Last updated: 01.54
A resounding victory for the center-left Labor Party under him Keir Starmer at Parliamentary elections in Britain Catch up on exit polls after polls close in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. A majority of 410 out of 650 seats in the House of CommonsWith the parallel decline of center-right rule since 2010 Conservative Unionist PartyUnder the outgoing Prime Minister Rishi SunakIt just gets 131 seats, Worst result in its history.
Based on the results, the Labor Party conveniently forms a self-sustaining government.
A right-wing populist and Brexit “protagonist” looks set to enter parliament for the first time. Nigel Farage, With his new party, Reformed UK. Out of his own seat, at Clacton of Essex, he seems likely to win (99% confidence poll rate), his new form of British Parliament seems to have 13 MPs in the lower house. Farage was elected MP at his 8th (!) attempt.
The centrists recorded a strong performance Liberal Democrats, They may achieve the best election results in their history with 61 MPs.
By contrast, the Scottish centre-left nationalists SNP are running very low, with forecasts giving them just 10 seats, down from 48 in the previous House of Commons.
More specifically, exit polls show the following correlation regarding major parties in the new House of Commons (overall): 650 seatsrequired 326 for One party government):
Labor Party (centre-left): 410
Conservative Unionist Party (centre-right): 131
Liberal Democrats (Centre): 61
Reform UK (populist right – far right): 13
Scottish National Party – SNP (Centre Left – Scottish Nationalism): 10
Blade Cymru (centre-left – Welsh nationalism): 4
Green (ecologists): 2
Other Parties: 19
It was the first victory for Labor in a national parliamentary election in Britain since Labor won under its leader Tony Blair in 2005.
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Starmer: Thank you to those who believed in our transformed Labor Party
“To everyone who campaigned for Labour, voted for us and believed in our transformed Labor Party – thank you,” he tweeted shortly after the UK election.
To everyone who campaigned for Labor in this election, voted for us and believed in our transformed Labor Party – thank you. https://t.co/q6yDNPnAbo
— Keir Starmer (@Keir_Starmer) July 4, 2024
“Starmer’s brilliant job in changing the workforce”
After the poll was announced, Labor deputy leader Angela Rayner said: “The numbers are encouraging, but a poll is a poll, so we don’t have the results yet.”
Keir Starmer has done a “fantastic job” of transforming Labour, Ms Rayner noted, adding that she believes “people have rallied behind him”.
Final decisions and orders from King Charles to form a government
Estimates were announced after voting closed at 22:00 local time (00:00 Friday Greek time). However it takes hours to wait for the result which is announced till early morning block wise.
After five Conservative Prime Ministers, Brexit, austerity, a crisis in purchasing power and the deterioration of the public health system, the British wanted to show their displeasure at the election and turn to the Conservatives. In the final days of the election campaign the Tories had only one ambition: to reduce the scope of their defeat.
“You have 4 hours to stop a Labor majority raising taxes for the rest of your life,” Rishi Sunak said earlier Thursday.
Keir Starmer, a 61-year-old former barrister, is expected to be appointed by Charles III to form a government on Friday.
Conservatives’ first reaction: the night will be long
The Conservatives responded to the poll results, saying it was still a long night ahead.
A Tory spokesman noted the poll was a prediction, not a conclusion, and it was important to “wait to see the actual results”.
Echoing the party’s campaign rhetoric, the spokesman added: “If these results are correct, it is clear that Starmer and Angela Rayner will be in Downing Street tomorrow.
“That means your taxes will go up and our country will be less safe.”
The Conservative Party also notes that the Tories will have “lost some very good and dynamic parliamentary candidates” based on the results.
“It’s been a long night and we’ll have to wait and see what kind of government the people elect,” the spokesman added.
“We’ll find out soon enough.”
It was probably the biggest defeat for the Conservatives in their history in terms of percentage of voters and seats
The Conservatives’ share of votes and seats could be the lowest in the party’s history, according to the poll.
The Tories’ poll numbers could be hit by a much bigger drop in the party’s vote in places where it was previously particularly strong – as support for the populist far-right Reform UK surges, the BBC reckons.
Outgoing Chancellor of the Exchequer Jeremy Hunt is likely to lose his post
Outgoing chancellor and former Conservative Party leader Jeremy Hunt has only a 19% chance of retaining his seat (Godalming and Ash) in the House of Commons, according to poll results.
“The faces in his polling booths show shock,” said a BBC reporter.
“Tough Times for the Conservative Party”
The Minister for Work and Pensions resigned soon after the poll results were released Mel Straight He told the BBC: “This is a very difficult time for the Conservative Party.”
He said he regretted that some of his Conservative colleagues would lose their seats after the polls predicted. Regarding his own seat, he insisted, “We will have to wait and see.”
On Wednesday – a day before the election – Stride hit the headlines when he admitted what he believed would be a huge majority for Labor, effectively conceding his party’s impending defeat.
“It’s a Massacre for Conservatives”
Ruth Davidson, former leader of the Conservative Party of Scotland, spoke of the “murder” for the Conservative Unionist Party.
“We don’t need to hide things,” he told Sky News.
Davy: We are humbled to accept the best result for the Lib Dems in a century
The poll suggests a 61-seat win for the Lib Dems would be the party’s best result in a century.
Ed Davey, leader of the centrist party, said he was “humbled” by the turnout.
“The Liberal Democrats are on course for our best results in a century, thanks to our positive campaign, with a focus on health and welfare,” he said.
“I am humbled by the millions of people who supported the Lib Dems to drive the Conservatives out of power and deliver the change our country needs.
Every Lib Dem MP will be a strong local champion for their community, protecting the NHS and welfare. Whether you vote for us or not, we are working day in and day out and we will not let you down,” he concluded.
N. Sturgeon: Not a good night for the Scottish National Party
Not a good night for the SNP, the former Scottish First Minister commented on the poll.
The party that controls Scotland’s devolved local government could see its number of MPs in Westminster drop to 10 from 48 at the last general election.
Ms Sturgeon told ITV: “I think there will be a question about whether the SNP had enough ground in the election to get the Tories out of power and bring in Labour.”
Green: The tectonic plates of British political life are shifting
Greens co-leader Carla Denyer said Labor “want to see them succeed in government and their ambitions and achievements to be bold”.
He noted that whichever Green MP is elected – and exit polls suggest there will be two – the Labor government will be “bold, bolder and more ambitious” and tasked with pushing “new issues onto the agenda”.
“The tectonic political plates are shifting. We’ll see how much in a few hours.”
First official results: Sunderland South and Blyth and Ashington in Labour
In the first official result of the evening, Labor’s shadow education secretary Bridget Phillipson won the Sunderland South constituency.
In the second, he won the seat of Blyth and Ashington with Labor’s Ian Lavery.
Edited by: George D. Pavlopoulos
read more:
Elections in Britain: How economists comment on the results
