UK Election 2017 live: Results - Theresa May to form government with DUP support
After visiting the Queen, Theresa May confirms that she plans to form government with the support of the DUP.
UK ELECTION 2017 LIVE: Great Britain went to the polls to decide if Theresa May’s Conservative Party or Jeremy Corbyn’s Labour Party would lead the country. Live coverage continues under seat count.
KEY DEVELOPMENTS
• Latest prediction: Con 318, Lab 262, SNP 35, LD 13
• The Tories will fall short of the majority of the 326 they need.
• After visiting the Queen, Theresa May confirms that she will form government with the support of the DUP.
• You can see the full vote share here
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10.50pm: Blue-ribbon Tory seat last in balance
The final seat in the UK election, that of the inner London area of Kensington and Chelsea, will be unknown for several more hours after a third recount has been called by electoral officials.
The Conservative held seat of over four decades may be lost to Labour as just 20-30 votes separate the two parties.
Officials ruled that staff must have a rest before the start of the recount as they are exhausted from the election night and two counts of the ballots. The recount will start around 6 pm London time.
At the moment, with that one seat still to be determined, the Conservatives have won 318 seats, Labour 261 and the Liberal Democrats 12.
Winners and losers in the UK general election, including composition of the incoming parliament #GE2017 pic.twitter.com/5rZbiD1bBS
— AFP news agency (@AFP) June 9, 2017
10pm: May commits to Brexit plans
Mrs May delivered a powerful speech, showing a renewed confidence outside 10 Downing Street having seen the Queen and said the “Conservative and Unionist party has the ability to deliver certainty in the House of Commons”.
She expressed a wish to guide Britain through the critical negotiations of Brexit and deliver fairness and opportunity across the country.
She said the Tories and Unionists had enjoyed a strong relationship over many years and she had confidence they could work together. She also repeated a promise to deIiver a safe and secure Britain and repeated her intentions to introduce new laws to give increased powers to police and other authorities to keep the community safe.
“Now let’s get to work,” she said in closing, returning to her office to formulate a new Cabinet.
9.55pm: May: I will form a government to provide certainty
Returning to Downing Street, Theresa May confirms that she will form government with the support of the DUP.
“I have just been to see Her Majesty The Queen and I will now form a government that can provide certainty and lead Britain forward at this critical time for our country.
This government will guide this country forward through the crucial Brexit talks... and deliver on the will of the people by leading this country out of the European Union.”
She said: “It is clear only the Conservative and the Unionist party can provide that stability.”
9.25pm: May meeting the Queen
Theresa May, with her husband, has arrived at Buckingham Palace to seek approval from the Queen to try to form a new government.
8.50pm: Corbyn’s IRA ties cited
DUP sources have indicated that the quick deal with the Tories came about because of the ties both Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn and his chief supporter John McDonnell had to the IRA and Sinn Fein.
8.30pm: Brexit official mocks ‘another own goal’
The European Parliament’s top Brexit official called the British election result “yet another own goal” for the Conservative Party and said it will make “already complex negotiations even more complicated.” In a statement to The Associated Press, the legislature’s Brexit coordinator Guy Verhofstadt quipped: “I thought surrealism was a Belgian invention.”
Last year, then Conservative prime minister David Cameron called the Brexit referendum with the aim of staying in. This year, Theresa May called the early election in hopes of increasing her majority ahead of discussions over the country’s exit from the EU.
He said it was yet “another own goal, after Cameron now May”. Verhofstadt said he hoped Britain would soon have a “stable government to start negotiations,” which are important for the future of Europe as well.
Meanwile the European Union’s chief negotiator Michel Barnier appears to be giving Britain time to regroup in the wake of Mrs May’s election setback and said “Brexit negotiations should start when UK is ready.” The European Union has long said it’s ready to start discussions over Britain’s exit from the EU. May formally triggered the two-year Brexit departure timetable in March. The first face-to-face discussions between the British government and EU officials were due later this month.
In a tweet, Barnier said: “Timetable and EU positions are clear. Let’s put our minds together on striking a deal.”
8.25pm: DUP leader: too soon to talk
Theresa May will be visiting the Queen soon hoping to form a government, according to Downing St, but the unionist party in Northern Ireland that appears her best bet says it’s too soon to talk about what will happen.
Democratic Unionist Party leader Arlene Foster told British media that contacts will be made over the weekend, but “I think it is too soon to talk about what we’re going to do.” However, she believed it would be “difficult for (May) to survive.”
8.15pm: Turnout highest since 1997
Voter turnout across the nation was 68.7 per cent - the highest level since the 1997 election that saw Tony Blair topple Johm Major. The UK Telegraph reports that the figures point to a sharp increase in young voters, with around two-thirds – 453,000 – of the more than 600,00 new voters to sign up on deadline day aged between 18 and 34.
Jacquelin Magnay 8pm: Crosby blamed for Tory slump
Australia’s election guru Lynton Crosby has been blamed for the Conservative Party’s disastrous performance. Sir Lynton was one of five people within the inner circle directing the Tory campaign from what had been seen as a bulletproof position.
Expectations just six weeks ago were that Theresa May would pick up more than 100 new seats and crush Labour. But the result has been nothing short of catastrophic, with the party losing about 12 seats.
Former Australian prime minister Kevin Rudd was scathing in a brief tweet, saying: “It seems ‘Sir’ Lynton Crosby, Australian conservative political hatchet man, may not have had such a brilliant British election after all.’’
Read the full story here: Lynton Crosby blamed for Tory performance
It seems "Sir" Lynton Crosby, Australian conservative political hatchet man, may not have had such a brilliant British election after all.
— Kevin Rudd (@MrKRudd) June 9, 2017
7.45pm: UKIP leader Nuttall quits
Paul Nuttall has quit as UKIP leader. He failed in his second attempt to gain a seat in parliament, in po-Brexit Boston and Skegness.
Nuttall said: “I am standing down today as the leader of UKIP with immediate effect. This will allow the party to have a new leader in place by the conference in September.
“The new rebranded UKIP must be launched and new era must begin with a new leader.”
“I never envisaged that I would lead the party into three byelections and a general election in the space of six hectic months. I wanted at least a year of calm to rebrand and rebuild the party’s structures.”
UKIP’s party vote share was down about 2 per cent.
Complete the following sequence of Ukip leaders:
— Henry Mance (@henrymance) June 9, 2017
Nigel Farage
Malcolm Pearson
Nigel Farage
Diane James
Nigel Farage
Paul Nuttall
....
7.35pm: ‘No formal coalition needed’
The Democratic Unionist Party does not believe there is a need for a formal coalition deal, Sky News reported. The British PM will visit the palace at 12.30pm (9.30pm AEST).
The DUP, which has 10 MPs, was the only party to offer explicit support to the Prime Minister and help her stay in office.
Mrs May has already reached out to the Northern Ireland party, inviting its leader Arlene Foster to last year’s conference. The party is on the right of British politics, aligned with those on the socially conservative right wing of the party.
Sir Jeffrey Donaldson, a senior MP, said that if the exit poll was correct it would be “perfect territory for the DUP”, putting the party in a “very strong negotiating position”. He said that the prospect of a hung parliament makes the DUP “serious players” on the national stage.
7.20pm: May will seek to form new government
The Conservative Party has announced that Theresa May is to visit Queen at 12.30pm London time, which is in a couple of hours, to formally request royal approval for a Tory government with support from DUP.
We foreshadowed this move earlier, saying she could be forced to do a deal with the 10 MPs from the hard Brexit-supporting Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) in Northern Ireland.
Read more: PM: let’s make a deal
6.50pm: May expected to speak soon
Theresa May is expected to hold a media conference in London after 10am local time - about 10 minutes’ time.
Her Labour rival Jeremy Corbyn said today she should step down, but British media are reporting the Prime Minister is set to stay put and attempt to form government.
“Theresa May has no intention of announcing her resignation later today,” BBC political editor Laura Kuenssberg said, adding, however: “It’s not clear to me whether they’re trying to kill the rumours off before she truly makes her mind up.”
Anna Soubry, an outspoken former Tory minister, was the first Conservative out of the blocks calling on Mrs May to “obviously now consider her position” after a “dreadful campaign”.
George Osborne, the former chancellor who is now editor of London’s Evending Standard newspaper, suggested that Mrs May would have to resign if projections of a “catastrophic” result proved accurate. “It’s difficult to see how she can put together a governing coalition, but it’s hard to see how Labour can either,” he said.
Iain Duncan Smith, the former Tory pensions secretary, insisted it would be a “grave error” to launch into the “turmoil of a leadership election” within the next 24 hours, but conceded: “It’s clearly not going to be business as usual.”
Meanwhile, European Commission president Donald Tusk has responded to the result of a hung parliament. He has bluntly told the British to get their political house in order, fast.
Mr Tusk tweeted:’’We don’t know when Brexit talks start. We know when they must end. Do your best to avoid a “no deal” as result of “no negotiations”.
So the EU is saying, bluntly, get your house in order Britain. https://t.co/xv9PPKvBPq
— Jacquelin Magnay (@jacquelinmagnay) June 9, 2017
6.35pm: Pound slips further
The pound has fallen further after results showed the Conservatives lost their majority.
The British currency lost as much as 3c against the dollar late Thursday and early Friday UK time, to fall as low as $1.2636 in Asian trading hours after the final results started trickling in.
It recovered somewhat to trade at $1.2677 but remained well short of the $1.2955 level before the exit poll was published late Thursday.
Investors worry a minority Conservative government would be weaker in Brexit talks, scheduled to begin on June 19.
5.40pm: May will steady ship before stepping aside
COMMENT
Writing in The Times, Matthew Parris - commentator and former Conservative MP - says Theresa May will not be in Downing Street for much longer. He writes:
“Talking to old friends and new colleagues over recent weeks for a Newsnight film on the character and beliefs of the prime minister, much about her remained unclear to me but what did emerge was a controlled person with a clear sense both of duty and of her own dignity. Though often vague about policy, she has an instinctive feeling for right and wrong.
“Both instinct and logic will impel her to the conclusion that she must stay for as long as necessary to get the ship of state on to an even keel and to prepare the way for a new leadership election, but not a moment longer than that.
“She will feel both exhausted and wounded but, more than that, profoundly sorry that she has failed the people and the causes that she sees herself in politics to serve. Much has been made of her rigidity and her reluctance to take decisions hastily but I have the feeling that she will not find this decision difficult. She surely knows that she must go as soon as departure would be seemly.
“Unlike so many leading politicians I have encountered, Mrs May’s friends do actually like her. She never had a gang and in the political sense walks alone. But she has been loyally supported by a small group of people who will not desert her as power drains away.
“Many of those I talked to conceded that it was a political weakness that she had no broad, wide, diverse, perhaps shallow, constituency within her own party; and perhaps that is true. They have added that confining her circle to a few whose loyalty she can count on has constricted her. But that weakness, if it is a weakness, now has a strength. Her friends will still be her friends in defeat, as they were in victory. Strong people can take being humbled, and Theresa May is a strong person.”
The Times
5.35pm: Brexit has been ‘complicated’
A weak British negotiating partner would further complicate talks on the country’s exit from the European Union, a top EU official warned after Britain’s election ended in a hung parliament.
“We need a government that is capable of action, which can negotiate Britain’s exit ... the British need to negotiate their exit but with a weak negotiating partner, there is a danger that the talks are bad for both parties,” EU budget commissioner Guenther Oettinger told German radio.
5.10pm: Speculation builds over May
Prime Minister Theresa May has no plans to resign despite losing her parliamentary majority in Britain’s snap election, the BBC says. “Theresa May has no intention of announcing her resignation later today,” the BBC’s politicial editor Laura Kuenssberg said.
“It’s not clear to me whether they’re trying to kill the rumours off before she truly makes her mind up.” With 643 out of 650 seats declared, the Conservatives had won 313, and were therefore no longer able to reach the 326-mark needed to command a parliamentary majority.
Earlier in the morning, a tense looking May said her Conservative Party would work to provide stability whatever the result of the election, which she called to give her a stronger mandate for Brexit talks.
“At this time, more than anything else this country needs a period of stability,” said May, who was resoundingly re-elected to her Maidenhead seat in southern England.
“If, as the indications have shown, and if this is correct that the Conservative Party has won the most seats and probably the most votes then it will be incumbent on us to ensure that we have that period of stability and that is exactly what we will do.” “The country needs a period of stability and whatever the result the Conservative Party will ensure that we fulfill our duty in ensuring that stability.”
5.05pm: ‘No questions’ over Brexit
French Prime Minister Edouard Philippe said today that the British election result was a surprise but did not change the country’s decision to leave the European Union.
“The British have spoken, they have voted, and have given the Conservative party a majority, albeit a simple majority, which is something of a surprise,” Philippe told Europe 1 radio, but added: “I don’t think we should read these results as calling into question the stance on Brexit which was clearly expressed by the British people.”
4.55pm: Good news for the Tories
They’ve held the seat of St Ives by 312 votes.
#GE2017: St Ives:
— Britain Elects (@britainelects) June 9, 2017
Con: 43.2% (+4.9)
LDem: 42.6% (+9.4)
Lab: 14.2% (+4.9)
No UKIP and Green as prev.
4.45pm: ‘May lost her bet’
British Prime Minister Theresa May “lost her bet”, the EU’s Economy Commissioner Pierre Moscovici said Friday after May’s Conservative Party failed to win an overall majority in a snap election.
“Mrs May, who was supposed to emerge strengthened, lost her bet and is therefore in a less than clear situation because the truth is that we don’t really know what the governing situation is this morning,” Moscovici told the French Europe 1 radio channel.
4.15pm: How the elections compare
This is how the electorate voted in 2015 compared with today. And despite the poor result for the Tories, pundits are now saying Theresa May should not stand down. The BBC’s Robert Peston reports that her ministers are urging her to stay, citing her 43 percent of the vote, compred with David Cameron's 36 percent. Others are saying that it is her duty to remain in post - at least for the moment.
4.07pm: Brexit talks delayed?
EU Commissioner Gunther Oettinger reportedly says Brexit talks may now not start as planned on June 19.
BREAKING Brexit delayed? EU Commissioner Gunther Oettinger says Brexit talks might not now start as planned on June 19 #hungparliament
— Christopher Hope 📠(@christopherhope) June 9, 2017
4.05pm: Former minister calls on May to go
The former cabinet secretary Lord Turnbull hasn ow joined calls for Theresa May to go. He told the BBC: “She’s made an absolute catastrophic mistake – two mistakes. One, she calls an election – a snap election – for which she’s unprepared. Two, she runs it in a poor way and what is looking like an easy win, she turns into a minor defeat.”
4.00 pm: Don’t panic
So what happens next The Times writes:
“The first thing to say is that so long as it is unclear who is to be prime minister the incumbent has the duty, not just the right, to remain in post. Under constitutional conventions politicians should not leave the Queen with discretion over who to invite to form a cabinet.
The government formation process is “unordered”. This means that neither the largest party nor the incumbent has any special right to go first. Anyone can speak to anyone else. So Theresa May could be taking tea with Arlene Foster in No 10 while Labour and others try to cobble together a progressive alliance in a dusty parliamentary office.
A prime minister does not need a majority of MPs to vote actively in their favour, only to avoid a majority voting against them. So if smaller parties abstain, the largest party can govern without doing a deal with anyone else.
It is also conceivable that the party leadership will change. There is no constitutional bar – hypothetically – to Amber Rudd or Yvette Cooper becoming prime minister if their colleagues decide that they are best placed to command the support of parliament.
There are different ways to govern without a one-party majority. David Cameron and Nick Clegg opted for full coalition. But minority government is workable too – recent prime ministers in Canada and Australia can attest to that, as can Nicola Sturgeon. Or there are “confidence and supply” arrangements, common in New Zealand, where smaller parties win policy concessions but back the government on life-and-death votes.
A hung parliament is not unprecedented. There is no need to panic — but it certainly means that British politics will continue to live in interesting times.”
John Lyons: 3.50pm: Act like pollie, get thumped
Theresa May is now feeling the pain that her successor, David Cameron, felt.
May has gone from being a Prime Minister with a new strong majority to what is likely to be a hung parliament.
This is a disastrous result for her and the UK.
It doesn’t help Australia either — this injects a whole new bout of instability into the international scene which is already nervous from instability and growing terrorist attacks.
3.46pm: DUP deal for May?
With a hung parliament now certain, Theresa May could be forced to do a deal with the 10 MPs from the hard Brexit-supporting Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) in Northern Ireland, according to The Times.
This would mean the Conservative administration could be held to ransom by one rebel Tory MP, meaning it is likely to try to find allies in the Commons.
The DUP was the only party to offer explicit support to the prime minister and help her stay in office.
DUP website crashes amid talk of supporting Tories in face of #hungparliamenthttps://t.co/nRBf9kBx72 #bbcelection #GE2017 pic.twitter.com/nZicIepjqa
— BBC News (UK) (@BBCNews) June 9, 2017
3.45pm: Diane Abbott wins big
And in another shock, Diane Abbott, who has had a car crash of a campaign and was shunted aside by Jeremy Corbyn this week, has won her biggest ever majority in Hackney North and Stoke Newington, getting 75 per cent of the vote.
Ms Abbott increased her majority by over 11,000 to over 35,000.
3.40pm: Will she stay or go?
Theresa May's future is now very much in the balance. The founder of respected polling company ComRes is one who thinks she will have to go
Can't see how May can survive this - the gamble has caused huge disruption already and risks Brexit negs and econ turmoil due to pol chaos
— Andrew Hawkins (@Andrew_ComRes) June 9, 2017
3.35pm: Seat gains and losses
3.10pm: Grim dawn for Tories
Yet more bad news for the Tories as dawn breaks, with the Lib Dems’ Layla Moran overturning a majority of almost 10,000 votes to take the seat from the Conservatives.
In Brighton, the Greens’ co-leader Caroline Lucas has increased her majority. Labour is second in this seat, with the Tories third.
The BBC now reports that no party can reach the winning line.
3.05pm: May ‘50/50 to go'
The Tories are currently on 309 seats and Labour is on 258. The BBC is quoting Conservative sources saying it’s 50/50 whether Theresa May goes. She didn't mention her future when she addressed staff at Tory headquarters: the BBC reports her mood was sombre but calm.
May pparently didn't mention her own future in speech to staff at CCHQ, leaves open possibility of resignation - just not clear yet
— Laura Kuenssberg (@bbclaurak) June 9, 2017
2.58pm: ‘She's lost her authority’
Theresa May told Britain that losing her majority would destroy her authority to negotiate Brexit. She might be regretting those words.
We know Theresa May can't now negotiate Brexit for Britain because she told us losing majority would destroy her authority---and it has.
— Ed Miliband (@Ed_Miliband) June 9, 2017
2.53pm: Why Tories lost majority
Polling expert John Curtice says the Conservatives have lost their majority because of the movement of (EU) Remainers and young voters towards Labour.
Professor Curtice told the BBC: “The effect of this movement has been to counteract the clear evidence that the Conservative Party benefited most from the sharp decline in UKIP support from 13% to 2%.
“Where UKIP was strongest in 2015 - and where consequently their vote fell most this time around - there was a small net swing to the Conservatives, whereas where UKIP were previously weakest there was a 7% swing to Labour.
2.50pm: Election oddballs
If Britain does one thing well, it does election oddballs, from Elmo to the Monster Raving Loony Party. And on a day like today, we really need them.
2.33pm: BBC calls a hung parliament
With 29 seats left to count, it is almost certain Britain will end with a hung parliament. The BBC is predicting the day will end with the Tories on 318 and Labor on 262.
Polling expert John Curtice says; “Maybe in the end this could be the most accurate exit poll yet.”
Updated proejction - Tories 318, Labour 262, SNP 35, Lib 13
— Laura Kuenssberg (@bbclaurak) June 9, 2017
2.25pm: ‘They don't want either of you’
Alastair Campbell, former Labour spin doctor has pointed out that while Jeremy Corbyn is apparently having a great night, the results so far are showing that voters are showing they don't really want either party.
2.15pm: ‘A rejection of May’s Brexit’
Theresa May's Brexit is getting the death sentence from all sides. Former Lib Dem leader Paddy Ashdown says Britain has rejected hard Brexit while Alastair Campbell, Tony Blair's former spin doctor, also calls the elecetion a rejection of Brexit.
This election is a rejection of May and hard Brexit. A vote for one to go and the other to be revisited.
— Alastair Campbell (@campbellclaret) June 8, 2017
In rejecting Mrs May have we not also rejected her hard Brexit? Let's see if the Brexiteers who shouted about democracy now observe it
— Paddy Ashdown (@paddyashdown) June 9, 2017
2.10pm: ‘A dreadful campaign’
Theresa May’s own MPs are openly criticising her campaign. Anna Soubry, MP for Broxtowe told the BBC “It was a dreadful campaign.”
Ms Soubry, who retained her seat by less than 1000 votes, said the prime minister needs to “consider her position” in the wake of a “dreadful night” for the Conservatives.
Even former Tory leader Iain Duncan Smith admitted the campaign “wasn't the greatest I’ve witnessed”
It's almost as if Theresa May looked at Hillary's campaign and said: "Let's do that"
— robert shrimsley (@robertshrimsley) June 9, 2017
1.53pm: Amber Rudd holds Hastings
Home Secretary Amber Rudd has held Hastings and Rye, but only by a tiny margin of 300 votes and only after a recount. Ms Rudd won the seat in 2015 with a majority of 4,000.
Big hitter Ken Clarke has also held his seat of Rushcliffe which he has held since the 1970s, but only by a greatly reduced majority.
Big-hitters scathing. Soubry: "dreadful campaign". IDS: "wasn't the greatest campaign I've ever witnessed". #GE2017
— Tim Johns (@timoncheese) June 9, 2017
1.50pm: EU leaders in disbelief
Europe's leaders are in disbelief at the chaos at the polls.
Carl Bildt, the former Swedish prime minister, blamed the “mess” in British politics on a lack of true leadership and diplomats in Brussels lamented that there could be no reliable negotiating partner across the table.
He tweeted: “Could be messy for the United Kingdom in the years ahead. One mess risks following another. Price to be paid for lack of true leadership.”
A Romanian MEP tweeted his pure disbelief at the state of British political leadership. “She has a majority, calls an election, loses the majority and has no coalition partner. And Article 50 is ticking,” Siegfried Muresan, a centre-right MEP, said.
In Berlin the Social Democratic Party (SPD) were celebrating the rise in Labour seats but were concerned at the impact of a hung parliament on the Brexit process. “I am so happy for Labour colleagues that probably none have lost their seats but nevertheless my first thought was ‘damn, a hung parliament’,” Jens Zimmermann, an MP in the SPD, said. He tweeted that Mrs May was “already a big loser” after the exit polls.
1.43pm: Six ministers lose seats
The Tories' Simon Kirby has lost Brighton to Labour, bringing the number of Theresa May’s ministers who have lost their seats to six.
They are:
Simon Kirby, Economic Secretary to the Treasury
Ben Gummer, the Cabinet Office minister
Jane Ellison, the Financial Secretary to the Treasury
James Wharton, junior minister at the Department for International Development
Gavin Barwell, the housing minister
Rob Wilson, a culture minister
1.35pm: The Brexit debacle
Here’s James Kirby’s take on the election chaos.
1.24pm: Labour takes Croydon
Labour has won Croydon back from the Tories, who had gained it by only 165 votes in 2015. Labour's Sarah Jones won it back with a majority of 5,652.
1.20pm: Alex Salmond loses seat
Alex Salmond, former SNP leader, has lost his Gordon seat, which he has held for 20 years, to the Conservatives.
First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said: “I am not going to rush to hasty decisions but there are decisions to be made. Clearly I am not going to gloss over the fact we suffered losses this evening, but its very likely the SNP will be the third largest party in Westminster. We want to be part of a progressive alliance as an alternative to the Tories.’’
The SNP has won 27 seats so far but lost six to Labour and six to the Conservatives. Ms Sturgeon said the losses to Labour were a particular surprise.
1.12pm: Brexit explainer
With the Conservatives looking sure to fail to win a parliamentary majority, here are details on what Theresa May would need to win and what would happen if she failed to get a majority.
1.10pm: Halfway time
At halfway time, the Tories are predicted to lose their majority, with 318 seats, down 13 on 2015 with Labour on 267, up 35 seats. But good news for the Scottish Conservatives, who have won three seats from the SNP.
1.07pm: ‘May’s Brexit no longer option’
Lib Dem Big Beast Vince Cable who has won back his seat of Twickenham, says Theresa May's vision of “extreme Brexit is simply no longer an option.”
Mr Cable said: “We’re very clear on the big picture, that we won’t take part in any coalition but we want to be constructive.
“Parties are going to have to work together not shout at each other.”
1.00pm: Election 'disaster for May'
Scotland’s First Minister Nicola Sturgeon says the election has been “a disaster” for Theresa May.
Ms Sturgeon declared the SNP “has won the election in Scotland”, and paid tribute to her deputy Angus Robertson, who has lost his seat.
She said Mr Robertson, the SNP’s leader in Westminster, was “such an outstanding MP and an exceptional leader in the House of Commons”.
She said she hopes the SNP can play a part in a progressive alliance that is an alternative to the Tories.
12.55pm: Recount in Hastings
More bad news for the Tories, with a full recount going on in Hastings, held by the Home Secretary Amber Rudd.
12.50pm: Disaster for SDLP
It’s been a dreadful night for Northern Ireland's SDLP which has lost all three of its Westminster seats. As Sinn Fein does not take up its seats in the House of Commons, it means there will be no nationalist Northern Ireland representatives in Westminster.
12.44pm: ‘Time for May to go’
After his massive win in Islington North, Jeremy Corbyn has called on Theresa May to go
and “make way” for a government that would be “truly representative of the people of this country”.
He said he was “very proud” of the results so far, which he said were a “vote for hope for the future” and said people were “turning their backs on austerity”.
Former SNP leader predicts Mrs May will have resigned in 48 hours.
Salmond predicts May will be gone within 48 hours
— Laura Kuenssberg (@bbclaurak) June 9, 2017
12.35pm: Tories lose Canterbury
A massive shock as the Tories’ Sir Julian Brazier loses his Canterbury seat to Labour’s Rosie Duffield. Sir Julian has been in the job for 30 years while the Tories have held it for 99 years. In another shock, the party also lost Kingston and Surbiton to the Lib Dems. The party has also lost Stroud to Labour.
12.30pm: Lib Dem leader holds seat
Lib Dem leader Tim Farron holds his seat in Westmorland after a recount and rumours of an upset. However he won by only 777 votes.
Meanwhile the political editor of The Spectator tweets that the Tories are ‘absolutely spitting.’
‘Do not underestimate the fury in the parliamentary party. They are absolutely spitting’ one minister tells me
— James Forsyth (@JGForsyth) June 9, 2017
12.25pm: Tories lose Bath
The Tories have lost Bath to the Lib Dems. The Conservatives won Bath by 3,833 in the last election but it voted heavily for Remain in the Brexit referendum.
12.20pm: May holds Maidenhead
Theresa May holds her Maidenhead seat with 30,718 to Labour’s 11,261. Mrs May said that if the Tories are “the largest party with the largest number of votes, it would be encumbent on us to form a government” to provide stability. Her speech seems to indicate that she has already accepted there will be a hung parliament.
The need for a period of stability was the reason Theresa May used to give for why she wasn't going to go for an early election...
— James Forsyth (@JGForsyth) June 9, 2017
Screaming Lord Hope is a good description of what has brought her to this. https://t.co/1kfXsBp8e1
— Philip Collins (@PCollinsTimes) June 9, 2017
12.17pm: Have Tories lost mandate for Brexit?
David Davis, one of the Tories’ Big Beasts, admits the party may have lost its mandate for Brexit.
Huge: David Davis concedes UK government may have lost mandate to exit customs union and single market (Sky, 2.30am). pic.twitter.com/9o9oxrvhf0
— Matthew Holehouse (@mattholehouse) June 9, 2017
12.10pm: May about to hear her count
We’re close to Theresa May’s count in Maidenhead now.
#UKElection2017 https://t.co/4u6QQAXby2
— Chris Kenny (@chriskkenny) June 9, 2017
12.06pm: Corbyn holds seat
Jeremy Corbyn has held his seat of Islington North. Mr Corbyn won 40,086 votes, the lartest vote haul for any candidate in the constituency’s history.“Politics has changed and politics isn’t going back into the box it was in before,” Mr Corbyn said.
Meanwhile, the BBC predicts that Labour is set to take Canterbury, which has been Conservative since 1918.
Labour set to take Canterbury, been Tory since 1918
— Laura Kuenssberg (@bbclaurak) June 9, 2017
John Lyons: 12.05pm: ‘Deeply divided nation’
Nick Clegg’s loss of his seat is a humiliating end to the political career of a man who was for five years Deputy Prime Minister of the UK.
Immediately upon losing his seat of Sheffield Hallam to the Labor Party. Clegg warned that the UK was now “a deeply divided and polarised nation.”
The defeat puts another nail in the coffin of the David Cameron years.
Clegg had led the Liberal Democrats into coalition with the Conservatives, a move which alienated many of the Left-wing supporters of his party.
Clegg looked downcast at the announcement of the result.
In his final speech, he thanked his team who had helped him in his 12 years in the seat.
He said he had never shirked from political battles nor retreated from the political battlefield.
He said the new parliament was likely to be one which faced not just “the excruciating task of trying to form a sensible government” but had to naviagate its way towards Brexit.
He said the UK today was divided between left and right, between different regions but “a huge gulf now exists between young and old.”
“We will not pick our way through the very difficult times that our country faces if in next parliament MPs seek to amplify what divides them,” he said.
If this did not happen, he said the UK would endure “unprecedented hardship and difficulty in the years ahead.”
12.00pm: May arrives for count
Despite her party’s election woes, Theresa May looks cheerful as she arrives for the count in her Maidenhead constituency.
11.55am: Shock losses for Tories
Lib Dem’s former big hitter Vince Cable, who lost his seat of Twickenham at the last election, has retaken it from the Conservatives. Meanwhile Cabinet Office Minister Ben Gummer, who was tipped for a cabinet job as a reward for writing the now infamous Tory manifesto, has lost his Ipswich seat to Labour.
11.50am: Oz stocks open lower
The Australian share market slipped in early trade as exit polls pointed to a hung parliament in Britain and after Wall Street ended flat.
11.46am: Nick Clegg loses seat
Nick Clegg, the former Deputy PM and ex Lib Dem leader, has lost his seat of Sheffield Hallam to Labour.
11.35am: All smiles from Jeremy
Jeremy Corbyn is all smiles as he arrives for the count in his Islington North constituency, but the Tories in Nottingham are less happy ...
Troubling times for Conservatives watching the results come in at Nottingham count. #GE2017 pic.twitter.com/5EnvAfOPRy
— Josh Posaner (@joshposaner) June 9, 2017
11.32am: SNP deputy leader loses seat
The SNP’s deputy leader Anagus Robertson has lost his Moray seat to the Scottish Conservatives.
Douglas Ross of the Tories overturned a majority of 9,065 to defeat Mr Robertson by 4,200 votes. The seat had been a key target for the Conservatives in Scotland.
Lord Ashcroft, former Lib Dem leader, has tweeted that the Conservative Scots could save the Tories. “That would be extraordinary,” he says.
The Conservative Scots could possibly save the Tories. That would be extraordinary...
— Lord Ashcroft (@LordAshcroft) June 9, 2017
John Lyons: 11.30am: Farage to return?
The likely instability following the UK election has been highlighted by Nigel Farage’s declaration that he would consider a return to politics.
Farage resigned as leader of the anti-Europe party UKIP in July last year after Britons voted to leave the European Union.
But he has just declared that should Labor leader Jeremy Corbyn be able to lead a coalition government he would probably return.
11.25am: Brexit ‘back on table’
Alastair Campbell, Tony Blair’s former spin doctor, says Theresa May made a “catastrophic mistake” by calling the election. He also believes that Brexit may be put back on the table. “I do think this brings the whole Brexit issue, the European issue, right back center stage because I think part of what’s going on is a rejection of her and her interpretation of the referendum,” he told ITV.
Campbell: May has made 'most catastrophic mistake' of all political leaders pic.twitter.com/8l5eouqOnj
— ITV News (@itvnews) June 9, 2017
10.55am: First seat changes hands
The first seat has changed hands, with Labour winning Rutherglen and Hamilton West from the Scottish National Party.
Of the other 20-plus seats that have declared, all stayed with the parties that held them before the election.
10.45am: British ‘delivered verdict on May’
Poor result in Putney, London, with the Conservatives holding this safe seat but their majority shrinking from 10,000 to just over 1,000.
Labour deputy leader has delivered a scathing verdict on Theresa May, as he held his own seat.
Mr Watson said of Mrs May: “She fought a negative, pessimistic campaign and the British delivered a verdict on that. The public saw she was weak and wobbly.
The public saw she was weak and wobbly. She said she was bloody difficult and boasted about it, instead she was a woman who found it all too bloody difficult.’’
Mr Watson said voters responded well to Jeremy Corbyn’s honesty, candour and energy while Theresa May was running away.
10.35am: First result from London
The first result from London is bad news for the Tories, with Labour holding Tooting - one of the seats the Conservatives targeted. The party has also held Birkenhead, Halton and West Bromwich East. The Tories hold South Basildon and East Thurrock. In Scotland, the SNP has held Paisley and Renfrewshire South.
Average gain/loss across 13 constituencies so far (per @britainelects)
— Nate Silver (@NateSilver538) June 8, 2017
Con: +7.9
Lab: +9.0
UKIP -13.6
LibDem: -1.1
Green: -2.4
10.22am: Labour in hands of far left for years
Labour looked to be on course for significant gains across the country in a huge personal victory for Jeremy Corbyn which could see left-wing supporters retain control of the party for years, The Times writes.
10.05am: Home Secretary faces recount
The Tories have held Swindon South, and South Basildon and East Thurrock. Labour hold Wrexham, Llanelli and Jarrow. Home Secretary Amber Rudd is facing a recount in her seat of Hastings, Reuters reports.
UPDATE: UK Home Secretary Amber Rudd faces recount in her seat of Hastings in #GE2017 - ITV. https://t.co/um8whC1owX pic.twitter.com/i3gQkhySMk
— Reuters Top News (@Reuters) June 8, 2017
9.55am: Bad night for Lib Dems, UKIP
It’s a bad night so far for the Lib Dems and UKIP. According to Sky News, UKIP has lost its deposit in 10 seats while the Lib Dems have lost deposits in 11 seats
9.50am: Big hitters in trouble?
More results, with Labour holding Darlington, Middlesbrough and Workington and the Tories holding Basildon and Billericay. Darlington is a key seat for Labour and was a top target for the Tories. This is a blow to Theresa May; while there was a swing to the Tories, it was only 0.2 percent. The Sunday Times political editor is saying that some of the Conservatives’ big beasts look vulnerable, as does former deputy PM Nick Clegg.
Lib Dem source at Clegg's count says he has lost
— Tim Shipman (@ShippersUnbound) June 8, 2017
Ben Gummer, Amber Rudd and Jane Ellison all in trouble according to cabinet minister
— Tim Shipman (@ShippersUnbound) June 8, 2017
9.45am: Exit poll quote
• “Theresa May hoped to transform the political map of Britain last night. Instead, early indications were that she has been humiliated and her party left without a working majority. She has gambled and lost.” - The Times.
• “This is a projection, it’s not a result. These exit polls have been wrong in the past,” - Tory Defence Secretary Sir Michael Fallon.
• “If the exit poll is true then Theresa May has put Brexit in jeopardy. I said at the start this election was wrong. Hubris,” UKIP leader Paul Nuttall.
• “I think Theresa May has won own goal of the season,” former England striker and Match Of The Day presenter Gary Lineker.
• “If the poll is anything like accurate this is completely catastrophic for the Conservatives and for Theresa May,” - Former British finance minister George Osborne.
• “It was the biggest gamble a politician has taken for a long time and if that exit poll is right, it’s failed,” - Former communications director for Prime Minister David Cameron Craig Oliver.
• “Well here’s one prediction I’m happy to make: It’s gonna be a long night for Theresa May and the Tories. Whatever happens, May is toast!” Clive Lewis, a Labour MP who stood for re-election in the city of Norwich.
• “All highly problematic” - Simon Usherwood from the University of Surrey on possible options for forming a new government.
9.40am: Tories hold bellwether Nuneaton
The Tories have held the bellwether seat of Nuneaton with a majority of over 4000, on 23,755 to Labour's 19,016.. In 2015, David Cameron said he knew the Conservatives had won the election when Nuneaton declared.The party has also held Broxbourne, with a majority of nearly 16000, on 29, 515 to Labour’s 13,723.
9.35am: What the vote share shows
9.30am: ‘Great campaign, improve your team’
Former Labour Home Secretary David Blunkett has congratulated Jeremy Corby on an “extremely effective” campaign but criticises his shadow cabinet.
Former Labour Home Secretary David Blunkett has congratulated Jeremy Corbyn on an "extremely effective anti-austerity campaign". #GE17 pic.twitter.com/VPCSMLOajf
— ITV News (@itvnews) June 8, 2017
9.26am: Tories hold Kettering
No surprise as the Conservatives hold Kettering with a majority of 10, 562. The Torires have 28,616 votes against Labour's 18,054.
9.25am: Labour to take Ipswich?
Labour is confident of taking Ipswich, according to the BBC. This is relevant because it is held by Tory minister Ben Summers, who was responsible for putting forward the party’s condemned manifesto.
9.22am: Labour holds Sunderland West, Newcastle North
Labour holds Washington and Sunderland West, with 24639 to the Tories’ 11699: and holds Newscastle North, with 26728 against the Tories on 16380..
9.10am: ‘Dementia tax’ blamed
A senior Tory figure has pointed to the Conservative party’s manifesto on aged care as a reason for “taking a hit’’ in the UK election.
David Gauke, the chief secretary to the Treasury said the Tories had tried to face up to Brexit and long term pressures on public spending but admitted “maybe we have taken a hit’’ on aged care.
Support for the Conservatives plummeted immediately after Mrs May announced a “dementia tax’’, creating enormous concern for both ageing Tory voters and undecided middle class voters midway through campaigning. The proposal was to charge the elderly for in-home care, and take the money from the value of their estate. Mrs May then insisted there would be a cap on the amount of money the government would extract from people under the scheme, but the amount of the cap was never determined. It was dubbed the dementia tax because people with long term care, but able to stay at home, would be the hardest hit.
Mr Gauke said: “Labour may have had a successful campaign but it was on the basis of nice free stuff that other people pay for and not the real challenges facing the country.
”We sought to address the big issues, top of that is Brexit and its important to get the deal right. We have an ageing population and the idea to say never increase state pension age regardless of life expectancy is reckless, maybe we have taken a hit on aged care.’’
9.05am: Why did she call election?
The election is dominating Google, with the top trending question on Theresa May being: ‘Why did Theresa May call an election?” and the top trending question on Jeremy Corbyn being: ‘How could Jeremy Corbyn be PM?’
"How could Jeremy Corbyn be PM?" Top trending questions in the UK since polls closed #GE2017
— GoogleTrends (@GoogleTrends) June 8, 2017
More election data: https://t.co/RwN0PloNAz pic.twitter.com/tbME98P9z5
"Why did Theresa May call an election?" Top trending questions in the UK since polls closed #GE2017 pic.twitter.com/s3MpCW6kB6
— GoogleTrends (@GoogleTrends) June 8, 2017
9.00am: Newcastle East, Swindon North declare
Labour holds Newcastle East with 28.127 votes.
Lab: 28,127; Con: 8866; LD 2574; UKIP 1315; Green, 755
Conservatives hold Swindon North with 29431: Lab 21096; ConL UKIP 1564; Grn 859
But the Swindon results show a swing to Labour.
8.50am: Exit versus real results
The results for the first two seats show the exit polls may be slightly inaccurate ...
Exit poll versus real results in first two seats. They could be outriders but looks like forecast may need tweaking pic.twitter.com/Be7dNlWkEO
— emily m (@maitlis) June 8, 2017
8.45am: Labour holds Sunderland central
Sunderland central: Lab holds the seat on 25056; Con 150509 UKIP 2209 LD 1,777; Green 705, Ind: 305.
While Labour holds the seat, the results are better for the Tories with the swing from Labour to Conservaties 2.3 percent. With three results now in, the swing to the Tories show the final result may be better than the exit polls predicted.
North East Somerset MP Jacob Rees-Mogg tells us the exit poll is "wrong" and not born out by the early results. #BBCelection #GE2017
— BBC Somerset (@bbcsomerset) June 8, 2017
8.38am: British newspaper front pages
THE TIMES: May's big gamble fails #tomorrowspaperstoday pic.twitter.com/CgL0IHKNoq
— Neil Henderson (@hendopolis) June 8, 2017
THE SUN: Mayhem #tomorrowspaperstoday pic.twitter.com/NUxIteJjEG
— Neil Henderson (@hendopolis) June 8, 2017
FT SECOND EDITION: May gamble on election set to backfire, according to exit polls #tomorrowspaperstoday pic.twitter.com/4Dya6tjfhj
— Neil Henderson (@hendopolis) June 8, 2017
INDEPENDENT DIGITAL: Black and Blue: May's election gamble misfires #tomorrowspaperstoday pic.twitter.com/dDEYH1WRAQ
— Neil Henderson (@hendopolis) June 8, 2017
DAILY EXPRESS: May's fight to stay in power #tomorrowspaperstoday pic.twitter.com/9XgC1jXURv
— Neil Henderson (@hendopolis) June 8, 2017
MIRROR: Hanging by a thread #tomorrowspaperstoday pic.twitter.com/fXoBy5Yl8m
— Neil Henderson (@hendopolis) June 8, 2017
8.30am: ‘Brexit at risk’
UKIP leader Paul Nuttall says if the exit poll is right and there is a hung parliament, Theresa May will have put Brexit in jeopardy.
If the exit poll is true then Theresa May has put Brexit in jeopardy. I said at the start this election was wrong. Hubris.
— Paul Nuttall (@paulnuttallukip) June 8, 2017
8.25am: ‘No coalition, no deals’
The LibDem’s press office has tweeted: “We are getting a lot of calls so just to be clear: No coalition. No deals.”
8.20am: Get set for a long day
The first two seats, Sunderland and Newcastle have been won, as expected by Labour. But the size of the victories didn’t quite correlate to the percent swings that the shock exit poll had predicted. If this margin of error is replicated across the country, then the Conservatives may win some seats that the exit poll is predicting they will lose.
What this means is that the actual results are what matters, and it will be a long night in Britain for anyone with the slightest political interest. It’s as clear as mud at the moment.
8.15am: SNP could lose half seats
To go back to that shock exit poll, it indicates that the Scottish National Party could lose almost half its seats in Parliament.
It forecasts the SNP will get 34 of Scotland’s 59 seats, down from the 56 the pro-independence party won in the 2015 election. The pollsters caution that there is a lot of uncertainty around the forecast.
The result comes as the Conservatives, once all-but-extinct in Scotland, make a comeback there.
A big loss could complicate the SNP’s plans to push for a new referendum on Scottish independence as Britain prepares to leave the European Union.
8.05am: Labor holds Sunderland
Sunderland declares: Labor holds this safe seat on 24, 665. Conservatives are on 12,324, UKIP 2379, LD 908, Greens 725
8.00am: Newcastle declares
Newcastle has declared first: with Labor’s Chi Onwurah holding the seat on 24071, and the Tories’ Steve Kyte second at 9,134.
The swing from Conservative to Labor is 2 percent.
Other results LibDem 1812, UKIP 1482; Greens 595
Well there you go, traditional Labour voters will back Jeremy Corbyn - Labour vote up 9% in first seat counted #UKElection @australian
— Troy Bramston (@TroyBramston) June 8, 2017
7.55am: History shows there’s still hope
One (short) time Tory leader hopeful Michael Gove has made the point that in the last election in 2015, and in 1992, exit polls predicted hung parliament but the Tories still prevailed, albeit with a small majority.
Michael Gove on @itv NOW saying exit polls in 1992 and 2015 predicted HUNG Parliament and Tories ended up with a majority (albeit small)
— Chris Ship (@chrisshipitv) June 8, 2017
7.53am: Sunderland about to declare
Houghton and Sunderland South will declare any minute. The constituency, usually one of the first seats to declare, showed turnout up since the last election. Turnout today was 61 per cent, up from 56.3 per cent in 2015.
7.48am: Back to the ballot box?
There is already speculation that Britain may have to go to the polls again, even before a single seat has been declared. The shock exit poll, and its hung parliament ramifications, has created huge uncertainty about how Britain will negotiate with the European Union and whether it means the possibility of a ‘’soft’’ Brexit.
If the Conservatives are constrained by having to form a coalition, or if Labour forms government, the negotiations with the European Union will take a markedly different tone.
Labour has wanted to stay in the single market and the Customs union , in what is termed a soft Brexit, however the EU has indicated such a cherry picking is not option.
If the Tories keep government, but with a reduced majority, prime minister Theresa May will be enormously constrained by Remain-supporting MPs.
7.45am: ‘Hardly dare hope’
The Greens co-leader Caroline Lucas confirms the party won’t join the Tories in a coalition government.
Hardly dare hope this is right. To be clear, Greens will *never* support a Tory government #HopeoverHate https://t.co/A980ND0fww
— Caroline Lucas (@CarolineLucas) June 8, 2017
7.40am: ‘Deep and lasting shock’
The former communications director for ex-PM David Cameron says the exit poll result will rock the Conservative Party.
Craig Oliver told Sky News that if the poll is accurate “there will be deep and lasting shock” in party headquarters as Prime Minister Theresa May’s decision to call an early election seems to have backfired. “It was the biggest gamble a politician has taken for a long time and if that exit poll is right, it’s failed,” he said.
7.30am: Result ‘catastrophic’ for PM
Former Chancellor George Osborne has said the projected result is “catastrophic” for Theresa May. Mr Osborne, who was sacked by the PM and is now a newspaper editor, said he can’t see how the numbers stack up for a Conservative coalition.
LOOK AT GEORGE OSBORNE'S FACE pic.twitter.com/NMFbJgMM7E
— Jack Maidment (@jrmaidment) June 8, 2017
7.25am: Nervous times ahead for Tories
There is a very nervous few hours ahead for the Conservatives, as Labour supporters are obviously jubilant.
Shadow cabinet member Emily Thornberry has called for Theresa May to resign if the exit poll results are mirrored in the actual counting.
“She should go, she manifestly failed, and I think we will see what happens next, but if the Labour party is called on to provide the next government we have a very popular manifesto with a leader who is strong,’’ Ms Thornberry said.
7.15am: Pound crashes
The pound has plunged with the sensational first exit poll
BREAKING: British Pound sharply plunges vs USD after exit poll says Conservatives to hold 314 seats, down from 330 https://t.co/qb4BCPrkPA pic.twitter.com/T5xFXLjSFv
— CNBC Now (@CNBCnow) June 8, 2017
7.05am: Hung parliament looms?
The first, crucial exit polls shows that, in a sensational development the Prime Minister Theresa May and the Conservative Party are 12 short of a majority.
The exit poll prediction is for a possible hung parliament which will impact on the financial markets which has factored in a Conservative win.
If Theresa May loses Tory majority, it will be one of the most spectacular election miscalculations in my lifetime #election2017 @australian
— Troy Bramston (@TroyBramston) June 8, 2017
The extraordinary prediction will cause huge shock and dismay in Conservative headquarters, having begun the campaign expecting to extend their majority by more than 100 seats.
The exit poll shows the Conservatives winning 314 seats, down from the 331 they had before the election, with Labour winning 266 seats. Liberal Democrats appear to win 14 seats, up from eight.
In the past the exit poll has been unerringly accurate, unlike the polls which have shown widely different predictions from a hung parliament to a Tory majority of 90 seats.
It is based on asking thousands of voters at 144 polling stations across the country to confidentially replicate their ballot choice. Those surveys are then compared to previous years results and the data extrapolated across the country.
It appears that Mrs May, who campaigned strongly on Brexit before appearing to derail her campaign with an ill-advised new aged care tax, has been unable to bounce back in the final hours as electioneering turned to national security.
The election was held amidst unprecedented suspensions of campaigning because of the terror attacks at Manchester Arena and London Bridge. In the midst of this crisis, the Tories planned to tighten anti-terror legislation and toughen police powers which appears to have swung voters away from Labour.
Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn has been able to shrug off his activist past, including rallies to men dressed as suicide bombers, and public support of Hamas and Hezbollah.
Corbyn has enjoyed huge support from motivated young voters aged under 24 .
Exit poll: HUNG PARLIAMENT
— Nick Eardley (@nickeardleybbc) June 8, 2017
Tories - 314 (-17)
Labour - 266 (+34)
SNP - 34 (-22)
Lib Dems 14 (+6)
Plaid - 3
Green - 1
UKIP - 0
7.00am: First exit poll result
The first exit poll shows the Conservatives lead at 314 with Labour on 266. This makes the Tories the largest party but they don’t have an overall majority which means Theresa May’s gamble may not have paid off.
6.55am: Five minutes to go
We will know in a few minutes with the first exit poll if Jeremy Corbyn has dashed Theresa May’s hopes for a sweeping victory.
6.50am: First bellwether seat?
We’ll get a clearer picture of the result when the first bellwether seats are announced at 10am (AEST). When Nuneaton in Warwickshire declared in 2015, David Cameron said he knew the Tories had won.
6.35am: Pollster ‘fascinated’ by result
The pollsters got it wrong over Brexit and the US election so are waiting with some anticipation for the result today. Will they be right or will we spend the next few weeks analysing how they got it so wrong?
Not long to the exit poll at 10. Having worked since 7am our 300 interviewers (and me) are fascinated by the result #GE2107 pic.twitter.com/q1SV1q0vxo
— Ben Page, Ipsos MORI (@benatipsosmori) June 8, 2017
6.30am: More dogs at polling stations
Some dogs are just too keen to vote. Toby the beagle cross is obviously excited about polling day.
6.25am: First exit polls?
The result of a joint Sky, BBC and ITV exit poll will be released at 7am (AEST), as soon as polls close.
The survey is taken from 144 polling stations across the UK: it is taken by asking voters to mark a mock ballot paper showing how they have voted. These exit polls ahve correctly predicted the winner in the last five polls
6.20am: ’We’re a bit desperate’
Countdown 45 minutes till the polls close ...And they came again! Another lovely lady with a yellow rosette knocks at the door. This is the second one in the last ten minutes.
”I’ve already voted,’’ I assure her.
”Its getting on the knife-edge, we are a bit desperate now,’’ she says.
6.15am: Sunderland will declare first
Houghton and Sunderland South is the first constitutency to declare; at the 2015 election, the counts came in just before 8am (AEST) and this year will be no different. This was the scene a short tme ago as the counters got ready.
6.10am: Perils of marginal seat voting
Less than one hour to go before the polls close and I just had a Liberal Democrat supporter knock on my door encouraging me to vote, if I hadn’t already done so. Car was even at the ready to give me a lift. Turns out I made a critical error in not “telling’’ the “tellers’’ that sit outside the polling station my address or polling card number so they could cross me off the master list that all political parties have access to. By being a bit sceptical about having my name marked off, a la being back at school, the major parties are now convinced I haven’t voted.
Obviously I happen to live in a marginal seat. For the best part of the week I have refused to answer knocks at the door: the campaigning has been so intense.
You have less than 3 hours left to vote. Vote Liberal Democrats for a brighter future! #VoteLibDem pic.twitter.com/XqksmApLFi
— Liberal Democrats (@LibDems) June 8, 2017
6.00am: Pound holds steady
The pound is holding steady in New York trading as investors wait for the poll results, The Financial Times is reporting.
5.55am: Elmo photo bombs May
So what is Elmo doing at Prime Minister Theresa May’s polling station? The country’s leader was photobombed by a person dressed as the Sesame Street character as she cast her ballot with her husband Philip on the outskirts of Maidenhead, her constituency.
The Elmo costume was worn by the mother of Bobby Smith, a fathers’ rights protester, who has used the character to highlight his custody dispute. Smith, 34, a truck driver, adopted the character as the figurehead of his campaign because by combining the first two letters of his two daughters’ first names he could spell Elmo.
His case was featured on the website of the campaigning group, Fathers4Justice.
Troy Bramston 5.44am: ‘It’s May’s day’
Sir David Butler, the Oxford political scientist who has instructed dozens of British and Australian leaders, expects Prime Minister Theresa May to win today’s British election. But not by the margin she had hoped for.
“I was sceptical about Theresa May when I met her 10 years ago but I have been increasingly impressed by her,” Sir David, 92, told The Australian. “I don’t think she is loveable but she is competent. She may be a bit obstinate but she does remarkably well in giving crisp responses to answers. There may have been some misjudgments in recent weeks but at the same time she hasn’t done a bad job as PM.” Full story here.
5.36am: Leaders’ final tweets
Every vote counts. Please back your local Conservative candidate and together we can secure the best Brexit deal & build a stronger Britain. pic.twitter.com/drt7SV0EbS
— Theresa May (@theresa_may) June 8, 2017
I will lead a government you can rely on. Labour will build a Britain that works #ForTheMany, not the few. #VoteLabour pic.twitter.com/HzBmTEjpcl
— Jeremy Corbyn (@jeremycorbyn) June 8, 2017
5.28am: Security tight at polling stations
Met Police Counter Terrorism Command have arrested three men in East London on terrorism charges as security was heightened at polling stations across the country. The arrest of the three, aged 34, 37 and 33 are not related to the London Bridge and Borough Market terror attack last Saturday night.
Police said the men were arrested just hours before the polling stations opened and searches at the men’s houses were continuing throughout the day. All three were arrested on suspicion of the commission, preparation or instigation of terrorism offences under section 41 of the Terrorism Act 2000. They remain in custody at a south London police station.
5.20am: #dogsatpollingstations back
Britain’s equivalent of Australia’s #DemocracySausage is #dogsatpollingstations. Voters have been posting pictures of their pooches, tied up beneath the polling station sign on social media. Sadly, the dog I regularly look after was at his own house.
While I couldn’t show him off waiting patiently outside the local hall here’s a gratuitous picture of him anyway, nowhere near a polling sign, dreaming of chasing cats.
Dogs who don't deserve to go to polling stations#dogsatpollingstations pic.twitter.com/fZh0mrJKXQ
— Adam Morris (@AdamMorrisEdin) June 8, 2017
The Scottish Conservative leader Ruth Davidson even went to the polls with her dog “Wilson” to vote.
The dogsatpollingstations was trending on Twitter and has become a much loved institution, as common as dogs being allowed in British pubs and on public transport.
Usually the dogs are advocates for more walks and snacks and encouraging people to vote. (Voting is not compulsory).
ICYMI Maisie went along to vote with the human today and started #ratsatpollingstations. This is kind of a big deal ðŸ€ðŸ—³ðŸ˜‚ pic.twitter.com/LlK5Isu0Ba
— London Ratties (@London_Ratties) June 8, 2017
London Ratties showed one of their furry lot expressing their democRATic right, another handsome Labrador wore a bow tie to the polling station and Phoebe the pug didn’t know which Pawty to vote for.
Perhaps do both? #DogsAtPollingStations #UKElection2017 pic.twitter.com/m1DWuP6bgM
— janet albrechtsen (@jkalbrechtsen) June 8, 2017
5.10am: Key election times for Australia
5am: All eyes on exit poll
Britain is in the final hours of voting in a general election marked by unusual suspensions in campaigning because of two horrific terror attacks.
Long queues at polling stations in university towns indicates a high proportion of young people have voted. An exit poll due to be released at 7am AEST has previously been unerringly accurate and will provide the first clear indication if the country - still reeling from the London Bridge attack and Manchester Arena bombing - will give the current Prime Minister, Conservative leader Theresa May a stamp of approval, or plunge the country into a 1970’s style high tax environment for business and high earners in Mr Corbyn’s far-left Labour manifesto.
Before the voting opened the polls had wide variations, predicting a Conservative majority of one percent through to 12 percent, leading to a hung parliament on one hard or a an increased majority for the Tories on the other.
One poll favourable to the Tories by Lord Ashcroft showed that if everybody voted who said they would - the voting is not compulsory here - Mrs May would enjoy a majority of up to 96 seats. A YouGov poll showed a small drop off in support for Labour in the final days. However the polling companies were out of kilter with the results in both the 2015 general election and the Brexit referendum.
The latest polls
The latest polls certainly put the Prime Minister on course to increase her majority, although her formerly commanding lead over Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn has narrowed sharply since she called the snap election in April.
The Tory leader has been criticised for a U-turn on social care plans laid out in the Conservative manifesto and for failing to appear in a TV debate against Mr Corbyn. However of six polls published yesterday, two showed the Conservatives widening their lead over Labour, two showed a narrowing and two were unchanged. According to The Times of London, Theresa May can expect to return to Downing Street tomorrow with a majority of almost 50 seats, up from 17.
The main talking points
Brexit and, now, terror. Mrs May called the election to give her a stronger mandate for negotiating Brexit, an area where Conservatives are more trusted than Labour. But in recent weeks, she has seen her popularity wane as the political debate shifted from EU membership to domestic policy and her own record on security, particularly after the terror attacks in Manchester and on London Bridge when she was blamed for making cuts to police resources during her six years as Home Secretary
How the election works
There are 650 constituencies across the UK, meaning 326 MPs are needed for an absolute majority in parliament’s lower House of Commons. May had a slim working majority of 17 at the dissolution of the last parliament.
Each constituency is won on a first-past-the-post basis, meaning the candidate with the most votes in that seat becomes its MP.
The main parties across the whole of Britain are the Conservatives (centre-right), led by May, and Labour (left), led by Corbyn, followed by the Liberal Democrats (centre-left), the UK Independence Party (populist) and the Greens (left). The Scottish Nationalists (left), Welsh nationalists Plaid Cymru (left) and four parties from Northern Ireland also won seats at the last general election in 2015.
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The first evidence has emerged of Russian attempts to influence the 2017 UK election by promoting Labour’s Jeremy Corbyn.
When life imitates art
Surveys show that more violent people watch more violent movies, but it is difficult to say which comes first.
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