LONDON (Reuters) – Prime Minister Theresa May’s Conservative Party will fail to win a parliamentary majority in Britain’s election, according to an exit poll, a shock result that would plunge domestic politics into turmoil and could delay Brexit talks.
Below are some key developments so far:
VALE OF CLWYD
LABOUR GAIN
The first Labour gain of the night. Some polls had showed the Conservatives doing well in Wales, where most people voted to leave the European Union. But Labour overturned a thin 237 vote margin, increasing its vote by around 12 percentage points
NUNEATON
CONSERVATIVE HOLD
Considered a national bellwether seat, holding Nuneaton gave May’s Conservatives a boost. They increased their majority here in 2015, despite it being a Labour target, and it provided one of the first indications the Conservatives were on course for victory. However, Labour also increased their share of the vote in the seat, as support for the anti-European Union party UKIP collapsed.
DARLINGTON
LABOUR HOLD
This was a key Conservative target seat, which voted in favour of leaving the EU. But Labour held the seat, with both parties increasing their share of the vote by about 8 percentage points.
SWINDON SOUTH
CONSERVATIVE HOLD
Swindon South was held by the Conservatives despite being among the more marginal seats.
BATTERSEA
LABOUR GAIN
British junior finance minister Jane Ellison was defending a 15 percentage point lead in Battersea in London, but the strongly pro-Remain seat voted Labour. The opposition party increased its share of the vote by 9.1 percentage points, while Conservative share of the vote dropped by nearly 11 points.
EALING CENTRAL & ACTON
LABOUR HOLD
Labour’s Rupa Huq had just a 274 seat majority in 2015, but gained a massive 16.5 percentage point increase to record nearly 60 percent of the vote it the strongly pro-remain seat.
ANGUS
CONSERVATIVE GAIN
Britain’s Conservative Party has taken the Angus seat from the Scottish National Party by overturning a 11,230 majority to win by 2,644 votes, delivering a blow to Nicola Sturgeon’s party, which had a near clean sweep in Scotland two years ago.\
MORAY
CONSERVATIVE GAIN
The Conservatives also took Moray from the SNP, unseating the party’s leader in Westminster Angus Robertson. While Moray voted to remain in the European Union, it did so by the tightest margin in Scotland, and was strongly against independence in 2014’s Scottish referendum.
BURY NORTH
LABOUR GAIN
This had been a Conservative-held marginal seat, with a majority of just 378 voters. It has been a bellwether seat so the fact the Conservatives lost it, despite facing no UKIP candidate, supports the view that they could lose their majority.
Still to come:
NORTHAMPTON NORTH, RESULT EXPECTED 0100 GMT
This seat has elected a lawmaker from the winning party at every British national election since it was created in 1974. It is held by the Conservatives with a majority of 3,245.
UKIP, which won more than 6,000 votes here in 2015, are not fielding a candidate so it should be a comfortable win for the Conservatives if they are to increase their national majority.
HASTINGS AND RYE, RESULT EXPECTED 0200 GMT
ITV REPORT THAT THERE IS A RECOUNT AS TOO CLOSE TO CALL
This is the seat of interior minister Amber Rudd, who has played a prominent role in the election campaign and is tipped as a possible successor to Chancellor Philip Hammond. She has held it since 2010, and won a majority of 4,796 in 2015.
The Green Party, which won just under 2,000 votes there in 2015, has agreed not to field a candidate in a bid to help Labour try and unseat Rudd. Pollster YouGov’s election model has predicted they could succeed in doing so.
BRIGHTON KEMPTOWN, RESULT EXPECTED 0400 GMT
This marginal seat is held by the Conservative minister responsible for financial services, Simon Kirby, with a majority of just 690. It voted strongly in favour of remaining in the EU.
It has been a bellwether at national elections since 1979 and the Green Party, who won more than 3,000 votes here in 2015, are not standing. Labour need to win seats like this if they are to have any chance of being the largest party nationally.
HALIFAX, RESULT EXPECTED 0430 GMT
This is one of Labour’s most marginal seats, with a majority of just 428. It voted in favour of Brexit. May’s Conservatives launched their election policy document here and need to win seats like this if she is to hang on to her majority.
(Reporting by Kylie MacLellan and Alistair Smout; editing by Guy Faulconbridge)
