The Reform UK leader is the favourite to win the Essex seat after his sensational return to politics.

Carla Denyer, co-leader of the Green Party, walked to vote at Redland Park United Reformed Church on Whiteladies Road in Bristol this morning.

Ms Denyer, wearing a striped dress, dark green cardigan and green rosette, was accompanied by supporters for the visit to the polling station.

She greeted photographers and reporters outside the church, situated in a busy shopping area of Bristol, before going inside to cast her vote.

The Bristol Central candidate, a former councillor for the Clifton Down ward, then came outside and posed for photographs before walking away with supporters.

The seat, which was held by Labour's Thangam Debbonaire is a key target for the left-wing Greens.

Outgoing Scottish Conservative leader Douglas Ross cast his vote in Moray with his family.

Mr Ross, his wife Krystle and sons James and Alistair held hands heading towards the polling station at Fogwatt Hall, Fogwatt, near Elgin.

Mr Ross is standing as a candidate for Aberdeenshire North and Moray East.

Liz Truss has shared a picture on X after voting in the General Election.

The former prime minister said: "Just voted. Polls open until 10pm. #VoteConservative."

Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey and his wife, Emily, have visited a polling station in Surbiton to vote.

Sir Ed - who has hit the headlines for his stunt-filled election campaign - said "good morning everybody" to the assembled media and waved to the cameras.

As the pair prepared to enter Surbiton Hill Methodist Church, a voter left the polling station and wished Sir Ed "good luck".

In a video posted on X, former prime minister Boris Johson said: “So I’m on my way to the polling station where I’m going to cast my vote against the nightmare prospect of a Left-wing government.

“More Left-wing than any since the war, with more wokery, more illegal immigration, more pointless, powerless kow-towing to Brussels, and of course ever-higher taxation for you and your family under Keir Starmer and the Labour Party. Don’t let it happen, vote Conservative today, get out and vote today, it’s a beautiful day.”

It is his latest intervention after he spoke at a Tory rally on Monday night.

Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar cast his vote at Pollokshields Burgh Hall in Glasgow, accompanied by his wife Furheen and son Aliyan.

After voting, he hugged and shook hands with Labour candidate for Glasgow South West Zubir Ahmed, and shook hands with Labour activists as well as an SNP activist.

A woman with a sign that read "Starmer is a snake" approached and followed Mr Sarwar onto the street, before posing for pictures.

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer was joined by his wife Victoria as he headed to the polling station this morning.

Sir Keir made the short journey from his Kentish Town home to Willingham Close TRA Hall to vote in the Holborn and St Pancras constituency.

The pair arrived on foot and walked hand-in-hand into the hall tucked inside the housing estate while being flanked by police protection officers.

A crowd of local residents gathered to watch the Labour leader enter the polling station alongside dozens of national and international media.

Sir Keir wore a white shirt under a dark suit with a red tie as he greeted supporters lining the approach into the polling station.

A woman could be heard shouting "free Palestine" as he entered the hall.

He left through a back door out of sight of reporters.

Jeremy Corbyn took to X after casting his ballot in the General Election.

The former Labour leader is standing as an independent in Islington North after being booted out of the party by Sir Keir Starmer in an antisemitism row.

Mr Corbyn said: "Just voted for the independent candidate in Islington North. I heard he’s alright."

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The exit poll for the General Election will be published shortly after polling stations close at 10pm on Thursday.

Here is all you need to know about how and why they are conducted - and how accurate the results can be.

SNP leader John Swinney cast his vote at Burrelton Village Hall, Perthshire.

Accompanied by his 13-year-old son Matthew, the First Minister walked from his home to the polling station, greeting members of the media on the way in.

He also met his candidate Dave Doogan who is running in the Angus and Perthshire Glens constituency.

People across the UK will head to the polls today for the General Election.

New rules brought in back in May 2023 mean that those wishing to vote will need to remember to bring a photo ID with them to cast their vote.

The Express has a full list of ID options here.

Green co-leader Carla Denyer wrote on X: "It's polling day. Today, the people of Bristol Central can make history.

"You live in one of the only seats in the country where you can elect a Green MP today. Your vote here really matters.

"We need voices that can challenge the new Labour government to do better."

Fellow co-leader Adrian Ramsay also said on the social media platform: "Today's the opportunity to vote for real hope and real change, in Waveney Valley, and across the country."

Rishi Sunak and his wife Akshata Murty have visited a polling station to vote in the General Election.

The Prime Minister said "morning" and waved at reporters as he entered Kirby Sigston Village Hall, in Northallerton.

Mr Sunak is hoping to be returned to Parliament as the MP for Richmond and Northallerton.

Polling stations are open across the country with millions of people expected to vote before they close at 10pm.

Ahead of 7am, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak posted a series of messages on the same site, formerly known as Twitter, which urged voters to "stop the Labour supermajority".

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer, writing on social media site X as polls opened, said: "Change. Today, you can vote for it."

Writing on X, Reform leader Nigel Farage said: "Polls are now open. Vote with your heart. Vote for Reform."

Polling stations across the UK have opened as voters have their say at the General Election.

Millions of people will cast their vote between 7am and 10pm, with opinion polls suggesting Labour is on course to secure a big majority in the House of Commons and form a new government.

It is the first General Election where voters will need to show photographic ID before they can receive their ballot paper following a law change in 2022.

An exit poll, published shortly after 10pm on Thursday, will provide the first indication of how the election has gone on a national level.