National picture
Labour achieved the landslide victory that was predicted with 412 seats (a gain of 211). Conservatives have shrunk to 121 seats (loss of 250) Lib Dems 71 (63 gain) SNP 9 (38 loss) Reform 4 (gain 4) Green 4 (gain 3) other 29.
Labour leader Keir Starmer will become Prime Minister after meeting the King.
Nigel Farage, Reform UK, was elected to the Clacton seat.
In his resignation speech, outgoing Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said: “To the country, I would like to say, first and foremost, I am sorry.
I have given this job my all. But you have sent a clear signal that the government of the United Kingdom must change…and yours is the only judgement that matters.
“I have heard your anger, your disappointment; and I take responsibility for this loss.”
Results- Herne Bay and Sandwich a Tory hold
Sir Roger Gale, Conservatives, has taken the Herne Bay and Sandwich seat – which includes Westbrook, Birchington, Garlinge, Thanet villages wards and Westgate.
Sir Roger (Con) 17,243
Helen Whitehead, Labour, 14,744
Amelia Randall, Reform, 10,602
Thea Barrett, Green, 3,529
Angie Curwen, Lib Dem, 2,709
Turnout was 63%
The prior North Thanet seat has been held by Sir Roger Gale (Conservative) since 1983. In the 2019 election he received 30,066 votes – equalling 62% of the poll. Labour’s Dr Coral Jones took 12,877 – 27%.
This time around his majority, at 2,499, is greatly reduce from the 17,189 in 2019.
Following the election result, Sir Roger said: “As it has been a great privilege to have been the only Member of Parliament for the former North Thanet constituency so it is an honour to be elected to represent the new Herne Bay and Sandwich constituency for the first time.
“I have found the level of personal support that I have received truly humbling and my duty now is to represent all constituents, whether they voted for me or not, to the best of my ability and to honour the pledges that I have made in regard to local issues. That, I shall endeavour to do.”
Prior to Sir Roger holding the seat it formed part of the then-East Thanet constituency (abolished in 1983) and was held by Conservative Jonathan Aitken.
Results – East Thanet a win for Labour
A win for Labour’s Polly Billington who thanked all the candidates and her team. There was a close margin between Conservative Helen Harrison on 10,083 votes with Paul Webb for Reform with 8,591 votes and a doubling of the vote compared to 2019 for the Greens.
Ms Billington said people feeling “everything is broken” was responsible for turning East Thanet, and many constituencies around the country, red.
She added that there had been “a sense of despair” but people had chosen to trust in Labour’s “carefully costed initial steps” to improve access to everything from GPs to specialist teachers to school breakfast clubs.
Locally she has pledged to help create a year round economy for Thanet building on hospitality, tourism, creative industries and hi tech and legacy industries. She said a priority is making sure young people can obtain qualifications and jobs to give them ambition and aspirations.
Polly Billington, Labour, 17,054
Helen Harrison, Con, 10,083
Paul Webb, Reform, 8,591
Steve Roberts, Green, 4,590
Jai Singh, Lib Dem, 1,365
Grahame Birchall Ind 563
Paul Holton Ind 369
Mo Shafaei Ind 98
The Herne Bay and Sandwich result is yet to be announced. Nationally (as of 4.30am) Labour has won 266 seats, Conservatives 47, Lib Dem 33, Reform 4, SNP 4, other 10.
2.34am
Labour’s Polly Billington and Conservative Helen Harrison have arrived at the count.
Helen Harrison says she has found it to be a “brilliant campaign.”
She added: “I have enjoyed every second of it and being selected as the candidate has been a huge honour and a privilege even though it was under circumstances none of us wanted.
“I am absolutely delighted to hear Craig is getting a peerage, he is an absolute hero.”
Ms Harrison said Thanet is “beautiful” and added: “Whatever the result I am amazingly proud of the team I have been working with and amazingly proud of what we have done.”
Polly Billington said she would like to wait for the results before making any statements.
Verification finishing and turn out
The last box for verification is underway and the count of votes is now beginning (1.27am). Turn out for East Thanet was 57.26%.
Candidates arriving
Verification is now taking place at the East Thanet count. So far, of the candidates, we have spotted Green Party’s Steve Roberts, Independent Paul Holton, and since midnight Paul Webb from Reform UK and Lib Dem Jai Singh. There is also a smattering of representatives from the various parties in attendance.
Independent Grahame Birchall is also now in attendance (00.50).
(We confess to have started in on the sweets already, sugary intake at election counts is an unspoken rule)
Steve Roberts (Green) says he feels ‘very positive’ and believes Greens may have done significantly better than in the 2019 election.
He said: “We have a good reputation as local councillors and the Green agenda is at the forefront of people’s minds and many have become disillusioned with the mainstream parties.”
Conservative councillor Marc Rattigan says he is “pleased” about the news that former South Thanet MP Craig Mackinlay has been nominated for a peerage
Mr Mackinlay returned to Parliament in May following his sepsis battle and the amputation of his limbs and had planned to campaign as the bionic MP. But he declared he would not be fighting for the new East Thanet seat when Rishi Sunak announced the early July election.
Tonight he said he was “overwhelmed at being elevated to the House of Lords” and added: “The Bionic MP changes into the Bionic Lord.”
I am overwhelmed at being elevated to @UKHouseofLords. My heartfelt thanks to @RishiSunak for my inclusion on the dissolution Honours List. This gives me a platform to campaign for #sepsis #limbloss and for appropriate #prosthetics (as well as sensible #NetZero).
The Bionic MP… pic.twitter.com/QnH8kv3Zc6— Craig Mackinlay (@cmackinlay) July 4, 2024
Polls closed
The polls closed at 10pm tonight (July 4) and all the General Election votes are now waiting to be verified and counted.
There are some changes in this general election count compared to the last one in 2019. The venue is St George’s School – previous years the count was hosted at the Winter Gardens apart from in 2019 when the venue had a Razorlight gig and so the count took place at Hartsdown Leisure Centre.
The other change is, of course, the constituencies. The former North Thanet seat has mostly been swallowed up by the new Herne Bay and Sandwich constituency. The count for that seat is being hosted by Canterbury City Council at the Westgate Hall with the result not expected until around 5.30am. The predicted time for East Thanet results is 2.30am-3am.
We shall be at the East Thanet count – armed with a flask and sweets – until the result is known and will keep tabs on the Herne Bay/Sandwich count.
Exit Poll
Exit polls take place at about 144 polling stations across the country, with people asked to privately fill in a replica ballot as they leave, to get an indication of how the results will look. Analysis is conducted by a team of senior academics working on behalf of broadcasters BBC, ITV and Sky, and led by Sir John Curtice.
Sky News reveals the Ipsos exit poll figures are:
Labour: 410
Conservatives: 131
Liberal Democrats: 61
Reform: 13
SNP: 10
Plaid Cymru: 4
Green: 2
Other: 19
A bit of background for both seats
The South Thanet seat ceased to exist following the boundary change this year. It is now East Thanet and comprised of Ramsgate, Broadstairs and most of Margate.
The (South Thanet) seat was last held by Craig Mackinlay (Conservative) between 7 May 2015 to 30 May 2024.
In 2019 Mr Mackinlay won the seat with more than 56% of the vote.
He polled 27,084 votes, some 10,587 ahead of nearest competitor Rebecca Gordon Nesbitt (Labour) who gained 16,497 votes. This was an increase of more than 4,000 on his majority in the 2017 election.
Prior to Mr Mackinlay the seat was held by Conservative Laura Sandys from 2010. It was last a Labour seat between 1997 and 2010 when the area MP was Stephen Ladyman.
The former North Thanet constituency also no longer exists. Instead voters in Westbrook, Birchington, Garlinge, Thanet villages wards and Westgate now find themselves in a new Herne Bay and Sandwich constituency which spans three councils (Thanet, Dover and Canterbury).
The prior North Thanet seat has been held by Sir Roger Gale (Conservative) since 1983. In the 2019 election he received 30,066 votes – equalling 62% of the poll. Labour’s Dr Coral Jones took 12,877 – 27%.
Prior to Sir Roger holding the seat it formed part of the then-East Thanet constituency (abolished in 1983) and was held by Conservative Jonathan Aitken.
From 1885 to 1974 Thanet had just one MP for the Isle of Thanet constituency. It was traditionally Conservative throughout that period.
