The election night dust starts to settle
Welcome to the final newsletter of this election campaign as our ITV News team of experts from across the country help make sense of a historic night.
The day after the night before was a bit more predictable, but no less eventful. As the country took stock of a night of seismic shifts in the political landscape, the process and theatre of the transition of power played out live on ITV News.
A historic night accompanied by historic images produced what ITV News Political Editor Robert Peston described as the most important election of modern times.
Freshly appointed by King Charles, Keir Starmer was greeted in Downing Street by scenes reminiscent of Tony Blair’s many years earlier. Taking his place behind the Downing Street lectern for the first time he said the country had voted decisively for change. Acknowledging the divisions in the country he said ‘we need to move forward together’, whilst promising to put ‘country first, party second’. He invited the nation to join his government of service in the mission of national renewal, saying; ‘our work is urgent and we begin it today’.
But it wasn’t all plain sailing for Labour as their 34% share of the vote was only marginally up on Jeremy Corbyn's 32% haul in 2019. And the backlash against their stance on Gaza saw them lose 4 seats to independent candidates with Jon Ashworth a notable scalp.
Meanwhile in slightly drier conditions than 6 weeks ago, and with his wife Akshata watching on (brolly in hand) Rishi Sunak made his departing speech from No 10 saying he was sorry and recognising that the people had spoken. He’d heard the country’s anger and apologised to the Conservative candidates and workers who like him had paid for it with their jobs.
Sunak confirmed he would stand down once a new party leader was put in place. Look back here at the rise and fall of his political career.
So it’s out with the old, and in with the new, but who exactly is our new Prime Minister? Lewis Denison explains all on our TikTok account.
And what does Keir Starmer’s in-tray hold? Watch John Ray’s ITVX explainer about what lies in store for Keir Starmer once he gets behind the No10 desk.
In the final election edition of Talking Politics, Paul Brand, Robert Peston and Anushka Asthana get to grips with what happened last night….and what it means.
The rise of the smaller parties
After widespread questions about whether Ed Davey’s stunt-led campaign strategy would pay off, it was the Lib Dem leader who had the last laugh (or should that be dad dance) as he led his party to their best ever election with 71 seats.
Meanwhile it was 8th time lucky for Nigel Farage who finally gets to put the letters ‘MP’ after his name by winning Clacton. His job now according to Harry Horton was to woo defeated Tories and reform the voting system. Despite getting 4 million votes across the country his Reform Party returned only 4 MPs. It was however according to Farage "the first step of something that is going to stun all of you".
And Bristol Central saw Green Party leader Carla Denyer overturn a huge Labour majority on a night her party won a record 4 seats in the Commons, a result she described as ‘groundbreaking’.
Changing political landscapes across the UK
The political lines have been redrawn in Wales, with the Conservatives losing all their seats and Labour regaining major battlegrounds.
A ‘political earthquake’ saw Northern Ireland transformed overnight with the DUP suffering a bruising night, Alliance making history and Sinn Fein coming out on top.
A monotone map depicts the North-West turning red as Labour made gains from the Tories across the region.
And the Midlands saw some of the biggest losers on both sides of the Red and Blue divide.
So how did Starmer turn Labour into a winning force?
Anushka Asthana has spent months behind the scenes following the Labour campaign. In this exclusive report she discusses how she found Starmer as likely to be called "deeply caring" by his staff and friends as "utterly ruthless"; a politician with sharp and relentless determination; a leader willing to take any decision if convinced it would hand his Labour party a strategic advantage.
In his chief strategist, Morgan McSweeney, Starmer found an impressive political operative who was just as obsessed as he was about winning.
In returning Labour to power she believes both factors have been absolutely critical.
The Tory ‘big beasts’ that roar no more
The big names that fell for the Government read like a ‘Who’s Who’ from the past 14 years in power. Truss, Rees-Mogg, Shapps, Mordaunt, few were spared.
It was the biggest ever loss of ministers at a General Election. Jacob Rees-Mogg spoke for them all when he said "We have no divine right to people's votes, we have to win them at every single election."
What came next for the vanquished seemed to vary. Liz Truss said “I’ve got a lot to think about” when asked whether she wanted to stay in Tory politics. Meanwhile Steve Baker said “thank god at last I’m free.”
See the full list of those beaten here.
The tidal change in Scotland - where does it leave the fight for independence?
As Scotland Correspondent Peter Smith writes, that relentless red wave that we knew was sweeping up through England also reached Scottish shores overnight, and left little in its way.
"Independence is on the ballot paper," said the SNP's leader at Westminster, Stephen Flynn. These were the terms the SNP set for themselves in this election.
If they had succeeded and won a majority of seats in Scotland, fighting the election on these very clearly defined terms, that would have been a huge problem for the next Prime Minister.
That the SNP failed in their own mission means the independence case is, as John Swinney put it, "damaged."
And finally….1997 all over again?
It’s been a while since Labour seized power from the Conservatives at a General Election, 27 years in fact. Back then Britpop ruled the charts, Manchester United dominated the Premier League and The Full Monty had people flocking to the cinema.
Our team delved into the archives to see how else times had changed.
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