The 10pm exit poll, compiled on behalf of the three main news broadcasters, predicted Labour would win 410 seats, securing a majority of 170, to the Conservatives’ 131.
The Liberal Democrats were expected to take 61 seats, the Scottish National party 10, Reform UK 13, Plaid Cymru four and the Greens two . The results appeared to confirm that Labour’s “time for change ” message struck a chord with voters after years of chaos and division under the Tories, including the Brexit vote and its fallout, the handling of the Covid pandemic and the Partygate scandal.
At the last general election in 2019, the Conservatives had a majority of 80, with 365 seats to Labour’s 203. The SNP won 48 seats and the Lib Dems had just 11.
If the exit poll is correct, Labour has secured a huge swing away from the Conservatives, who suffered their worst ever performance, and away from the SNP in Scotland, where John Swinney’s party was crushed.
Reform’s polling at 13 seats appears to suggest the hard right party has squeezed the Conservative vote, with Nigel Farage the favourite to win the seat of Clacton in Essex on his eighth attempt to enter parliament. It will pose a major challenge for the Starmer government, which The Labour leader, Keir Starmer, and his wife, Victoria, arrive to cast their votes in London yesterday PHOTOGRAPH: JAMES MANNING/PA will have to work out a strategy for how to fight the rise of the populist right, a trend reflected across Europe.
The Liberal Democrats are expected to have further dented the Tories by making gains across the south-west and home counties in the "blue wall".
Starmer is set to be the fourth Labour leader to oust the Conservatives since the second world war, and the first Labour prime minister for 14 years. A new Labour government will also see Rachel Reeves become the UK's first ever female chancellor.
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