Ten biggest moments from historic General Election
Labour has officially won the General Election in a major landslide, leaving the Conservatives with their worst defeat ever.
Sir Keir Starmer will become Britain’s next Prime Minister – and Metro.co.uk has rounded up the historic evening’s biggest moments for you in one place.
Exit polls predicting a huge Labour majority
Initial exit polls suggested Rishi Sunak’s Conservatives, battered by numerous scandals in recent years and a gaffe-filled election campaign, would suffer the worst defeat in the party’s 200-year history.
They were correct.
The exit poll was commissioned jointly by major British news broadcasters, based on research carried out by interviewers at 133 polling stations in marginal constituencies around the country.
The fall of the first Tory minister
The first Tory minister to lose his seat was Alex Chalk, who was defeated by the Lib Dems in Cheltenham.
The justice secretary had been an MP for Cheltenham since 2015, but was first elected as a Conservative councillor on Shepherds Bush Green ward on Hammersmith and Fulham Council in May 2006.
Rishi Sunak concedes in speech while being trolled in the background
Rishi Sunak conceded the election and apologised to candidates after winning his seat in North Yorkshire.
He also confirmed he will be standing down as leader later this afternoon.
But what caught many people’s attention was YouTuber Niko Omilana mocking Rishi Sunak while holding an ‘L’ sign behind him.
The YouTuber ran in North Yorkshire and won 160 votes.
Reform wins their first seat
Lee Anderson may have already been a Reform MP – but this is still a big moment for the party.
Before today, fewer than 20 Reform politicians had been elected to office at any level anywhere in the country.
Anderson’s win is the first at a General Election for the party. And it appears unlikely to be its last this evening.
If you remember, Anderson defected to the party from the Tories in March this year.
Liz Truss’ face is a picture after losing seat
Liz Truss stormed off stage after coming second to Labour by 630 votes in the seat she’s held since 2010.
She narrowly lost to Labour candidate Terry Jeremy by 630 votes in her South West Norfolk seat.
She then stormed off stage without giving a speech.
The ex-foreign secretary also turned up late to the results announcement, and was slow-clapped onto the stage when she took her place beside the other candidates.
The dramatic recount in Basildon and Billericay
The Tories narrowly held onto their seat in Basildon and Billericay, with Richard Holden winning with just 20 more votes than Labour candidate Alex Harrison.
Not one, but two full recounts were called – initial results were expected at 1am but were called around 4am.
Mr Holden said: ‘Tonight has been a very difficult night for the conservative party and many of my colleagues, friends as well as Conservative members and voters up and down the country.
‘Our democracy is part of what makes Britain the best country in the world and the British people have spoken tonight and that is a result we must respect.’
Grant Shapps losing his seat
It’s the biggest blow to the Conservatives so far at this General Election: Grant Shapps, who has served in Welwyn Hatfield since 2005, has been unseated.
He’s served in a mad number of cabinet positions: housing minister, minister without portfolio, Conservative chairman, international development minister, transport secretary, business secretary, energy secretary, and most recently defence secretary.
Oh, and home secretary – he held that role between October 19 and October 25 2022 and became the shortest-serving holder of the role ever when Rishi Sunak took over as PM from Liz Truss.
Nigel Farage becomes MP after 8 attempts
Nigel Farage has been elected as the MP for Clacton in Essex, the eighth time he has run for parliament, with more than 21,000 votes.
Reform has performed surprisingly well, with Lewis Goodall from the News Agents tweeting: ‘I’m hearing from some very worried Labour people in some Northern seats who cannot believe the Reform votes coming in.
‘Some worried about not just second place finishes but unexpected Labour losses.’
Jeremy Corbyn announced as triumphant Independent candidate
A massive result in Islington North – Jeremy Corbyn has held onto his seat running as an independent against Labour. And it wasn’t even close.
Labour’s Praful Nargund gained 16,673 votes compared to more than 24,000 for the former leader.
Corbyn said his re-election is ‘a warning to the incoming government that dissent cannot be crushed without consequences’.
In a post on Twitter, he wrote: ‘Tonight, we celebrate. Tomorrow, we organise. The energy we have unleashed will not go to waste.
‘We are a movement made up of all ages, backgrounds and faiths. A movement which can win with and for people all over the country.’
Lucia Bridgeman’s hat
Some watching the results were distracted by a hat worn by the High Sheriff of Northumberland, Lucia Bridgeman.
Bridgeman’s black hat with ostrich feathers went viral online, but she said it was the ‘outfit the high sheriff wears’.
She added: ‘This is the outfit that the high sheriff wears, it’s not meant to be ostentatious, but is meant to be a uniform, in a sense.’
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