General Election 2017

Only a few minutes to the exit polls!

Houghton & Sunderland South:
Lab: 59.6% (+4.4)
Con: 29.6% (+11.2)
UKIP: 5.7% (-15.
LDem: 2.2% (+0.1)
Grn: 1.7% (-1.1)
Ind: 1.2% (+1.2)

That doesn't match the exit polls....neither did the other one.

General election 2017: Alex Salmond loses seat as Scottish Tories surge.

The SNP's former leader Alex Salmond has lost his Gordon seat amid a Scottish Conservative surge.

The Tories also defeated the SNP's deputy leader Angus Robertson as they won seats across the country.

The SNP are currently on 34 seats - a majority of the 59 Scottish constituencies but a drop of 22 from the 56 they won in 2015.

The Conservatives have won 12 seats in Scotland so far - the party's best performance in Scotland since 1983.

Labour has won seven seats and the Liberal Democrats four. The three pro-UK parties had won just one seat each the last time around.

The Tories have seen big increases in their vote across the country, with the SNP vote dropping sharply.

With just two Scottish seats still to declare - including Fife North East, where a third recount is under way - the SNP had won 37.1% of the votes, a drop of 13 percentage points since 2015.

The Scottish Tories had doubled their share of the vote to 28.3%, with Labour on 27.5% and the Lib Dems on 6.4%.

But the picture is less positive for the Conservatives across the UK, with the party predicted to lose its majority at Westminster and the prime minister facing calls for her resignation.

Mr Salmond, who was Scotland's first minister between 2007 and 2014, had won a majority of 8,687 at the last election in 2015.

But the Conservatives saw their share of the vote increase by 29% in the constituency as Colin Clark defeated the former first minister by 2,607 votes.

Despite his defeat, Mr Salmond insisted that people have "not seen the last of my bonnets and me".

He added: "The SNP have lost many fine parliamentarians this evening and that's a grievous blow to the SNP.

"But overall the result in Scotland shows the SNP will have won a majority of the seats in this country and the majority of the vote, something which I suspect the prime minister would like to be able to claim in the early hours of this morning but is not able to do so."

Earlier, Douglas Ross of the Tories overturned a majority of 9,065 to defeat Mr Robertson - who had been the SNP's leader at Westminster - by 4,200 votes in Moray.

The SNP's Tasmina Ahmed-Sheikh has also lost Ochil and South Perthshire to the Tories, who were a distant third in 2015.

John Nicolson of the SNP lost Dunbartonshire East to Jo Swinson of the Liberal Democrats, who also saw Alistair Carmichael hold his Orkney and Shetland seat.

The results mean that the SNP has lost its Westminster leader, chief whip, foreign
affairs spokesman and international trade spokeswoman.

Speaking as she arrived at the Glasgow count, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said that the SNP had won the election in Scotland, with the party achieving its second best performance ever in a Westminster election.

Asked about the impact of the lost SNP seats on her desire to hold a second independence referendum, Ms Sturgeon said: "Like most politicians I have not had any sleep and I am not going to take any rash decisions.

"Clearly I have to reflect on the result of the election and I will take time to do that. But it would be the wrong thing for me to do at this hour to take decisions before having had the opportunity to properly think about it.

"But properly think about it I will certainly do".

Scottish Conservative leader Ruth Davidson hailed a "historic" night for her party, which she said was largely due to Ms Sturgeon's attempts to "ram-raid through" a second independence referendum.

She added: "I think we have seen the country's reaction in the number of SNP seat's falling. Indyref2 is dead."

"Now it's time to get back to what matters to the people of Scotland - that's sorting out our schools, growing our economy and looking at our public services."

And Labour's Ian Murray, who increased his majority in Edinburgh to more than 15,000, said voters had "hammered the final nail into the independence coffin".

There was better news for the SNP in Paisley and Renfrewshire South, where Mhairi Black kept her seat despite a big drop in her share of the vote.

Ms Black, the youngest MP at Westminster in the last parliament, had her majority over Labour cut from about 6,000 to about 2,500.

Elsewhere, Stewart Hosie held Dundee East - which had been the safest seat in Scotland - for the SNP, while Angus MacNeil held on in the Western Isles, despite his share of the vote falling by nearly 14%.

Pete Wishart also held on for the SNP in Perth and Perthshire North after finishing just 21 votes ahead of the Tory candidate, while Tommy Sheppard held Edinburgh East.

An exit poll had predicted that the SNP would lose 22 of the 56 seats it won in the last election in 2015.

The poll, which was taken at polling stations across the UK, also suggested the Conservatives would fall short of an overall majority at Westminster.

SNP politicians had cast doubt on the exit poll result when it was first published - with many insisting the party would not lose as many as 22 seats.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-scotland-politics-40192707

7.30am UK time - hung Parliament.   LL

Very interesting result. I cannot for the life of me recall who, but a wiser head than mine said 'Britain is very good at electing the government it needs, not necessarily the govenmemt it wants'

Interesting times.

Well, this is all very unexpected, isn't it? Has anyone actually won?

bb1 wrote:Well, this is all very unexpected, isn't it? Has anyone actually won?

No. It's a hung parliament, Tories got the most seats, but failed to reach 326 - they have 319 - could be 'helped' by DUP's 10 seats to get past 326. LL

Well....the Tories' social policies have been pretty awful and rather cruel, so a hung parliament might be a good thing.

As long as Jezza gets nowhere near money. Or defence.


Sturgeon will be flinging crockery this morning.

And yes, I did stay up for Salmond.

Orkney and Shetland

Liberal Democrat Party
Alistair Carmichael Votes 11,312 vote share 48.6
Net percentage change in seats +7.2

Scottish National Party
Miriam Brett Votes 6,749 vote share 29.0
Net percentage change in seats -8.8

Labour Party
Robina Barton Votes 2,664 vote share 11.4
Net percentage change in seats +4.3

Conservative Party
Jamie Halcro Johnston Votes 2,024 vote share 8.7
Net percentage change in seats -0.2

UKIP Party
Robert Smith Votes 283 vote share 1.2
Net percentage change in seats -3.5

Independent
Stuart Hill Votes 245 vote share 1.1
Net percentage change in seats +1.1

  LL

I'm glad about that, LL. Carmichael was an absolute idiot over Frenchgate, but the local SNP just couldn't see their campaign for the 'truth' was seen as a nasty vendetta by many. I suspect that's why they put that daft wee lassie up against him, foolishly thinking her winsome, girlish smile would be all that was needed.

And the Tories held Chelsea and Fulham where I voted. Yippee. LL

https://www.thescottishsun.co.uk/news/1121761/tory-david-mundell-holds-westminster-seat-general-election/

DAVID MUNDELL has HELD his Dumfriesshire, Clydesdale and Tweeddale seat in the General Election – making it lucky 13 for his party in Scotland.

The Scottish Secretary had been in office since the 1997 vote and could be on course for another plum role after not only seeing off the SNP – but increasing his majority from 798 to 9441.

So, the other daft wee lassie crashed and burned, too, after all that winsome smiling.

'We are READY to serve' Jeremy Corbyn makes pitch to be next PM after election result.

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn has made his pitch to be the next Prime Minister after the general election resulted in a shock hung parliament.

Corbyn's Labour Party made tremendous strides as Theresa May failed to win an overall majority.

Britain woke up to another hung parliament in a shock result.

And despite a clamour for her to quit, Theresa May has vowed to remain as Prime Minister.

Mr Corbyn, though, believes it is "pretty clear who won this election" and said he is "ready to serve this country".

Asked whether Brexit negotiations should be delayed, Corbyn told Sky News: "They're going to have to go ahead because Article 50 has been invoked.

"The government in office in 11 days time will have to conduct those Brexit negotiations.

"Our position is very clear, we want a jobs-first Brexit, therefore the most important thing is the trade deal with Europe," he added.

It came after his Shadow Chancellor – John McDonnell – said Labour were "ready to form a government".

He said: "We've always said, whatever the circumstances, we're ready to serve the country and we're ready to form a government.

"In our position that'd be a minority government.

"The way that would operate is we'd put forward our own Queen's Speech and our own Budget as well, and then would expect other parties to vote for it."

http://www.dailystar.co.uk/news/latest-news/621045/UK-election-2017-John-McDonnell-claims-Labour-ready-form-government-Theresa-May-politics

Labour did far, far better than expected, but in reality, they still lost - I don't see any way they can cobble together a coalition, they'd be at each other's throats in a week.

I don't see May hanging on after this omnishambles, and yes, most of it is her own fault.

What on earth was she thinking about, wanting to bring back foxhunting, for instance? That's never going to be a vote winner.

But IMO, the terrorist attacks are what really did for her, as she was Home Secretary when assorted jihadis were proclaiming themselves to be jihadis on reality TV shows about jihadis. That particular buck really did stop with her.

I am finding it fascinating that no-one saw the Labour revival in Scotland coming, though it's rather amusing that, following vows two years ago to End Tory Rule Forever, Sturgeon's been so inept she has caused a huge Tory revival.

And it helps that Ruth Davidson is a very different kettle of fish to Mrs May, much more down to earth and outgoing.

All I'm saying over this is that I had had a really bad feeling from the moment the election was announced that the outcome would more than likely be a disaster. I am glad to be here even with our strange PM; if I need to I can run for the border!! LL

Be of good cheer, LL! The real disaster would have been Corbyn actually winning, and Sturgeon not getting a battering here. The havoc those two would cause is the stuff of nightmares.

As it is, the UK is just in its usual muddle and it should be entertaining to watch politicians of every hue each other.

The UK has a hung parliament:

wonder if it will happen the same that happened in Spain (delays until Mariano Rajoy was allowed to establish the Spanish government) , when Mariano Rajoy was elected pm of Spain.

I don't think so, Pedro. Mrs May is off to see the Queen later today - she seems to have cobbled together some kind of alliance with one of the Northern Ireland unionist parties.

I don't think there will be a repeat of the shambles in 2010, when Labour and the Tories squabbled for what felt like weeks over who had won.

ok bb1, thank you.

That's the map wrecked.

May's off to see the Queen.

bb1:

My friends, this was taken from Sky News:

http://news.sky.com/story/theresa-may-has-no-intention-of-resigning-sky-sources-10909309

Thanks, Pedro. Yes, she's staying on.