‘Change begins now’: Labour wins landslide as DUP suffers ‘seismic’ defeat

• The Labour Party has won the UK general election in what looks like a landslide victory
• Next prime minister Keir Starmer said: “We did it! You campaigned for it, you fought for it, you voted for it, and now it has arrived”
• In Northern Ireland it was a difficult night for the DUP Ian Paisley jnr losing his seat
• Conservative leader Rishi Sunak said voters had delivered a “sobering verdict”
• Reform’s Nigel Farage was elected an MP and hailed a “huge” general election result

Best reads and results

• Full coverage of news, analysis and all results in the UK elections
• How did Northern Ireland vote? A full breakdown of how each constituency voted in the UK elections
• Analysis: Job done for Sinn Féin, but DUP faces terrible night with high-profile losses
• Analysis: Conservatives lost UK’s landslide election just as much as Labour won it

Rishi Sunak will make statement shortly

It’s fitting that Rishi Sunak’s campaign begins as it ends, in pouring rain. Sunak announced the election outside 10 Downing Street during a torrential downpour, in which he got soaked to the skin.

It became a metaphor for the fate of his party.

Now, this morning, after leading his party to a catastrophic defeat in the UK general election, with 119 seats right now (a loss of over 240), we expect him to emerge through the famous black door into a rainy-sodden Downing Street.

He will announce his party has lost the election, that the new government will be led by the Labour Party and Keir Starmer will be the new PM. His own fate is also certain. He will have to step down as leader of his much enfeebled party. The only question is when.

Irish Times video team’s take on the fall of the House of Paisley

The Paisley family has held the North Antrim seat continuously since 1970. However, all that changed during a dramatic count last night.

Analysis on dramatic East Derry cliffhanger

Jack White writes:

Although DUP MP Gregory Campbell retained his seat in East Derry, the minimal margin keeping Sinn Féin at bay was perhaps the second biggest shock of the morning.

The last result to be declared in Northern Ireland came shortly after Ian Paisley Jnr lost his seat in North Antrim.

East Derry has been a solid unionist seat since its creation with a comfortable majority held by Mr Campbell at each UK general election since 2001.

This year, however, saw Sinn Féin’s votes skyrocket from just over 6,128 in 2019 to 11,327 on Friday morning.

There was just 179 votes keeping Kathleen McGurk from taking Mr Campbells seat.

McGurk said the result might a shock to many, but not to those in her constituency.

“In East Derry, we set out to make history and I think we’ve done that, even though we didn’t quite get it over the line this time, we have laid the foundation blocks,” she said.

Summary of Conservative Losses

Ronan McGreevy writes:

The defeat of former prime minister Liz Truss is arguably this election’s “Portillo moment” though there are no shortages of contenders.

Nine cabinet ministers lost their seats including Penny Mordaunt, the leader of the Commons, who was once tipped to be prime minister, but is best remembered for holding a ceremonial sword at King Charles III’s coronation.

There will be few tears shed in Ireland for the Veterans Minister Johnny Mercer who was one of those credited with bringing forward the Legacy Act, his stated aim being that former British soldiers would no longer be prosecuted for events during the Troubles.

Other so-called “big beasts” who lost their seats were Jacob Rees-Mogg who lost out in North-West Somerset and bloviating former deputy chairman Jonathan Gullis in Stoke-on-Trent North.

However, these defeats were expected. Liz Truss’s was not and appears to have been a punishment by the electors of South-West Norfolk. She lost out to Labour’s Terry Jermy who took 11,847 votes to Truss’s 11,217, a slim majority of 630, but a nick is as good as a cut in British electoral politics.

The most extraordinary thing about her defenestration was that the 26 per cent swing from Conservative to Labour was the largest ever recorded in British electoral politics.

Sunak to make statement at 10.30am and Starmer to comment at Noon

Mark Paul reports:

Outgoing Tory prime minister Rishi Sunak will make a statement at 10.30am before travelling to Buckingham Palace to tender his resignation to King Charles, according to a statement from Downing Street. Labour leader Keir Starmer will then travel to the palace where he will be asked to form a government, before making a public statement at about 12.20pm.

Northern Ireland round-up

Seanín Graham has a summary of the big changes following the Westminster elections:

IN a dramatic night for Northern Ireland politics, Sinn Féin is now the largest party at Westminster, Stormont and at council level.

The Alliance party also made history with Sorcha Eastwood becoming the first non-unionist MP in the DUP stronghold of Lagan Valley. The 38-year-old MLA is also the first woman to hold the seat that the former DUP leader Jeffrey Donaldson held for 27 years following her defeat of DUP candidate, Jonathan Buckley by almost 3,000 votes.

It was a bruising Westminster election for the DUP, with the TUV leader Jim Allister delivering the biggest shock of the election by unseating DUP veteran MP, Ian Paisley in North Antrim.

Sinn Féin deputy leader and Stormont First Minister Michelle O’Neill said her party had achieved a “tremendous result right across the board” and that the outcome “means change”.

“This speaks volumes that the change is happening - this place is changing,” she said.

In total, 16 of Northern Ireland’s 18 seats have been declared, with North Antrim and East Derry still to be decided.

The DUP also lost in South Antrim to former health minister Robin Swann – with the Ulster Unionists returning an MP to the House of Commons for the first time since 2017.

DUP leader Gavin Robinson held his seat in the East Belfast constituency where he went head-to-head with Alliance leader Naomi Long.

There was a loss for Alliance’s Stephen Farry in North Down who conceded defeat earlier in the night to Independent unionist Alex Easton.

Reacting to her landmark victory, Ms Eastwood said: “It’s a fantastic night for us but it’s also a fantastic night for the people of Lagan Valley.”

She added: “I’m a Lagan Valley girl born and bred, and this has been in our heart for a long time and I’m just delighted.”

Sinn Féin also retained its seats in Mid Ulster, North Belfast, Newry and Armagh and West Tyrone while the DUP held Upper Bann and East Antrim. Gregory Campbell held onto his East Derry seat by just 179 votes over Sinn Féin’s Kathleen McGurk.

The SDLP retained its two seats with party leader Colum Eastwood securing a comfortable win over Sinn Féin’s Sandra Duffy in Foyle – but with a significantly reduced majority of just over 4,000 votes. Claire Hanna also retained her South Belfast seat comfortably receiving 21345 votes and a majority of over 12000.

Alex Easton wins a seat as an Independent in North Down

Freya McClements reports:

“Wow,” was the response from the Independent Alex Easton – now the constituency’s MP - when the result was read out for the North Down constituency.

His was a convincing victory over the sitting MP, Alliance’s Stephen Farry, who failed to become the first MP from his party to retain his seat.

The expectation had been that it would be a close race; in the event, Easton took the seat by 7,300 votes.

A visibly emotional Easton dedicated his victory to his parents, Alec and Ann Easton, who died in a house fire at their home in Bangor in 2023.

“In my darkest hours … there’s one person that always believed in me, that was my Dad, and I want to say to my Dad, and my Mum, I did this for you.”

The former DUP Assembly member had in effect been the party’s candidate in the constituency; it chose not to run in the constituency, as did the Traditional Unionist Voice (TUV).

The only unionist opposition was the Ulster Unionists’ (UUP) Colonel Tim Collins, who got off to a rocky start thanks to some poor media interviews, and was criticised for – among other things – not being based in the constituency and promising to buy a house there only if elected.

He made it a rocky end, too, with another of those interviews before midnight on Thursday, conceding that he had come in third place and ruling out running again in Northern Ireland, telling the BBC voters in North Down “are not interested in international affairs, they are interested in potholes and hedges.”

Easton’s victory was singled out by the DUP leader Gavin Robinson amid a bruising night for the party as an example of “how unionists co-operating and working together can return victory.”

Mr Farry said it had been a “disappointing” night for him and his party would reflect on the result.

“I look back at the last five years with a lot of pride, we have achieved a lot of things, and I think it was very important that I stood by my vision and my values for North Down and indeed for Northern Ireland and further afield,” he said.

Huge night for the Liberal Democrats

The Liberal Democrats leader Ed Davey has led his party to a historic result with a gain of almost 60 seats, winning a grad total of 71.

Davey has resonated with people on a human level because of his own back-story as a carer for his mother and also for his son, as well as for the series of campaign stunts he did. They included falling off a paddle board, and going down a giant slide with school kids.

The party is now the third largest in parliament which will give him the right to put questions directly to the new Prime Minister.

His celebration as he entered his party’s headquarters, was true Ed Davy, dad dancing to ‘Sweet Caroline’.

Moment when former PM Liz Truss became image of Tory melt-down

Chris Maddaloni has compiled this video on the election results in South West Norfolk where Liz Truss frittered away what was a majority of 26,000 votes.

Ronan McGreevy adds interesting context: There have been five Tory prime ministers since 2010. Of the five constituencies, David Cameron (Witney), Theresa May (Maidenhead), Boris Johnson (Uxbridge & Ruislip) and Liz Truss in South West Norfolk are no longer Tory seats.

DUP’s Gregory Campbell hangs on by only 179 votes in East Derry from Sinn Féin

Jack White has been reporting on this constituency for us and captures the moment when Gregory Campbell holds his seat from Kathleen McGurk of Sinn Féin.

Liz Truss loss the ‘Portillo moment’ of this election

Ronan McGreevy reports: The defeat of former prime minister Liz Truss is arguably this election’s “Portillo moment” though there are no shortages of contenders.

Nine cabinet ministers lost their seats including Penny Mordaunt, the leader of the Commons, who was once tipped to be prime minister but is best remembered for holding a ceremonial sword at King Charles III’s coronation.

There will be few tears shed in Ireland for the Veterans Minister Johnny Mercer who was one of those credited with bringing forward the Legacy Act, his stated aim being that former British soldiers would no longer be prosecuted for events during the Troubles.

Other “big beasts” who lost their seats were Jacob Rees-Mogg who lost out in North-West Somerset and bloviating former deputy chairman Jonathan Gullis in Stoke-on-Trent North.

However, these defeats were expected. Liz Truss’s was not and appears to have been a punishment by the electors of South West Norfolk.

State of the parties with nine seats left to declare

Labour: 410

Conservative: 119

Liberal Democras: 71

SNP: 8

Sinn Féin: 7

SDLP 2

Alliance Party: 1

UUP: 1

TUV 1

Reform: 4

Ind: 5

Green Party: 4

Nigel Farage’s Reform had a big impact on Tory seat losses

Ronan McGreevy reports: Polling guru Prof John Curtice has put Labour’s triumph in perspective. In 174 constituencies where the Tories lost a seat, the Reform vote was greater than the margin of loss.

In other words, if Reform wasn’t contesting the election, the Tories could in theory have won those 124 seats. Instead 99 went to Labour, 19 to the Liberal Democrats and four were won by Reform.

Labour’s vote was the same approximately in England, was down in Wales and only increased in Scotland where the party was up against an increasingly unpopular SNP party.

Labour’s expected share of the vote at 36.3 per cent is only 4.2 percentage points higher than that achieved in 2019 by Jeremy Corbyn, who was removed swiftly after that.

The big story of the night though is the collapse in the Conservative vote. It’s rare in any election that a big party halves its support, but that appears to be what has happened. The Tories have gone from 42.4 per cent of the vote in 2019 to 22.3 per cent of the vote this year.

It’s a result akin to the Fianna Fáil meltdown in 2011 when the party went from 41.6 per cent of the vote to 17.4 per cent.

Fianna Fáil have recovered somewhat since then, but it will never aspire to a number above 40 per cent again. Will the Tories suffer a similar fate?

DUP leader Gavin Robinson speaks of the losses for his party

Freya McClements writes that in his victory speech in Belfast East, DUP leader Gavin Robinson alluded to some of the difficulties faced in this election by his party, which has lost three seats – North Antrim, South Antrim and Lagan Valley – and is in a recount in the final seat, East Derry.

In a reference to the shock resignation of the party’s former leader, Jeffrey Donaldson, after he was charged with sexual offences earlier this year – charges Mr Donaldson denies – Mr Robinson said: “none of us, neither me nor my colleagues chose the circumstances in which we stood in this election.”

He also blamed a split within the unionist vote, saying that on Friday “the news will be dominated by the costs of divisions within unionism.

“It’s not a new story, we saw it in the Assembly election, we saw the cost and consequence of divisions within unionism two years ago and yet again, we see it today.

“But we should never lose hope,” he said, citing the independent unionist Alex Easton, who won the seat in North Down, as “but one example of how unionists co-operating and working together can return victory, then I think it’s something we should look to positively.”

Latest from Ronan McGreevy in London

Former prime minister Liz Truss has lost her seat. Truss, who was prime minister for all of 49 days, lost out to Labour in South West Norfolk by 1,600 votes.

Taoiseach to make statement on UK election this morning

Taoiseach Simon Harris will make a statement on the outcome of the UK election at 8.30am.

Dublin woman wins London seat for Labour in Ealing Southall

Ronan McGreevy reports that a Deirdre Costigan from Greenhills near Walkinstown, Dublin, has become a MP, winning a seat in west London. She is one of a handful of Dubliners elected to the House of Commons over the past century.

Ms Costigan is a Unison trade union official and gay rights advocate who emigrated to London in the 1990s.

Ms Costigan, who is originally from Greenhills in South Dublin, got 23,000 votes in what is a safe Labour seat.

She is the first MP of non-Asian heritage to represent the constituency since 1992. More than half the population in the constituency are from an Asian background.

Her father is originally comes from Tipperary while her mother is from Greystones in Wicklow.

Ms Costigan’s partner, Anu Prashar, is also involved in the trade union movement.

Claire Tighe, a Mayo woman who also serves on Ealing council and is a former vice chair of the Labour Irish society, lost out in Spelthorne which was former chancellor of the exchequer Kwasi Kwarteng’s former constituency.

She was narrowly defeated by the Conservative candidate Lincoln Jobb.

Gains for Liberal Democrats, Reform and for the Greens

The Liberal Democrats are also big winners. It looks like the party will win close to 70 seats.

The Reform Party has made a breakthrough winning four seats so far, including one for leader Nigel Farage.

The Greens have also gained seats and look set to win four seats, a gain of three.

Full Northern Ireland Count details here

We have full details of the Northern Ireland count here

Liz Truss loses her seat in King’s Lynn and West Norfolk

The shortest-living British prime minster in modern history, Liz Truss, has lost her seat in a close-run contest to Terry Jermy of the Labour Party, losing by 630 votes.

She was defending a majority of 26,000. It is a huge humiliation for Truss, who had become a thorn in the side of Rishi Sunak since he succeeded her as leader of the Conservatives and prime minister.

Good morning, it’s Harry McGee and I’ll be live reporting on what has been a remarkable day in UK politics where the Labour Party has won a historic landslide with Keir Starmer set to become the first Prime Minister for his party in 14 years.

The Tories have been reduced to a little over 100 seats at this moment in time (final prediction is 127) with some big party figures losing their seats including Penny Mordaunt, Grant Shapps, and Jacob Rees-Mogg.

It was also a poor night for the Scottish National Party, losing most of its seats to Labour. The party will lose 38 seats, and its current seat number is seven (with 10 predicted when the count is over).

In Northern Ireland the big news is that Ian Paisley jnr of the DUP looks like he will lose a seat his family has held for half a century, to Jim Allister of the Traditional Unionist Party. It’s been a poor night for the DUP. While party leader Gavin Robinson has held off the challenge of the Alliance Party leader Naomi Long, the party has lost Lagan Valley to Sorcha Eastwood of Alliance, while Robert Swann of the UUP has also taken a seat from the DUP, returning his party to representation in Westminister.

There were extraordinary scenes a short while ago when Ian Paisley blanked reporters as he crossed the counting centre. It’s a tight result and there is a partial recount ongoing at the moment.

• Sep 21

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