GENERAL ELECTION 2024: Live Coverage

Welcome to our live coverage of the general election.

We were at Lancaster Town Hall where votes were counted to decide the next Members of Parliament for Lancaster & Wyre and Morecambe & Lunesdale.

As well as our online blog, there were also updates on Beyond Radio throughout election night, and there will be a round-up on our weekly news show Beyond the Headlines from 10am on Friday. Keep an eye on our Facebook too for more online coverage.

7.45am LABOUR WITH MASSIVE MAJORITY

With just nine results still to declare, Labour have won 410 seats in the House of Commons, while the Conservatives have dropped down to 119. It's been a great night for the Liberal Democrats who have 71, their most seats since 1923. The Scottish National Party have dropped to eight, Sinn Fein have seven, Reform UK have four (as well as the third largest share of the overall vote) and the Green Party have four (a record for the Greens), with other parties having 18.

It's been a momentous night.

Thank you for following our general election coverage. Time for bed!

6am LATEST RESULTS

Labour 389, Conservatives 94, Liberal Democrats 58, Reform UK 4, SNP 7, Sinn Fein 7, Ind 5, DUP 4, Green 2

5:35am HAPPY LABOUR FACES IN LANCASTER & MORECAMBE

Lizzi Collinge and Cat Smith celebrate after winning for Labour in Lancaster & Wyre and Morecambe & Lunesdale respectively.

Here is their first interview as MPs.

5.25am MORRIS MAGNANIMOUS

David Morris, who has been MP for Morecambe & Lunesdale for 14 years, speaks for the first time since losing the seat to Lizzi Collinge.

5:10am LABOUR WINS GENERAL ELECTION

Labour has won the 2024 general election after reaching the required 326 seats.

‘Change starts now’, said leader, and incoming Prime Minister, Sir Keir Starmer.

5:02am COLLINGE WINS FOR LABOUR IN MORECAMBE & LUNESDALE

David Morris has been unseated as the MP for Morecambe & Lunesdale, as Labour’s Lizzi Collinge swept to victory, with a majority of almost 6,000 votes.

FULL RESULTS:

Lizzi Collinge (Labour) – 19,603 ELECTED

David Morris (Conservative) – 13,788

Barry Parsons (Reform UK) – 7,810

Peter Jackson (Lib Dem) – 4,769

Gina Dowding (Green) – 2,089

4:50am FARRON RETAINS WESTMORLAND & LONSDALE

Tim Farron has been elected in Westmorland & Lonsdale.

FULL RESULTS:

Tim Farron (Lib Dem) – 31,061 ELECTED

Matty Jackman (Conservative) – 9,589

James Townley (Reform UK) – 4,842

Pippa Smith (Labour) – 2,306

Phil Clayton (Green) – 1,486

John Studholme (Ind) - 111

Izzy Solabarrieta (Heritage) – 81

Wendy Long (SDP) – 57

4:38am CAT SMITH WINS IN LANCASTER & WYRE

Labour's Cat Smith has won the seat in Lancaster and Wyre. She was the MP in the former Lancaster & Fleetwood constituency since 2015.

FULL RESULT:

Cat Smith (Labour) - 19,315 ELECTED

Peter Cartridge (Conservatives) - 10,062

Nigel Alderson (Reform UK) - 6,866

Jack Lenox (Green) - 5,236

Matt Severn (Lib Dem) - 1,529

4.15am LATEST RESULTS

Labour 226, Conservatives 37, Liberal Democrats 26, Reform UK 4, SNP 4, OTHER 8

Labour need to win 100 more seats for an overall majority.

4.13am PENNY DROPS

Penny Mordaunt, Leader of the House of Commons, narrowly loses her seat in Portsmouth North to Labour's Amanda Martin.

4:06am BOSTON WIN

Reform UK chair Richard Tice wins in Boston. It’s the fourth win of the night for the party.

4:01am LATEST RESULTS ACROSS THE COUNTRY

LAB 186 CON 30 LD 22 SNP 4 GRN 1

326 seats needed for a majority.

3:58am The co-leader of the Green Party Carla Denyer wins, taking the seat from Labour in Bristol. 

3.50am THE MOOD AS THE COUNT CONTINUES

3.38am LATEST RESULTS ACROSS THE COUNTRY

Labour 136, Conservatives 20, Lib Dems 16, Reform UK 2, Independent 2, Others 3

It's a race to 326 for an overall majority.

3.32am NIGEL FARAGE WINS

Reform UK leader Nigel Farage has won Clacton from the Tories.

3.30am JEREMY CORBYN WINS

The former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn has beaten his former party in Islington North, winning the seat as an Independent.

3.28am LATEST RESULTS NATIONWIDE

Based on officially declared seats so far:

Labour 114, Conservative 15, Liberal Democrats 14, Reform UK 1, Independent 1, Other 2

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer and Lib Dem leader Sir Ed Davey have both retained their seats.

3.26am GRANT SCHAPPS LOSES

Defence Secretary Grant Schapps has lost his Welwyn Hatfield seat to Labour.

3.25am CHAT WITH CAT

Cat Smith, Labour candidate for Lancaster & Wyre and MP for Lancaster & Fleetwood from 2015-24, says there's been a "complete collapse of the Conservative vote".

2.54am FULL BARROW AND FURNESS RESULTS

Michelle Scrogham (Labour) 18,537 votes

Simon Fell (Conservative) 13,213 votes

Barry Morgan (Reform UK) 7,035 votes

Adrian Waite (Lib Dem) 1,680 votes

Lorraine Wrennall (Green) 1,466 votes

Lisa Morgan (Party of Women) 290 votes

Labour regain the seat they lost to Simon Fell in the 2019 election.

2.53am LABOUR GAIN BARROW AND FURNESS

Michelle Scrogham of the Labour Party is the new MP for Barrow and Furness. More to come...

2.50am LATEST UK RESULTS

From declared seats so far...

Labour 58, Lib Dems 3, Conservatives 2, Reform UK 1

Remember there are 650 seats in total across the UK.

2.40am GREENS HOPING FOR SECOND

Jack Lenox, Green candidate for Lancaster & Wyre (pictured here with Gina Dowding, Morecambe & Lunesdale candidate for the Greens) has been talking to Beyond Radio at the election count. He hopes the Greens can finish second in Lancaster & Wyre, believing Labour to have an "unbelievably strong" vote.

2.20am LATEST UK RESULTS

Labour 29, Conservatives 2, Lib Dems 2, Reform UK 1

2.15am LIB DEMS LOOKING FOR 'BEST RESULT SINCE 2005'

Matt Severn, Liberal Democrats candidate for Lancaster & Wyre, is feeling good about the Exit Poll which has the Lib Dems gaining seats and becoming the third largest party in the UK Parliament.

2am TURNOUT FOR MORECAMBE & LUNESDALE ANNOUNCED

The turnout for Morecambe & Lunesdale was 63.1%.

1.50am TURNOUT FOR LANCASTER & WYRE ANNOUNCED

The turnout for Lancaster & Wyre was 57.8%.

1.15am DAVID MORRIS SPEAKS TO BEYOND RADIO

Will David Morris still be MP for Morecambe & Lunesdale when the result is announced in a few hours? The Conservative candidate was still smiling as he spoke about the Tories' disastrous Exit Poll, whether Rishi Sunak should resign, and how he feels about social media criticism.

1am REFORM UK HOPING FOR A GOOD RESULT

Six results are in nationally, Labour have won them all, and Reform UK have come second, beating the Conservatives in a number of them. The new party is also predicted to win 13 seats in the unofficial Exit Poll.

We spoke to Reform UK's candidate for Morecambe and Lunesdale, Barry Parsons.

12.15am ALMOST FORGOT...

Votes are also being counted for a by election in the University ward on Lancaster City Council this morning.

The candidates are:

Maria Holly Deery (Green Party), Matthew Joseph Maxwell-Scott (Conservative Party), Anya-Veronica Wilkinson-Leishman (Green Party) and Thomas Willis (Liberal Democrats)

*NOTE - Maria Deery of the Green Party was elected.

11.45pm MEETING THE HIGH SHERIFF

The eyes of our local area will be on Helen Bingley, High Sheriff of Lancashire, in a few hours' time when as Returning Officer, she announces the results of the Lancaster & Wyre and Morecambe & Lunesdale election. 

Helen, who is from Lancaster, sat down with Beyond Radio for a quick chat at Lancaster Town Hall as she waits for her big moment. She's the first High Sheriff of Lancashire to come from Skerton, for over 800 years!

11.30pm AT THE LOCAL VOTE COUNT

We have arrived at Lancaster Town Hall where the count in the Lancaster & Wyre and Morecambe & Lunesdale constituencies is under way.

11.15pm FIRST RESULT

The first result of the night came in Sunderland South just before 11.15 - a win for Labour's Bridget Phillipson.

10.25pm CONSTITUENCY EXIT POLLS

The unofficial exit poll for Morecambe & Lunesdale has it too close to call, but gives Labour a 69% chance of winning the seat, with the Tories 31%.

In Lancaster & Wyre, the exit poll shows a predicted Labour win with a 99% likelihood.

In Westmorland & Lonsdale, the exit poll shows a predicted Liberal Democrat hold with a 99% likelihood.

In Barrow and Furness, the exit poll shows a predicted Labour win with a 99% likelihood.

(Source: Ipsos UK for Sky News/BBC/ITV News)

10.05pm NATIONAL EXIT POLL

The broadcasters’ unofficial exit poll, published shortly after 10pm, predicts a Labour landslide with Sir Keir Starmer becoming Prime Minister with an overall majority.

The exit poll predicts Labour to win 410 seats. The Conservatives are predicted to win 131 seats. The Liberal Democrats would become the third largest party with a predicted 61 seats. The new Reform UK party are predicted to win 13 seats. The Scottish National Party are predicted to win 10 seats. Plaid Cymru are predicted to win four seats. The Green Party is predicted to win two seats.

The exit poll was carried out today by Ipsos UK for Sky News, the BBC and ITV News.

There are 650 seats being contested across the United Kingdom, with results coming in throughout the night after the polls closed at 10pm on Thursday.

At the time that Parliament was dissolved ahead of the election, the Conservatives had 344 seats and Labour had 205.

A total of 326 seats are needed for an overall majority.

LANCASTER & WYRE

Candidates standing in Lancaster and Wyre are Nigel Alderson (Reform UK), Peter Cartridge (Conservative Party), Jack Lenox (Green Party), Matt Severn (Liberal Democrats) and Cat Smith (Labour Party).

Following last year's boundary changes, the new constituency includes Garstang, Preesall, Great Eccleston, Hambleton and Stalmine, Calder, Wyresdale and Brock with Catterall, as well as the Lancaster areas of Bulk, Castle, Ellel, John O'Gaunt, Marsh, Skerton West and East, Scotforth West and East, Scale Hall and the University and Scotforth Rural.

The now-scrapped Lancaster & Fleetwood Parliamentary seat was held by Cat Smith who was first elected in 2015 when she won the seat from the Conservatives.

Wyre and Preston North, which also no longer exists following the shake-up, was held by Conservative Ben Wallace since 2010. Prior to that Mr Wallace was the MP for the previous Lancaster & Wyre constituency.

According to the bookmakers, Cat Smith is the favourite to win the seat for Labour.

MORECAMBE & LUNESDALE

In Morecambe and Lunesdale, Lizzi Collinge (Labour Party), Gina Dowding (Green Party), Peter Jackson (LIberal Democrats), David Morris (Conservative Party) and Barry Parsons (Reform UK) are the candidates.

Following last year's boundary changes, the new constituency includes Arnside and Milnthorpe, Burton and Crooklands, Sedbergh and Kirkby Lonsdale, as well as Bare, Bolton and Slyne, Carnforth and Millhead, Halton-with-Aughton, Harbour, Heysham North, Central and South, Kellet, Lower Lune Valley, Overton, Poulton, Silverdale, Torrisholme, Upper Lune Valley, Warton and Westgate.

The Morecambe and Lunesdale Parliamentary seat is currently held by the Conservatives, with David Morris as MP since 2010.

At the last election in 2019, Mr Morris won the seat with a majority of 6,354 over Mrs Collinge.

This was Mr Morris’ biggest majority in his four election wins.

Lizzi Collinge is the favourite to win the seat for Labour, although it is expected to be closely contested.

WHEN WILL RESULTS BE DECLARED?

Results at Lancaster Town Hall are expected in the early hours of Friday morning.

They will be declared by the Returning Officer, Helen Bingley the High Sheriff of Lancashire, who is from Lancaster.

At the 2019 general election the two seats’ results were declared between 4am and 5am.

Meanwhile in South Cumbria, the Westmorland & Lonsdale and Barrow and Furness seats are being contested.

WESTMORLAND & LONSDALE

The Westmorland & Lonsdale candidates are Phil Clayton (Green Party), Tim Farron (Liberal Democrats), Matty Jackman (Conservative Party), Wendy Long (Social Democratic Party), Pippa Smith (Labour Party), Izzy Solabarrieta (Heritage Party), John Studholme (Independent) and James Townley (Reform UK).

Tim Farron was first elected MP for Westmorland & Lonsdale in 2005 and has won five elections, increasing his majority to 1,934 in 2019. He is the favourite to retain the seat for the Lib Dems.

BARROW AND FURNESS

In Barrow and Furness, the candidates are Simon Fell (Conservative Party), Barry Morgan (Reform UK), Lisa Morgan (Party of Women), Michelle Scrogham (Labour Party), Adrian Waite (Liberal Democrats) and Lorraine Wrennall (Green Party).

Mr Fell was elected as MP in 2019 winning the seat off the Labour Party with a majority of 5,789. Michelle Scrogham is the favourite to win back the seat for Labour.