Today, the United Kingdom goes to the polls to elect a new Parliament. Polls closed at 5 PM ET, but different seats will report at different times. The first results are expected between 6-7 PM ET, with more seats coming in 7-10 PM, with a deluge of seats coming in starting around 10 PM. Unlike in the U.S. where individual precincts report, the results of the entire constituency come in at once. You can find a comprehensive list of UK election resources
here.
Results: BBC | London Times
3:08 PM PT (dwb115):
The BBC rumour at the moment is that Ed Balls may lose his seat. His majority is 1,101. #TheVote
— @britainelects
Ed Balls is the Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer and Labour leader, as well as being a twitter meme. He won in 2010 by just over 1,000 votes.
3:18 PM PT (dwb115): Seat number two of 650:
Sunderland Central constituency result:
LAB - 50.4% (+4.5)
CON - 23.5% (-6.5)
UKIP - 19.2% (+16.7)
GRN - 4.1% (+4.1)
LDEM - 2.7% (-14.3)
3:28 PM PT (David Nir): Britain's new multi-party world has made it more difficult to follow voting patterns, but this excellent chart from Martin Baxter's Electoral Calculus does a great job tracing how voters have shifted their allegiances since the last general election in 2010. Note, though, that it's based on YouGov pre-election polls. If those numbers are off (as the exit polls suggest they may be), then this chart will also be off:
(click to enlarge)
4:22 PM PT (dwb115): There's been a lull while the seats that aren't racing to be first count their ballots. We expect the next set of seats to announce around 8 pm (EDT). The key seat in that batch is Nuneaton, which is a Conservative held Labour target. If the exit poll is right, the Tories should hold onto the seat.
Around 9 pm another handful of Labour/Conservative seats declare along with the first competitive Northern Ireland and Scotland seats.
4:44 PM PT (dwb115):
Swindon North - Conservatives hold this important marginal - Cameron launched campaign in Swindon and tories campaigning hard there
— @bbclaurak
The Tories won this seat by 14% in 2010, so it was on the edge of the list of marginals. We don't yet have the specific numbers from the seat.
4:49 PM PT (dwb115): Swindon North swung 4% to the Tories from 2010
CON - 50.3% (+5.7)
LAB - 27.8% (-2.7)
UKIP - 15.4% (+11.7)
LDEM - 3.3% (-14.0)
GRN - 3.3% (+2.3)
5:11 PM PT (dwb115):
Understood that the Conservatives will retain Nuneaton.
— @britainelects
First LAB/CON marginal goes to the Tories, which is in line with the Exit Poll
5:28 PM PT (dwb115): CONs hold Battersea, another longshot Labour target
Battersea constituency result:
CON - 52.4% (+5.0)
LAB - 36.8% (+1.7)
LDEM - 4.4% (-10.3)
GRN - 3.3% (+2.2)
UKIP - 3.1% (+2.1)
— @britainelects
Exit poll expert on BBC says don't rule out Tory majority
5:35 PM PT (dwb115):
Lib Dem sources now admitting exit poll looking correct. Cd win as few as 10 seats. Some big names under pressure #GE2015
— @bbckamal
Everything so far points towards the Exit Poll largely being accurate.
5:40 PM PT (dwb115):
Labour source tells BuzzFeed News: "All seven Glasgow seats gone to the SNP."
— @BuzzFeedUKPol
This seat includes the Scottish Labour seat that was seen as the most likely hold in the country. ITV is also reporting that SNP believe they've won 4 of the 5 Edinburgh seats with one too close to know yet.
5:44 PM PT: The liveblog continues here.