General election 2024 live: Farage wins with Starmer set to be next Prime Minister - results in full

The suspense is killing us

Transport Secretary Mark Harper has been defeated by Labour in the Forest of Dean.

A record number of female MPs will sit in the new House of Commons.

Some 242 women MPs have been elected so far, passing the previous record of 220 at the election in 2019.

The number of female MPs has risen at each of the past six elections.

However, we are still waiting to learn whether Liz Truss will be among their number...

Labour comfortably took all five seats in Liverpool without any real opposition, my colleague Joe Barlow writes in from Merseyside. Yet, a stark fact of this election, is the surge of the Reform party.

This was very apparent at the counts in Liverpool, where Reform surprisingly finished second in three constituencies. Liverpool Wavertree MP Paula Barker put it best: “Scousers will always stand in opposition to the far right”. Both Ian Byrne and Dan Carden used the same word in relation to Reform as “worrying”. 

Carden rejoicing in his win, said “The Labour Party in government must now deliver on working issues. They are housing, they are decent jobs and opportunities and education, especially for our young people. And for Liverpool, it is poverty significant”. 

Another significant factor in the Liverpool constituencies was the low turnout. In Liverpool Riverside, there only a 45.6% turnout. The elected MP, Kim Johnson, forgot to mention this in her victory speech, deciding instead to quote the great Bill Shankly’s comments on the merits on socialism.

My colleague Jack Dean has written in from Portsmouth North, where there was a dramatic defeat for Penny Mordaunt. The Labour candidate Amanda Martin won the seat, defeating the Tory leadership hopeful Mordaunt by just over 700 votes. Martin received 14,495 votes, while Mordaunt received 13,815, a massive swing of 36% from the 2019 election. Mordaunt fell victim to the Reform Party's strong showing, with the party's candidate Melvyn Todd receiving 8,501 votes. This result is historic, as it marks the first time in the city's history that Portsmouth will be represented in the Houses of Parliament by two Labour MPs.

Labour has won 326 seats and therefore has won a majority in Parliament. Keir Starmer is speaking now to Labour activists. To rapturous applause, he began his speech saying: “We did it.” He said “it feels good”.

Labour has held Preston, my colleague Sofia Ali has said. Labour MP Sir Mark Hendrick told Sofia: “14 years of Conservative government has meant that we have got a situation where there is a cost of living crisis, a quarter of children are in poverty, people can’t afford their gas or electric bills, they can’t get a mortgage. The country just doesn’t work anymore and that will take time, not just one term but probably two.”

Speaking of the last 24 years he has spent as Preston’s MP, he said: “I think it’s done a lot to help build up trust, probably a third of Preston’s population have either had some contact with me or I’ve helped in some way. I think on the whole my record is good, I stand by my record.”

Trevor Hart, the Conservative candidate, acknowledged that his party is struggling to Sofia. “We want to get the message out that we’re working hard and we will continue to do that regardless,” he said. “We know the political mood at the moment is not good for Conservatives, but that will pass and we will come back even stronger.

“It’s a difficult night for Conservatives, we weren't expected to win here tonight but if we get a credible result, then I think we’re happy. It’s a cautious but uncertain and difficult night.”

Neil Darby, the Lib Dem candidate, told Sofia: “Looking across the country, the Lib Dems look like they are having a really good night altogether. The exit poll is saying 61 seats, but whether we reach that or not we will have to find out.

“The first cabinet member to lose their seat tonight was the Education Secretary, which has gone to the Liberal Democrats, so it is going to be a massive toppling of the Conservative Party and I am delighted to be a part of that.”

There had been rumours that the Lib Dems might snatch Sheffield Hallam, but it turned out those were just rumours. Olivia Blake has been elected as the Labour MP for Sheffield Hallam, my colleague Maddie Lake has written in. She won with a total of 23,875 votes and said “today change has come.”

“Our public services are crumbling and the cost of living is soaring,” Blake said.

She aims to “restore the damage” that the Conservative Party has done after 14 years in parliament. Blake said she aims for “cheaper bills” and “safer streets” and have “better opportunities” for “children and young people”.

She said she is optimistic about rebuilding the NHS and is passionate about change under a Labour leader.

Labour’s Sarah Sackman has won Finchley and Golders Green, a historically Conservative seat, my colleague Carys Reid has said. Previously held by Mike Freer, his successor Alex Deane has come in behind Sackman with 17,276 votes. The Lib Dems, Green and Reform followed each with a few thousands votes. Sackman said: “We have a responsibility to restore people’s trust in politics.”

The Prime Minister has been re-elected in Richmond and Northallerton. He’s speaking now, he described it as a “difficult night”. He said: “The Labour Party has won this general election and I have called Keir Starmer to congratulate him.”

Sunak said there will be a peaceful transition of power today, perhaps a jibe at Donald Trump. He added: “The British people have delivered a sobering verdict. There is much to reflect on.” A very classy message from Sunak.

Jeremy Hunt has also been re-elected in Godalming and Ash.

Labour has won Portsmouth North, defeating Tory leadership favourite Penny Mordaunt. Amanda Martin defeated the Leader of the House of Commons by less than 1,000 votes, Jack Dean has written in to say. Labour has also held Portsmouth South.

Lee Anderson has been re-elected as Ashfield MP after defecting from Conservative to Reform, my colleague Andy Done-Johnson has written in to say.

It’s the first time Reform UK has ever had an elected MP and comes after the former Tory beat Labour’s Rhea Keehn into second. Farage and Lowe were elected after Anderson.

Ashfield Independent candidate Councillor Jason Zadrozny, who is also leader of Ashfield District Council, finished in third place. Anderson said he wants his “country back” after he was declared the winner, and promised Ashfield would play a part in that.

Newly-elected MP for Clacton Nigel Farage has said Reform UK will be a “non-racist, non-sectarian” party and this election is the “beginning of the end” for the Tory party.

He told reporters: “This is just the first step, I set out with a goal to win millions of votes, to get a bridgehead in Parliament and that’s what we’ve done so I’m very pleased.”

Asked where the Reform movement goes from here, he said: “Forwards rapidly, very rapidly. I mean, look, I’ve got some things to do, I’ve got to professionalise it, I’ve got to democratise it, I’ve got to get rid of a few idiots that found it too easy to get on board. They will all go, they will all go, this will be a non-racist, non-sectarian party. Absolutely and I give my word on that.”

On the Conservative Party, Farage added: “They’ve been around for 190 years. They’ve been amazingly resilient. But this could be, I think this is the beginning of the end of the Conservative Party.”

Reform UK candidate, businessman and former Southampton FC chairman Rupert Lowe has won Great Yarmouth, taking the seat from the Conservatives.

My colleague Laura Hutchinson has written in to say Labour has defeated the Tories in Dunstable and Leighton Buzzard. Andrew Selous had been the MP in the area since 2001, but he’s been replaced by Alex Mayer.

Mayer said: “It’s a great honour to serve the people of Leighton Buzzard, Dunstable, Houghton Regis and villages. This is a once in a generation moment of change.

“Keir Starmer changed the Labour Party and I am proud to be part of a Government that can now start to change the country. It won’t be easy and there will be tough decisions and trade offs ahead.

“This is a victory for integrity: no more one rule for them, another for everyone else. It’s a victory for stability: never forget the economic chaos for which the British people are still paying the price.

“It’s a victory for public services: decimated these last 14 years It’s a victory for the climate: with a Government ready to rise to the biggest challenge of our time. This is a victory for change.”

We are minutes away from the declaration here in Portsmouth, my colleagues Jack Dean writes in. Tensions are high, with strong rumours circling the room that the Leader of the House of Commons, Penny Mordaunt, has lost her seat to Labour’s Amanda Martin by around 800 to 1,000 votes.

Former Conservative leader Iain Duncan Smith has been re-elected in Chingford and Woodford Green. The Tory was widely expected to lose until Labour deselected their candidate Faiza Shaheen and replaced her with Brent councillor Shama Tatler.

Shaheen ended up running as an independent and effectively cancelled out the Labour vote. Duncan Smith won 17,281 votes, Tatler 12,524 and Shaheen 12,445. It appears highly likely that if Labour had not deselected Shaheen over historic social media posts they would have won the east London constituency.

And there is certainly bad blood between Shaheen and her former party. After the count she told reporters that Labour "lied to people, they said there was no chance I could win ... they spread rumours about me ... they smeared my name". She said she was so grateful for everyone supporting her. An emotional Tatler left without speaking to the press.

In the other Waltham Forest counts, Labour’s Stella Creasy was re-elected as Walthamstow MP winning more than 27,000 votes. In her acceptance speech she hit out “hate and division”. While new Labour Leyton and Wanstead MP Calvin Bailey warned of the rise of the far right.

George Galloway has lost in Rochdale. He didn’t show up to the count, instead thankeing those in the constituency who “gave me 54 sitting days in the last parliament as their MP” via X/Twitter.

Workers’ Party leader Galloway, who received 11,508 votes and lost out to Labour’s Paul Waugh, took to X, formerly Twitter, following the defeat, writing: “I thank the people of Rochdale who gave me 54 sitting days in the last parliament as their MP.

“Big thanks to my agent, my campaign team and the thousands who voted for me today.

“We took the government party to within 1,500 votes and serve notice on Labour that we are here to stay in Rochdale.

“We will field a full slate of council candidates, establish a full-time office there, campaign to re-open the maternity ward and A&E, and keep up the pressure on Labour in the town.”

Former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn has won as an independent in Islington North. He said during his victory speech: “I owe my life and my learning and my abilities entirely to the people of Islington North. This victory is dedicated entirely to them.”