Sir Keir Starmer to be next prime minister after Rishi Sunak admits defeat – MASHAHER

Sir Keir Starmer will be the UK’s next prime minister after Rishi Sunak admitted defeat in the face of a Labour landslide.

• Labour wins the General Election after passing 326 seats

• Sir Keir Starmer says the UK is waking up to ‘the sunlight of hope’

• Rishi Sunak says the British people have delivered a ‘sobering verdict’ on his party

• Jacob Rees-Mogg loses North East Somerset and Hanham to Labour

Here’s the latest:

6.32am

6.30am

6.27am

With 600 constituency results declared, Labour has won 395 seats with a 34.6% share of the vote.

The Conservatives have 103 seats and a 23.2% vote share.

The Liberal Democrats have won in 63 constituencies with 11.8% of the overall vote, while Reform UK has 14.4% of the vote, translating to success in four seats.

The SNP has seven seats, Plaid Cymru is on four, the DUP has four and Sinn Fein has seven.

The Green Party has 6.9% of the votes and four seats.

6.26am

6.25am

6.24am

Home Secretary James Cleverly has held his seat in Braintree, Essex.

6.20am

Transport Secretary Mark Harper has been defeated by Labour in the Forest of Dean.

6.16am

Green Party candidate and former co-leader Sian Berry has won Brighton Pavilion, the party’s fourth victory of the night.

6.14am

6.13am

6.12am

Liberal Democrat Charlie Maynard has won Witney, beating the Conservatives in the seat which used to belong to former prime minister Lord David Cameron.

6.11am

Former Labour leader Neil Kinnock said he was feeling “something like ecstasy” after Sir Keir Starmer gave his victory speech at the Tate Modern.

Asked what had surprised him about the General Election, Mr Kinnock told PA news agency: “The dimension of the victory. I know what the very scientific polls had said, but for obvious reasons I retain a certain reservation about the accuracy of polls – they’ve turned out to be virtually smack on.

“Delight doesn’t really fit the bill, something like ecstasy I guess – at the achievement of Keir and of the Labour Party – and it’s historic and it’s wonderful, and it can change the whole course of our country for the much, much better.”

6.07am

6.05am

6.03am

With 574 constituency results declared, Labour has won 385 seats with a 35% share of the vote.

The Conservatives have 95 seats and a 22.8% vote share.

The Liberal Democrats have taken 56 constituencies with 11.5% of the overall vote, while Reform UK has 14.4% of the vote, translating to success in four seats.

The SNP has seven seats, Plaid Cymru is on four, Sinn Fein has seven and the DUP four. The Green Party has 6.8% of the votes and three seats.

6.02am

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5.59am

A record number of female MPs will sit in the new House of Commons.

Some 242 women have been elected so far, passing the previous record of 220 in 2019.

The number has risen at each of the past six elections.

5.58am

Green Party co-leader Adrian Ramsay has won Waveney Valley, defeating the Conservatives.

5.57am

5.56am

Tory former minister Sir Liam Fox has been defeated in Somerset North by Labour’s Sadik Al-Hassan.

5.55am

5.54am

Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey celebrated the party’s election results by dancing and singing to Sweet Caroline with supporters in central London.

Sir Ed laughed as he whirled around with his hands in the air singing the Neil Diamond classic while supporters sang along and waved orange Lib Dem posters.

The party leader hugged attendees as he danced his way towards the stage to deliver a short speech after his stunt-packed election campaign.

5.52am

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5.48am

With 545 constituency results declared, Labour has won 372 seats with a 35.6% share of the vote.

The Conservatives have 90 seats and a 22.8% vote share.

The Liberal Democrats have triumphed in 50 constituencies with 11.2% of the overall vote, while Reform UK have 14.5% of the vote, translating to success in four seats.

The SNP has five seats, Plaid Cymru is on four, Sinn Fein has six and the DUP has four. The Green Party has 6.8% of the votes and two seats

5.44am

5.43am

Tory security minister Tom Tugendhat has won Tonbridge.

5.42am

Labour has overturned more than a decade of SNP domination at Westminster by securing a majority of Scottish seats.

Labour sealed its resurgence in Scotland after passing the 29-seat threshold.

In the 2019 General Election, the party returned just one MP north of the border to the SNP’s 48.

5.41am

Former Labour leader Neil Kinnock had a tear in his eye as he spoke to reporters after Sir Keir Starmer’s speech.

Asked if we could start saying “Sir Keir Starmer, Prime Minister” Mr Kinnock said: “I think we can.”

He added: “This guy has got real strength of character, people know that innately about Keir Starmer, but they’re about to see it in action.

“It’s typical of Keir to pick up on the fact we’re walking into today and then into tomorrow – he’s got a sense of purpose for the future. It isn’t anything as romantic as destiny, but what he wants to avoid is the kind of vision that’s a mirage.”

5.40am

https://twitter.com/AlboMP/status/18090825185972184095.38am

5.37am

5.36am

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

5.35am

With 528 constituency results declared, Labour has won 363 seats with a 35.7% share of the vote.

The Conservatives have 85 seats and a 22.7% vote share.

The Liberal Democrats have won in 48 constituencies with 11.2% of the overall vote, while Reform UK have 14.6% of the vote, translating to success in four seats.

The SNP has five seats, Plaid Cymru is on four and the DUP has four. The Green Party has 6.8% of the votes and two seats.

5.33am

5.31am

Dan Norris, the new MP for North East Somerset and Hanham, said he had “got Mogg-xit done” after defeating Sir Jacob Rees-Mogg.

The Labour MP added: “It’s a great honour to serve the people of Keynsham, North East Somerset, Hanham and surrounding areas. This is my home. I’m deeply proud of all our communities and want our part of the world to be the best it can be.”

5.30am

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5.27am

Tory Government minister and former TV presenter Esther McVey has won in Tatton.

5.26am

Sir Jacob Rees-Mogg congratulated 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.”

5.24am

Sir Keir Starmer said “election victories don’t fall from the sky” in his victory speech.

The incoming Prime Minister said: “Don’t forget how we got here. This morning we can see that the British people have voted to turn the page.

“I may have mentioned my parents a few times on this campaign – once or twice – but the sense of security we had, the comfort we had from believing that Britain would always be better for their children. The hope – not high minded, not idealistic – but a hope that working class families like mine could build their lives around.

“It is a hope that might not burn brightly in Britain at the moment but we have earned the mandate to relight the fire. That is the purpose of this party and this government.

“We said we would end the chaos and we will. We said we would turn the page and we have. Today we start the next chapter, begin the work of change, the mission of national renewal and start to rebuild our country. Thank you.”

5.23am

Dartford has kept its 60-year record for being the longest-running bellwether seat in the UK.

Constituencies where the local result has a habit of matching the overall national outcome are known as bellwethers.

Since 1964, whichever party wins Dartford has gone on to form the government.

At this election, Labour gained Dartford from the Conservatives on a swing of 17.2 percentage points.

5.22am

With 500 constituency results declared, Labour have won 348 seats with a 35.9% share of the vote.

The Conservatives have 76 seats and a 22.4% vote share.

The Liberal Democrats have triumphed in 46 constituencies with 11.1% of the overall vote, while Reform UK have 14.6% of the vote, translating to success in four seats.

The SNP has four seats, Plaid Cymru is on four, and the DUP has three. The Green Party has 6.8% of the votes and two seats.

5.21am

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5.17am

Conservative former minister Sir Gavin Williamson has won Stone, Great Wyrley and Penkridge.

5.16am

Sir Keir Starmer said: “Today we start the next chapter, begin the work of change, the mission of national renewal and start to rebuild our country.

Giving his victory speech victory speech in the Tate Modern’s Turbine Hall, he added it “feels good, I have to be honest” as results reached the halfway point.

The Labour leader said: “We did it. You campaigned for it, you fought for it, you voted for it, and now it has arrived: change begins now.

“It feels good, I have to be honest. Four and a half years of work changing the party, this is is what it is for: a changed Labour Party ready to serve our country, ready to restore Britain to the service of working people.

“And across our country, people will be waking up to the news, relief that a weight has been lifted, a burden finally removed from the shoulders of this great nation.

“And now we can look forward, walk into the morning, the sunlight of hope, pale at first but getting stronger through the day, shining once again, on a country with the opportunity after 14 years to get its future back.”

5.11am

First Minister John Swinney has apologised to SNP candidates who did not retain their seats in the House of Commons.

Speaking to the PA news agency, Mr Swinney admitted the result was “very damaging and tough”.

“I’m very sorry to the colleagues who have lost their seats and will lose their seats in the course of this evening,” he said.

“The SNP has been through a very tough time and part of that tough time is the fact that I am now leading the party and have been doing so for the last eight weeks.

“You don’t recover from those tough times in an instant, and we’ve not managed to recover from them during this election campaign and I’m deeply sorry that that’s the situation that we face.

“But we’ve got to face up to the realities of the situation that we are in and we’ve got to build the trust and the confidence of the public in Scotland.”

5.11am

Sir Keir Starmer said the UK is 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”.

In his victory speech, he added: “Our task is nothing less than renewing the ideals that hold this country together.”

5.09am

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5.03am

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

5.02am

Sir Keir Starmer said “we did it” at a victory party as results pointed to a Labour landslide, adding “change begins now”.

5am

Senior Conservative Jacob Rees-Mogg has lost his North East Somerset and Hanham seat to Labour.

4.58am

Tory candidate Sir Peter Bottomley, who was Father of the House, has lost his seat in Worthing West to Labour’s Beccy Cooper.

4.57am

Labour has reached 300 seats as 416 constituency results have been declared, securing a 37.4% share of the vote.

The Conservatives have 58 seats and a 21.2% vote share.

The Liberal Democrats have won in 37 constituencies with 10.6% of the overall vote, while Reform UK have 14.9% of the vote, translating to success in four seats.

The SNP has four seats and Plaid Cymru is on four. The Green Party has 6.9% of the votes and one seat.

4.50am

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said it had been a “difficult night” and that the Labour party had won the General Election. He said the British people had delivered a “sobering verdict” on his party.

4.49am

After 377 constituency results out of 650 in the General Election, turnout stands at 58.7%.

Turnout at the 2019 general election was 67.3%.

4.46am

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has held his seat in Richmond and Northallerton.

4.36am

Speaking to the PA news agency as he was leaving the vote count Jeremy Corbyn said: “I’m very happy with the result.”

He said it was a “fantastic result and it’s a triumph for the people of Islington North”.

He said his message for Sir Keir Starmer was: “Our people in Islington North, your neighbouring constituency, turned out in huge numbers on a message of hope, wealth redistribution and fundamental change in our society. I’m very proud of them.”

Asked whether he was hopeful for the future, he said: “I’m always hopeful for the future because I’m a born optimist.”