UK general election: Labour landslide as Tories to collapse in worst result ever, and DUP despair in Northern Ireland

UK general election: Labour landslide as Tories to collapse in worst result ever, and DUP despair in Northern Ireland Follow all the news, views and UK general election coverage on our live blog with our Ireland editor Fionnán Sheahan, in London, and the Irish Independent news team

Rishi Sunak, the stopgap prime minister who failed to turn around Tory fortunes

Key updates Jacob Rees-Mogg, Liz Truss and more... Here are the big name Conservative losers in UK election DUP despair: Shock loss for Ian Paisley in 'political earthquake', and party loses seat formerly held by Jeffrey Donaldson Pat Stacey reviews live UK election coverage: Swingometers, flashy graphics and a peek inside Jacob Rees-Mogg's home Opening the door to No 10: What do new British prime minister Keir Starmer's first few days look like? | Irish IndependentDenise CalnanChecking the news at 8am? Here is what happened in the UK election overnight... Keir Starmer will be the UK's new Labour prime minister after a Conservative rout saw former premier Liz Truss and 11 serving Cabinet members lose their seats. Outgoing prime minister Rishi Sunak said he took responsibility for the electoral mauling inflicted on his party as it suffered its worst ever result. At a victory rally in London, Starmer said the country can now "get its future back". He told jubilant activists "We did it", adding: "Change begins now." It marks a spectacular turnaround since 2019, when Boris Johnson won an 80-seat Conservative majority and Labour suffered its worst result since 1935. Starmer said: "Four-and-a-half years of work changing the party, this 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." The Labour leader's speech at the Tate Modern art gallery came shortly after Mr Sunak publicly conceded defeat. At his acceptance speech after being re-elected in Richmond and Northallerton, Mr Sunak said: "The Labour Party has won this General Election and I have called Sir Keir Starmer to congratulate him on his victory." Mr Sunak added: "The British people have delivered a sobering verdict tonight, there is much to learn... and I take responsibility for the loss."Denise CalnanRecount in East Derry: A huge sigh of relief for Gregory Campbell and the DUP in East Derry after they survive a recount to beat Sinn Fein's Kathleen McGurk by 179 votes. He went into this election off the back of a 9,607 vote majority in 2019. He said: "We live in changing times. There's no disguising there are still political differences amongst us but we must build a better future for our people, those we agree with, and those we disagree with. "Those advocating massive change of a political nature are doomed to failure. Let's show all the people we are up to the task of improving the lives of all those we represent." Belfast TelegraphDenise CalnanAnd new prime minister Keir Starmer will see the king and make a statement in Downing Street at around 11.20amDenise CalnanRishi Sunak will make a statement at around 9.30am before travelling to Buckingham Palace for an audience with the kingDenise CalnanThe markets are happy London stocks climbed on Friday after UK's Labour Party surged to a landslide victory in a parliamentary election, bringing a sense of stability to investors who expect it to end years of market volatility. The blue-chip FTSE 100 .FTSE rose 0.3pc, after logging its best day in almost two months in the previous session, while the domestically focussed mid-cap FTSE 250 .FTMC was up 0.2pc as of 07.05 GMT. The FTSE small cap .FTSC was flat. The pound GBP=D3 held firm after the win, and was last up 0.1pc against the US dollar. Denise CalnanRecord number of female MPs are to sit in the House of Commons after this election A record number of female MPs will sit in the House of Commons following the General Election. As of 7.30am on Friday, 261 female MPs had been elected – representing 40pc of the Commons – and the number may increase as counts continue across the UK. The figure passes the previous record of 220 women MPs at the election in 2019. The number of female MPs has risen at each of the past six elections. Nancy Astor became the first female MP to sit in Parliament when she was elected in 1919. Lady Astor won the Plymouth Sutton seat in a by-election after her husband ascended to the House of Lords following the death of his father. She stood down in 1945 and died in 1964 aged 84. Ellie NgDenise CalnanIn Scotland, Labour sweeps to victory as SNP set for period of 'soul searching' Scottish Labour have overturned almost a decade of SNP dominance in Scotland's Westminster seats, taking a majority of constituencies. Anas Sarwar's party tore across the country's central belt, mirroring the success of the UK-wide party and sweeping the SNP out of Glasgow and Edinburgh. Speaking to journalists, Mr Sarwar said he was "absolutely delighted" with his party's performance and thanked the people of Scotland for "putting their faith and trust in the Scottish Labour Party". "I understand their desire for change, I know there'll be a huge sigh of relief that we finally ended 14 years of total chaos and failure," he said. The Scottish Labour leader conceded it would "not be an easy road" for a Labour government but the party would "get to work straight away". Meanwhile, First Minister John Swinney pledged a period of "soul searching" after what he described as a "very poor" performance for the SNP. Outgoing Scottish Tory leader Douglas Ross also failed in his bid to return to Westminster. "It's a very poor result for the SNP tonight," Mr Swinney told the BBC. "There will have to be a lot of soul searching as a party as a consequence of these results that have come in tonight."Denise Calnan Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer and his wife Victoria Starmer greet Mayor of London Sadiq Khan at a watch party for the results of the 2024 General Election in central London, as the party appears on course for a landslide win. Denise CalnanTurnout at the UK general election Turnout at the General Election is on track to be the lowest for more than 20 years. After 630 of 650 results had been declared, the turnout figure stood at 59.8pc. This compares with an overall turnout of 67.3pc at the last election in 2019. If the figure stays around 59.8%, it would be the lowest turnout at a general election since 2001, when it was 59.4pc. Were the figure to fall below 59.4pc, it would rank as the lowest turnout at a general election since the Second World War. The highest turnout at a general election since the war was 83.9% in 1950, according to figures compiled by the House of Commons Library. Turnout remained above 75pc at every post-war general election until 1970, when it dipped to 72.0pc. It then stayed above 70% at every election until plunging to 59.4pc in 2001 – since when it has never been above 70pc.Denise CalnanCount update: With 641 constituency results declared, Labour has won 410 seats with a 33.9pc share of the vote. The Conservatives have 119 seats and a 23.7pc vote share. The Liberal Democrats have won in 71 constituencies with 12.3pc of the overall vote, while Reform UK has 14.3pc of the vote, translating to success in four seats. The SNP has eight seats, Plaid Cymru is on four, Sinn Fein has seven and the DUP has four. The Green Party has 6.8pc of the votes and four seats.Denise Calnan'Big beasts' slayed as Conservatives suffer UK election bloodbathA record number of senior ministers, including the UK defence secretary and one touted as a possible future leader, lost their parliamentary seats as the governing Conservative Party suffered a series of catastrophic defeats in Britain's election. Defence minister Grant Shapps and Penny Mordaunt, leader of the lower house of parliament, were among ten cabinet ministers who lost their seats, surpassing the previous record of seven in 1997 when Tony Blair brought Labour to power in a landslide election victory. After the Conservatives lost more than 200 seats, Labour was set to govern for the first time since 2010. Shapps hit out at Conservative divisions during his concession speech, blaming his colleagues for losing the support of voters. "We've tried the patience of traditional Conservative voters with a propensity to create an endless political soap opera out of internal rivalries and divisions, which have become increasingly indulgent and entrenched," he said. Ministers losing their seats are relatively rare in British politics. Until Thursday only four cabinet ministers had lost their seats at the last six elections over 27 years. Michael Holden and Andrew MacAskillDenise CalnanSo... how did Count Binface do? Count Binface, a self-described intergalactic space warrior, was gunning for Rishi Sunak's constituency seat in Richmond and Northallerton, pledging to voters in his manifesto to introduce national service for former prime ministers and invite European countries to join the UK. While Mr Sunak retained his seat with 23,059 votes, the Count, running for the Count Binface Party came sixth in the poll, following Green Party candidate Kevin Foster, with 308 votes from constituents. Binface wrote on X, formerly Twitter, that it was his "highest ever finish" in an election and his "highest ever parliamentary vote", saying "#BindependenceDay has come". Denise CalnanDUP despair: Shock loss for Ian Paisley in 'political earthquake', and party loses seat formerly held by Jeffrey DonaldsonDenise CalnanMost of the UK's longest-running 'bellwether' seats won by LabourAlmost all of the UK's longest-running "bellwether" seats have behaved true to form and been won by the party that also won the overall election: Labour. Bellwether seats are constituencies where the local result has a habit of matching the national outcome. They are seats that have a pattern of changing hands only when the government itself changes hands. A small number of constituencies have been bellwethers for decades, and as such are watched with interest for what they may – or may not – suggest about the outcome of the entire election. Dartford in Kent holds the longest record for being a bellwether. Since 1964, whichever party wins Dartford has also gone on to form the government – a pattern that held true at this election, with the seat being gained by Labour from the Conservatives on a swing of 17.2 percentage points. Four seats have been bellwethers at every general election since February 1974: Loughborough, Northampton North, Portsmouth North and Watford – and they have kept their status at this election, with all being won by Labour from the Tories. Worcester has maintained its bellwether record since 1979, being another gain by Labour from the Conservatives. But Harrow East, which prior to the election had been a bellwether since 1979, has now lost its status: the Conservatives held the seat. Ian JonesDenise Calnan'A bitter pill to swallow' Jeremy Hunt said the Conservatives "crushing" election night defeat was a "bitter pill to swallow" for the party. Speaking after his election victory at the Godalming and Ash count was announced, Mr Hunt said: "Across the country tonight, it's a bitter pill to swallow for the Conservative Party. "We have achieved much in government and the economy has transformed from where it was post-pandemic."Some Conservatives will wonder whether the scale of our crushing defeat was really justified. "But when you lose the trust of the electorate, all that matters is having the courage and humility to ask yourself, why? So that you can earn it back again. "I was incredibly proud to serve under Rishi Sunak, but I wish the incoming Labour government well. "Keir Starmer and Rachel Reeves are decent people and committed public servants who have changed the Labour Party for the better. Whatever our policy differences, we all now need them to succeed. "I hope in particular they use their majority to make much needed reforms to the NHS, in a way that is sometimes difficult for Conservative governments to do."Denise CalnanLabour wipeout: How Labour has wiped out the Tories in Wales in just one election Join the Irish Independent WhatsApp channel

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