UK Election Result 2024 Highlights: 'Change begins now', says Keir Starmer as Labour sweeps to power

The second result of the night is in - and Labour's Ian Lavery has won in Blyth and Ashington in Northumberland, reports BBC.

The first result of the night is in - and it's a win for Labour's Bridget Phillipson, shadow education secretary, in Sunderland South, reports BBC. Phillipson won with 18,847 votes. Reform's Sam Woods-Brass beat the Tories into second place in the constituency, with 11,668 votes.

With the Labour Party poised to become the largest party in the UK parliament, speculation is rife over who will fill the most prominent ministerial positions in a future Labour government. As the country faces a range of complex challenges, from economic uncertainty to global security threats, the composition of the new cabinet will be crucial in shaping the direction of the nation.

The Conservative share of the vote and seat tally, according to the exit poll, could be the lowest in the party’s history, according to the BBC. Its seat tally might be affected by the party’s vote falling more heavily in seats where they were previously strongest - a pattern that is largely because support for Reform has risen most there.

Labout leader and likely the next UK PM, Keir Starmer has expressed his gratitude to everyone who worked and voted for his party. In a post on X, he said: "To everyone who has campaigned for Labour in this election, to everyone who voted for us and put their trust in our changed Labour Party - thank you."

While the suggested result appears to buck recent rightward electoral shifts in Europe, including in France and Italy, many of those same populist undercurrents flow in Britain. Reform UK leader Nigel Farage has roiled the race with his party’s anti-migrant “take our country back” sentiment and undercut support for the Conservatives, who already faced dismal prospects. Full results will come in over the next hours. The exit poll is conducted by pollster Ipsos and asks people at scores of polling stations to fill out a replica ballot showing how they have voted. It usually provides a reliable though not exact projection of the final result.

If the predictions are accurate, Rishi Sunak will on Friday visit head of state King Charles III to tender his resignation as prime minister. Starmer will meet the monarch shortly after to take up his invitation to head the next government -- and become prime minister. The Labour leader will then travel to Downing Street -- the office and residence of British leaders -- where he would be expected to deliver a speech before making ministerial appointments. It would cap a remarkable political rise for the former human rights lawyer and chief prosecutor, first elected an MP in 2015. He has promised a "decade of national renewal" but faces a daunting task revitalising creaking public services and a flatlining economy.

Keir Starmer's Labour Party is poised to win a historic victory in the UK general election, ending 14 years of Conservative rule, according to exit polls released shortly after voting ended on Thursday. Labour is projected to secure 410 seats in the 650-seat parliament, while Rishi Sunak's Conservatives are forecast to win only 131 seats, down from 346 previously.

Keir Starmer will be Britain's next prime minister with his Labour Party set to win a massive majority in a parliamentary election, an exit poll on Thursday indicated, while Rishi Sunak's Conservatives are forecast to suffer historic losses. The poll showed Labour would win 410 seats in the 650-seat parliament, ending 14 years of Conservative-led government. Sunak's party were forecast to only take 131 seats, down from 346 when parliament was dissolved, as voters punish the Conservatives for a cost-of-living crisis and years of instability and in-fighting which has seen five different prime ministers since 2016.

The Liberal Democrats are projected to come third with 61 MPs. The Scottish National Party will see its number of MPs fall to 10 and Reform UK is forecast to get 13 MPs, according to the exit poll. The Green Party of England and Wales is predicted to double its number of MPs to two and Plaid Cymru are set to get four MPs. Others are forecast to get 19 seats.

Labour is set to win a general election landslide with a majority of 410, according to an exit poll for the BBC, ITV and Sky. If the forecast is accurate, it means Sir Keir Starmer will become prime minister with 410 Labour MPs – just short of Tony Blair's 1997 total.

As the voting for snap general elections nears the end, the Indian community in the United Kingdom expressed confidence that the Labour Party would end the nearly 15-year stint of the Conservatives. The Indian-origin UK residents, in a conversation with ANI, also acknowledged that Rishi Sunak has done a good job as Prime Minister, but the party will lose because of the "mess" created by his predecessors.

The 2024 UK general election results, expected to be declared by late morning of July 5 (IST), are expected to have minor impact on India-UK relations as both the Rishi Sunak-led Conservative (Tory) and Keir Rodney Starmer-led Labour parties have expressed support for strengthening ties with India. While there should be no major impact in the bilateral relationship regardless of the election outcome, the snap poll has diminished the prospects of the much-anticipated India-UK Free Trade Agreement (FTA) being finalised by the current Conservative government led by Sunak.

Polls will close at 10pm on Thursday night (BST), 2.30am Friday night (IST). An exit poll commissioned by the main UK broadcasters will be published as soon as the polls close, giving an indication of the likely result. Counting will begin immediately but most of the results will only be announced late Friday morning.

There’s a distinct desi flavour in the UK general elections in which Rishi Sunak, the United Kingdom’s first non-white Prime Minister hopes to stave off defeat for the Tories after 14 years in power. The outgoing House of Commons had 15 Indian-origin MPs and the number is set to increase. A total of 107 British-Indian candidates are in the fray for the 680 seats in UK General Election 2024.

In about an hour, at 22:00 BST, polls will close across the UK in the general election. Anyone who is in the queue at a polling station before then will still be allowed to vote.As soon as as polls close, we will learn the results of the exit poll, which will give us an estimation of who has won the election.The exit poll is carried out by polling company Ipsos, jointly for BBC News, ITV News and Sky News.Voters at more than 130 polling stations will have been approached by Ipsos researchers as they leave today and asked to fill in a mock ballot paper to indicate how they voted.The results allow BBC analysts to forecast approximately how many seats each party has won across Britain. There are no seat forecasts for the Northern Irish parties.

According to the BBC: Glasgow City Council has reassured voters their ballots will still be counted after incorrect advice was spotted at a polling station. Posters at Notre Dame primary school told people to number their chosen candidates in order of preference, using the Single Transferable Vote (STV) system, rather than marking a single "X" under the first-past-the-post system. The council told BBC News that a "few" voters in the Glasgow West constituency had seen the advice, which was taken down quickly. It is not known whether anyone followed the advice. It said that ballots would still be counted and that whoever has a "1" next to their name on the ballot paper will receive the vote.

The outcome of the UK election on Thursday could hinge on voter turnout, which remains a significant unknown factor. While the total number of votes cast won't be known until polls close, turnout is expected to play a crucial role in determining the winner. The UK has a population of approximately 67 million, with 46.5 million registered voters as of the last general election in 2019. In that election, turnout was estimated at 67.3%. However, in the local elections held in May, when the Conservative Party suffered heavy losses in council seats and mayoral offices, turnout averaged just 30%, according to the Institute for Government, an independent think tank. The Conservative Party has expressed optimism that reports of high turnout on Thursday could help them overcome the significant lead held by the Labour Party in the polls. Labour, on the other hand, fears that their supporters may become complacent and fail to vote, despite their double-digit lead in the polls. As a result, Labour has been urging its supporters to turn out in force on election day. Historically, low turnout has had a disproportionate effect on Labour's vote share, as their supporters tend to be younger and from working-class backgrounds, who are traditionally less likely to vote. However, this trend may be changing in an era of partisan dealignment.

Opinion polls throughout the six-week campaign have consistently shown a significant lead for Labour under leader Keir Starmer. Projections suggest Labour could win over 400 seats, its biggest-ever majority, while the Conservatives are predicted to suffer their worst defeat. The election comes against a backdrop of economic challenges, including a cost-of-living crisis, and widespread dissatisfaction with the government. Many voters are hoping for change after years of Conservative rule marked by Brexit, the Covid-19 pandemic, and political scandals. However, some populist undercurrents in British politics, represented by parties like Reform UK, could complicate the picture. While Labour's lead appears solid, party leaders have warned supporters not to be complacent. The Conservatives have acknowledged the likelihood of defeat but urged voters to limit Labour's power.