Labour passes 326-seat milestone to win UK election
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More news: Labour has won the UK election, winning enough seats to secure a majority government with 80% of seats declared by 2:00pm AEST.
While outgoing Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and chancellor Jeremy Hunt held onto their seats, defence secretary Grant Shapps and former leader of the House of Commons Penny Mordaunt have both lost their seats.
Meanwhile, Reform UK party leader Nigel Farage has been elected as an MP for the first time.
What they said: Keir Starmer declared victory, saying "change begins now".
"Now we can look forward again, walk into the morning," he said. "The sunlight of hope, pale at first, but getting stronger through the day, shining once again on a country with an opportunity to get its future back.
"By all means enjoy this moment. But use it to show to the rest of the country, as we must, that this party has changed, that we will serve them faithfully, govern for every single person in this country.
"Don’t forget how we got here. Election victories don’t fall from the sky. They are hard won and hard fought for. This one could only be won by a changed Labour party."
British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak concedes UK election defeat
More news: Rishi Sunak has conceded defeat in the UK election, calling it a "difficult night". Though Sunak retained his seat of Richmond and Northallerton in Yorkshire.
What they said: "The Labour Party has won this general election and I have called Sir Keir Starmer to congratulate him on his victory," Sunak said after winning his parliamentary seat.
"Today, power will change hands in a peaceful and orderly manner, with goodwill on all sides. That is something that should give us all confidence in our country's stability and future."
Labour set for 170 seat majority in the UK: exit poll
The news: Labour is set to win a general election landslide with a majority of 170 seats, according to an exit poll for the BBC, ITV and Sky.
The numbers: If the forecast is accurate, it means Labour leader Keir Starmer will become prime minister with 410 MPs, just short of Tony Blair's 1997 total. The Conservatives are predicted to drop to 131 MPs, their lowest number in post-war history. The Liberal Democrats are projected to come third with 61 MPs, up from 11 in the last election.
The Scottish National Party is expected to see its number of MPs fall from 48 to 10, while Nigel Farage's Reform UK will beat expectations with 13 MPs, according to the exit poll. The Green Party is predicted to double its number of MPs to two and Welsh nationalist party Plaid Cymru are set to get four MPs. Others are forecast to get 19 seats.
The exit poll is based on data from voters at about 130 polling stations in England, Scotland and Wales. The poll does not cover Northern Ireland.
At the past five general elections, the exit poll has been accurate to within a range of 1.5 and 7.5 seats.
The context: While a landslide result for the party, the expected Labour tally is at the bottom end of survey projections which had anticipated a win of between 406 and 516 seats.
The Conservatives, who have been in power since 2010, could record the lowest share of the vote in the party's history, impacted in part by the rise of Reform in seats where they were previously strongest.
The pound was little changed against the US dollar and the euro immediately following the release of the exit poll. The currency has gained in recent days, hitting a three-week high against the US dollar this week, as it recedes from its strongest level in two years against the euro.
Results are expected to start being announced from about 8:30am AEST.
What they said: In a post on X following the exit poll result, Starmer said: "To everyone who has campaigned for Labour in this election, to everyone who voted for us and put their trust in our changed Labour Party - thank you."
Liberal Democrat leader Ed Davey posted on X: "The Liberal Democrats are on course for our best results in a century, thanks to our positive campaign with health and care at its heart."
"I am humbled by the millions of people who backed us to both kick the Conservatives out of power and deliver the change our country needs."
