Live Election Coverage 2019

by Gemma Watson and Syona Marok

03:30

This is not a goodbye, this is a see you later.

As it currently stands, the Conservatives hold 148 seats, Labour 107, SNP 21, LD 5, DUP 5, and the others 9.

Tune into the radio to say updated!

03:20

Jezzer lives on.

Jeremy Corbyn has retained his seat for Islington North with a majority of 26,000.

However in his acceptance speech he noted that he would not lead Labour into any future general election. This means that there will be a leadership election within Labour in the near future.

03:00

187 gone, 463 to go.

Yes, it is 3AM; no, the election has not quite finished.

As of now, the Conservatives have 107 seats, Labour has 89, the SNP have 17, Sinn Fein have 4 and the Lib Dems have 3.

The saga continues.

02:30

Not gonna lie, not a lot has changed.

• The BBC is reporting that this election could be the biggest Conservative victory since 1987 and Labour’s worst result since 1935.
• 3AM is expected to bring results for key party leaders such as Jo Swinson, whose seat is predicted to be at risk.

02:00

It’s the 2AM roundup!

• Labour is beginning to crack – they have lost some of their front-benchers such as Sue Hayman, the previous shadow environment minister, and the ex-shadow Brexit minister Jenny Chapman.
• The Conservatives have made big gains: winning Blyth Valley is likely to be just the tip of the iceberg over the next hour or so.
• An influx of results is expected to come in around 3AM, so stay tuned into the radio station and keep up to date on our socials and twitter @lgstudentmedia

01:35

Workington has been won by the Conservatives.

The Conservative party has succeeded in their plans to appeal to the ‘Workington Man’ – described by the BBC as “the imagined poster boy for middle England, likes rugby league and Labour, voted for Brexit and feels the country is moving away from his views.”

The constituency has been almost continuously held by Labour since 1918.

01:30

The local response.

Regional newspaper Liverpool Echo have reported tomorrow’s headlines as ‘City Braces for Five Years of Pain.’

01:10

Conservatives hold Nuneaton.

Marcus Jones has secured 60.6% of the vote in the Midlands constituency, and has represented the area since 2010.

60.6% represents a 9.0% increase in vote share since 2017.

01:00

The night so far:

• Labour currently have the most seats with 8; the Conservatives trailing with 2.
• Obviously this is all set to change, with 640 seats yet to be announced.
• It’s been a little slow so far this evening, however it should soon pick up, with Kensington soon expected and more being announced the closer we get to 3am.

00:30

The first seat of the South.

Swindon North has been won by the Conservatives with a majority of 16,171. Justin Tomlinson has held the seat since 2010.

00:00

The midnight rundown:

• Conservatives have gained a shock seat in Wales with their win over Blyth Valley – former Chancellor George Osbourne summed up the surprise with: “We never thought we’d get Blyth Valley!”
• Labour have won three seats: Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Houghton and Sunderland South.

23:40

Labour loses Blyth Valley.

The first Labour seat has fallen to the Conservatives, notably in a former mining community. Blyth Valley has been held by Labour since 1950, but Ian Levy (C) managed a slim majority of 712.

The constituency was forced to have a recount due to the results becoming so close: this will be the first time that they will have a Conservative MP.

23:31

Pipped to the point!

Sunderland South is a close second in the race to announce – Labour holds it (but notably less-so than in the last election).

23:28

The first result is in!

Newcastle-upon-Tyne Central is the first to announce the result, with a win for Labour with 57.6% of the vote.

23:25

…and we’re still waiting

The race continues to be the first announcing seat. Blyth Valley were expected to be the first place to announce, however it has been announced that there will be a bundle recount, which according to the presiding officer “won’t take take too long”.

22:30

Taking a look at sterling.

Although it may not be an immediate concern for the average voter on election night, election results can influence the value of the pound dramatically. In our case today, as soon as the exit polls were released at 10pm, the pound shot up in value to a price (€) of 1.2057, a change of +1.69% today. This may seem insignificant in the grand scheme of things, however it indicates that a Conservative government would be seen as more investable by lenders and banks.

22:00

The exit polls are in!

Polls from the BBC, ITV and Sky News are suggesting that the Conservatives are going to achieve a clear majority with 368 seats, compared to Labour with 191 seats and the SNP coming in third with 55 seats. This would be a huge win for the SNP, as they would hold all but four of the parliamentary seats in Scotland.

21:55

In the last 5 minutes before the polls close, there is real uncertainty over how tonight is going to end. Although previous exit polls have shown the Conservatives 10 points ahead of Labour, there is opinion that tomorrow will bring in a hung parliament yet again.

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Featured image: Pixabay