BBC News - Election 2010: Sunderland wins race to declare result Election 2010: Sunderland wins race to declare result Labour retain seat in first result Houghton and Sunderland South has won the race to become the first constituency to declare a result. The constituency declared at 2252 BST. Labour's Bridget Phillipson won the seat with 19,137 votes. It is the fifth general election in a row Sunderland City Council has been the first to declare a constituency. Votes were also cast in Washington and Sunderland West, which was second to declare at 2325 BST, and in Sunderland Central which was third at 2341 BST. The Houghton and Sunderland South result saw the Conservatives on 8,147 votes, Lib Dems 5,292, BNP 1,961 and UKIP 1,022. It represents a notional 8.44% swing Labour to Conservatives. In Washington and Sunderland West Labour won, with Sharon Hodgson taking 19,615 votes.

The Conservatives got 8,157 votes, the Liberal Democrats 6,382, BNP 1,913 and UKIP 1,267. In Sunderland Central Labour won, with Julie Elliott taking 19,495 votes. The Conservatives took 12,770 votes, the Lib Dems 7,191, BNP 1,913 and UKIP 1,094. Ballot papers from the three Sunderland constituencies were counted at Sunderland Tennis Centre on Thursday. Efficiency over speed In the 2005 election the council made history by declaring the first three results on the night - Sunderland South at 2245 BST, Sunderland North at 2325 BST and Houghton and Washington East at 2332 BST. Sunderland's election officer, Bill Crawford, earlier said the aim was to continue that record and nothing was being left to chance. To make sure the ballot boxes got quickly into Sunderland Tennis Centre a group of local school children were employed to swiftly pass them down a line. The council's election team had learnt from past counts too.

One year they found they had finished a little slower than anticipated, so changed the weight of their voting papers from 100 grams to 80 grams, making them easier to handle. And voters were under strict instructions to fold their papers only once, from north to south. Mr Crawford said plans had also been made for the unexpected: they had spare counters in the wings should it be a particularly high turn out, an emergency generator available in case there was a power cut, and a spare room has been set aside should there be any problems in the main counting room. Bookmark with: Will Sunderland be first to declare general election result again? - Sunderland Echo Will Sunderland be first to declare general election result again? Fast count: A ballot box is rushed into the Silksworth Centre during the 2010 General Election count. Kevin Clark Have your say THE eyes of the nation will be on Wearside tomorrow night, as Sunderland races to produce the first result of the General Election. The city has been the first to announce in the last five General Election and council chiefs will be hoping to make it six in a row this time. The prime aim is running an accurate and efficient election count for voters and candidates.

If we happen to be first, that’s a bonus. City council chief executive Dave Smith Sunderland declared the first three results of the 2010 election, with the counting all wrapped up in barely an hour-and-a-half. Houghton and Sunderland South’s Bridget Phillipson was the first member of the new Parliament to be announced, with victory confirmed less than an hour after the polls closed. The first declaration of the evening came at 10.52pm, followed by Washington and Sunderland West’s Sharon Hodgson, whose win was confirmed at 11.25pm, and Sunderland Central, where Julie Elliott’s victory was announced at 11.41pm. It was the second time in a row Sunderland had declared the first three constituencies nationwide and the fifth General Election in a row in which the city has been the first to declare a constituency. City council chief executive Dave Smith said the main aim was to provide an accurate count: “What we’re aiming to do is run an efficient election and declare accurate results as quickly as we can. “The prime aim is running an accurate and efficient election count for voters and candidates. If we happen to be first, that’s a bonus.

“Many of the counters are council staff and they do this every election year, some are bank staff and there’s a lot of experience. The counters have induction sessions before joining and the city council has lots of experience at these counts, so we’ve honed and improved our techniques over the years.” Preparations have been under way for months, said Mr Smith. “There’s a lot of planning and improving on what we’ve done in previous years; so if you get a lot of marginal gains and improvements then these can help improve the bigger picture,” he added. “Planning for this General Election has been, in a sense, going on for sometime now. Electoral staff have been taking feedback from previous counts, from last year’s local council elections and European election, speaking to other electoral officers across the country, and looking at the guidance that comes from the Electoral Commission.” Being the leader of the pack means there is huge media interest in the Sunderland count. Representatives of national press and TV will cram into the Silksworth Sports Complex for tomorrow night’s count, but Dr Smith is confident the team will not be phased by the attention. “All election counts have their observers,” he said.

Sign in BBC News - Sunderland hopes to be first to declare Sunderland hopes to be first to declare By Claire Kendall BBC News Sunderland council has reported the first result for four elections in a row When it comes to election results night there's one city whose name we hear first: Sunderland. Sunderland City Council takes a lot of pride in having been the first to declare a constituency result in all the last four general elections. Ballot papers from the three Sunderland constituencies will be counted at Sunderland Tennis Centre on Thursday. Boundary changes mean votes are being cast this year in Houghton and Sunderland South, Washington and Sunderland West, and Sunderland Central. The 2005 election was the council's proudest moment. It made history by declaring the first three results on the night - Sunderland South at 2245, Sunderland North at 2325 and Houghton and Washington East at 2332. That was some achievement when you think that polling stations don't shut until 2200, and then the boxes have to be taken to the central counting point. Efficiency over speed Sunderland's election officer, Bill Crawford, says the aim is to continue that record this time around, and nothing is being left to chance.

To make sure the ballot boxes get quickly into Sunderland Tennis Centre a group of local school children are being employed to swiftly pass them down a line. The council's election team has learnt from past counts too. One year they found they had finished a little slower than anticipated, so changed the weight of their voting papers from 100 grams to 80 grams, making them easier to handle. And voters are under strict instructions to fold their papers only once, from north to south. Mr Crawford says plans are also being made for the unexpected: they have spare counters in the wings should it be a particularly high turn out, an emergency generator is available in case there's a power cut, and a spare room has been set aside should there be any problems in the main counting room. The counters take their job very seriously and stress that they pride themselves on efficiency over speed. Many of them work in banks where they regularly count paper at speed. All have their own tried and tested methods, often preferring rubber thumbs to moist finger sponges which can cost valuable seconds.

We may all be watching the results of election night to see if there's a hung parliament, but Sunderland assure us that all eyes will be on them at the start of the night as they aim to make declaration history again. Bookmark with: UK election results - what does it all mean? As it happened - Telegraph General election 2015 UK election results - what does it all mean? As it happened What does it all mean as the Tories do better than expected, SNP triumph in Scotland, Ukip underperform and the Lib Dems face near oblivion? By James Kirkup, Malcolm Coles, Asa Bennett, Barney Henderson and Gregory Walton 4:50PM BST 08 May 2015 Comments 16.50 update See you in five years. Good bye. 16.00 update The Cornish constituency of St Ives has finally declared. The seat is typically the last to declare as returning officers are forced to wait for ballot boxes to be brought it in from the Scilly Isles. Unfavourable tide times and poor weather have delayed the result for longer than usual. The seat went from the Liberal Democrats to the Conservatives, meaning that David Cameron's party has won 330 seats.

With the 650 seats of the United Kingdom declared, we can report: Conservatives: 330 seats The Liberal Democrats: 8 seats The SNP: 56 seats The Green Party: 1 seat 14.00 update UKIP Deputy Chairman Suzanne Evans said: "I am disappointed and sad that Nigel wasn’t elected as the MP for Thanet South. "After all his hard work and his success in pushing the party from 3% to near 12% in five years. From 950,000 votes to 3.million votes and to 118 second places across the country. "And in Douglas Carswell one of the most diligent and inspirational politicians to be elected to the House of Commons in recent years. Ed Balls — CCHQ Press Office (@CCHQPress) May 8, 2015 "I am of course honoured that Nigel has proposed me as interim leader of the party, whose hard working activists and supporters have propelled us so far. "However the position is not mine to accept but must go to the National Executive Committee.

They will meet in the coming days to decide who the party wants to act in the role of Interim Leader until such time as we organiser a democratic vote of the party to decide an new Leader in due course." 13.30 update David Cameron pays tribute to Ed Miliband and Nick Clegg's public service record. Prime Minister David Cameron said he would be a proud to lead a majority Conservative government after his party won the general election. Mr Cameron said: "I truly believe we are on the brink of something very special in this country." Mr Cameron said he would implement "as fast as I can" the devolution agreed for Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. 13.00 update The markets are having their say on the election outcome. The Ftse 100 index of leading shares is up 134.9 at 7021.99. Sterling is up 1.15pc against the dollar at $1.54. 12.25 update James Kirkup's tries to summarise just what has happened in the past hour or so. Ed Miliband has gone. The Labour leader resigned over his party’s heavy losses.

“I’m so sorry for all those colleagues who lost their seats,” he said, in a dignified speech that also included some jokes about his own image and “the most unlikely cult of the 21st Century, Milifandom”. Early favourites to succeed him include Andy Burnham, Yvette Cooper and Chuka Umunna. Nick Clegg has gone. The Lib Dem leader quit over his party’s near wipeout: they fell from 57 seats to 8. Listing the party’s achievements in office, he said: “I hope our losses can be endured with a little selfless dignity." Early favourites to replace him include Norman Lamb. Nigel Farage has gone. Having failed to win Thanet South, he said he would fulfil his promise to quit as Ukip leader. Resigning lifted a heavy burden from his shoulders, he said, recommending Suzanne Evans as his replacement. Meanwhile, Ukip launched a campaign for electoral reform, having won more than 3 million votes but only one seat in Parliament. David Cameron is going….to see the Queen, to ask permission to form a new government. His Conservatives are on the brink of securing an outright majority.

Conservative backbenchers have reminded David Cameron of his promise to hold a referendum on EU membership. John Redwood, a former Cabinet minister, said the vote should come “as soon as possible”. Debates about the timing of that vote will be a feature of politics in the weeks ahead. Miliband resigns Ed Miliband, Nick Clegg and Nigel Farage have all resigned in the wake of the Conservatives' crushing election victory. 10.40 update James Kirkup is back with five things we have learnt in the past hour or so - which is an awful lot: Nigel Farage is toast. He lost in South Thanet. By his own promise, he should now quit as Ukip leader. But will his party let him, or will the Kippers beg him to stay on? Ed Miliband is toast. He’s currently in Labour preparing to announce his resignation. Nick Clegg is toast. He’s expected to announce his resignation as Lib Dem leader before noon. David Cameron is smiling. The Conservatives are closing in on a Commons majority, something many people -- Tories included -- believed was impossible. With fewer than 15 seats left to declare, the Conservatives are on 321. Some things are more important than politics.

Mr Cameron, Mr Miliband and Mr Clegg are all still expected at the Cenotaph to mark VE Day. Farage out? Nigel Farage has lost Thanet South - the expectation is that he will now step down as Ukip leader. Miliband out? With the Labour party in tatters, Ed Miliband looks likely to step down today. A speech at Labour HQ is imminent. Mary Riddell assess who might replace him , while David Miliband "goes for a long weekend away" . 09.00 update Five things that we have learnt in the past 90 minutes. Asa Bennett writes: David Cameron has thanked Tory supporters, saying in a speech at CCHQ: "The pundits got it wrong, the pollsters got it wrong, the commentators got it wrong... we are on the brink of something so exciting." Ed Miliband will resign by midday, reports suggest. Ed Balls, the man who 24 hours ago thought he would be Chancellor is out of British politics, has lost his Morley and Outwood seat to the Conservatives.

Paddy Ashdown, who said last night he would eat his hat if the exit polls were correct, has been presented with a fedoa by Andrew Neil. Ashdown says he will eat it in public alongside fellow doubter Alastair Campbell eating his kilt. Nigel Farage has strongly hinted that he will resign if he loses in South Thanet, hours before the result. Asked by The Telegraph if he would resign, he replied: “Are you calling me a liar?” Ed Balls The Shadow Chancellor has become the biggest casualty of the night , losing his seat in Leeds to the Conservatives. Ed Balls — CCHQ Press Office (@CCHQPress) May 8, 2015 Cameron back at No 10 The Prime Minister has arrived back at Downing Street and is now facing the prospect of having won an outright Conservative majority - something very few commentators predicted and very few supporters dared to hope for.

David Cameron arrives back at No 10 with his wife Samantha #GE2015 — Neil Lancefield (@NeilLancefield) May 8, 2015 07.30 update The latest summary from Asa Bennett: Ed Balls' political future hangs in the balance, with a recount underway in his Morley and Outwood seat. Ed Miliband is under mounting pressure as Labour leader. "He's gone. He's got to go," one well placed source who has been loyal to Miliband throughout the campaign told the Telegraph. "There will be people that take him out unless he goes. This is our party now." The SNP has triumphed, winning 56 of the 59 seats in Scotland, with 1 each remaining for Labour, the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats. There are now just as many Conservative and Labour MPs in Scotland as pandas. The pound has soared by the most since the before the last general election as investors cheered early indicators that the Conservatives are on course to be the largest party in Britain. The Tories predicted to win 329 seats and majority government, and David Cameron is expected to see the Queen at 11am and then make a public statement, likely declaring victory.

David Cameron tweeted this photograph, with the caption 'Here's to a brighter future for everyone' General Election 2015: key moments of election night 10pm Exit poll puts the Conservatives ahead on 316 seats, with Labour on 239 seats, the Liberal Democrats on 10, the SNP on 58 and Ukip on two. 23.16pm Labour win the first seat to declare in the 2015 General Election with an increased majority for Bridget Phillipson in Houghton and Sunderland South. 1.52am Conservatives comfortably hold Nuneaton - one of Labour’s key target seats - with 20,827 votes to Labour’s 15,945. 2.22am Labour shadow foreign secretary Douglas Alexander loses his Paisley and Renfrewshire South seat in the House of Commons to 20-year-old SNP candidate Mhairi Black 2.55am Labour loses Gordon Brown’s former seat in Scotland, the Kirkcaldy and Cowdenbeath constituency, to the SNP. 3.10am Liberal Democrat Business Secretary Vince Cable loses his Twickenham seat to the Conservatives.

4.51am Lib Dem leader Nick Clegg holds onto his Sheffield Hallam seat. He said he would be discussing his leadership with colleagues after a "cruel and punishing night for his party". 5.25am Labour leader Ed Miliband, who retains his Doncaster North seat, says: "This has clearly been a very difficult and disappointing night for the Labour Party." 5.46am Accepting victory in his Witney constituency, David Cameron says: "This is clearly a very strong night for the Conservative Party. We've had a positive response to a positive campaign." 5.55am Former Liberal Democrat Chief Secretary to the Treasury Danny Alexander loses the Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey seat to the SNP's Drew Hendry. 6:07am George Galloway, of the Respect Party, loses the Bradford West seat to Labour's Naseem Shah, who won with nearly 20,000 votes. 06.30 update Five things we know, from Asa Bennett: The Liberal Democrats' woes continue, with Danny Alexander and David Laws losing their seats.

John Hemming, who also lost his seat, said Nick Clegg can't carry on as party leader, and claimed he has already resigned. Ed Miliband has admitted his party underperformed, saying that tonight has "clearly been a disappointing and difficult night" for the party. Conservative Education Secretary Nicky Morgan has retained her seat of Loughborough, a seat which usually indicates which party will win the general election at large. Ukip is struggling to make its breakthrough, with the Tories taking Rochester & Strood back from Mark Reckless. If Nigel Farage fails to make it in South Thanet, the party could be left with just one MP - Douglas Carswell - in the Commons. George Galloway is out in Bradford West. The Respect MP was thrashed, losing to Labour's Naz Shah by 8,557 votes to 19,977.

David Cameron speaks after winning his seat, at the Windrush Leisure Centre, Witney, Oxfordshire (Geoff Pugh/The Telegraph) David Cameron hails victory The Prime Minister, having comfortably won Witney, says his his aim is to "govern on the basis of governing for everyone" in Britain and to "bring our United Kingdom together" by implementing devolution reforms in Scotland and Wales. 5.25am update Five things we know, from James Kirkup: Nick Clegg kept his Sheffield Hallam seat, but looks certain to quit as Lib Dem leader after "punishing" results. His party lost many senior figures, including Vince Cable and Ed Davey, former Cabinet ministers, and Simon Hughes in Southwark and Bermondsey. David Laws also lost Yeovil. Labour's woes have continued as the party missed out on many of the Tory marginals it had targetted, seats like Broxstowe in Nottinghamshire. Stilll, Labour did take some seats from the Tories, such as Wirral West, unseating Esther McVey, a Tory minister, and Enfield North. And there are growing signs that Ed Balls has lost his seat of Morley and Outwood.

Scotland continues to amaze: latest famous casualties of the SNP surge include Charles Kennedy, the former Lib Dem leader. But there is still a Tory in Scotland: David Mundell kept Dumfries, Clydesdale and Tweedale, Boris Johnson is back in Parliament, having won the safe Tory seat of Uxbridge and South Ruislip. He looks certain for a Cabinet post in David Cameron's new government. Ukip's hopes of a parliamentary breakthrough faded. Douglas Carswell won Clacton, but the party failed to gain Thurrock. That leaves party hopes resting on Nigel Farage in Thanet South, where victory looks far from certain. Ed Miliband on a 'disappointing and difficult night' follow #GE2015 results live: — Telegraph Video (@TelegraphVideo) May 8, 2015 4.55am Nick Clegg becomes only the 6th Lib Dem to be elected A reduced majority (from around 12,000 to around 2,000) but Nick Clegg is an MP again. His "victory" speech had a big hint that he was considering resigning. Who is left to succeed him though? Does Clegg hint at resignation?

Follow #GE2015 results live — Telegraph Video (@TelegraphVideo) May 8, 2015 4.35 Vince Cable's Twickenham The wipeout of the Lib Dems continues. Vince Cable's 12,140 majority has vanished and the Conservatives have taken the seat from the former Business Secretary. 4.10am What we know early in the morning James Kirkup's summary: Scotland is still the most staggering part of a jaw-dropping election. The SNP is winning seats with swings of almost 40 percent. The nationalists took Glasgow North East, Labour's safest seat in Scotland on a 39 per cent swing. So far, the only Scottish seat not to go SNP is Orkney and Shetland, which stays Lib Dem. Ed Miliband is facing questions about his resignation after Labour lost Scotland and failed to take many of its English target seats. There are few bright spots for Labour, though the party did gain Ilford South from the Tories and Hornsey & Wood Green from the Lib Dems. . We've seen the first Cabinet minister of the night ousted.

Ed Davey's defeat in Kingston was part of a dreadful Lib Dem night, which also saw Simon Hughes lose in Southwark and Bermondsey, a seat he has held for more than 30 years. George Galloway is no longer an MP. He lost Bradford West. We salute his indefatigability. David Cameron is sitting very pretty indeed. The only question he now faces is whether he gets a full majority. Oh, and how to keep Britain together, of course. 4.00am - These are the important constituencies we expected to know about by now - and what we know ... The ones we know: Carlisle – The Conservatives have thrown resources into defending one of their rare northern seats from Labour. They increased their majority from from 853 to 2,026. Kingston & Surbiton – can Ed Davey, a Lib Dem Cabinet minister keep his seat? No - it's a Conservative gain. Still waiting: Bedford: Tory-held in 2010, this was meant to be a key battle between Conservative and Labour. Result not expected until 6.30am now.

Bolton West – this was a top Tory target in 2010, but Labour held on. A Conservative gain here would suggest the party is on course for a great night. We're still waiting. Croydon Central: Big, big test of Tory resilience in London. Can the Conservatives hold here in face of strong challenge from Labour and loss of votes to Ukip? Count nearly over. Hampstead and Kilburn – Tories came within an inch of a surprise win here in 2010. A win here this time would be an even bigger surprise. The count is ongoing. Thurrock – Ukip’s best hope? Tim Aker hopes to be the party’s first MP elected at a general election. Rumours of a recount. Gedling – another Tory target in 2010, but probably safe Labour this time. But a Tory win here would terrify Labour. Big turnout but no result yet. Enfield North - Conservative-held marginal: a Labour gain would hurt David Cameron badly. No result yet. Blackpool North and Cleveleys - Conservative-held marginal: a Labour gain would hurt David Cameron badly. No news.

Loughborough – Nicky Morgan, Tory education secretary, is defending a marginal seat here. Expected about 4.30. Weaver Vale – Tory-held marginal in the north-west; key test of Tory fortunes in the region with the most marginal seats. Still counting. Broxtowe - Conservative-held marginal: a Labour gain would hurt David Cameron badly. Result an hour away. Doncaster North – Ed Miliband’s victory speech will give clues about Labour morale and strategy. Think we can predict that now ... 3.22 am: 5 things we now know James Kirkup's summary just after three in the morning: Scotland. Scotland. Scotland. The SNP is taking Labour seats with swings that are almost literally off the charts: even Kirkcaldy, Gordon Brown's old seat has gone to the Nats. Douglas Alexander, Labour's campaign chief lost Renfrewshire and Paisley South. Jim Murphy, Labour's Scottish leader lost East Renfrewshire. The word historic is over-used, but surely appropriate for the nationalist gains north of the Border. Labour isn't dead yet. Labour has gained a seat in London from the Tories, Ealing Central and Acton. It's also gained Burnley.

Good news for Labour, but not good enough. Conservatives are doing well in Wales. They took Brecon and Radnorshire from the Lib Dems, and Vale of Clywd from Labour. The Tories are obliterating the Lib Dems. They've taken Colchester from Bob Russell and there is talk of gaining seats like Eastleigh and even Yeovil, the seat of David Laws. Ukip is piling up votes, but not looking like gaining many seats. Ukippers are not confident of Nigel Farage winning in Thanet South. 2.55am It's not looking good for Ukip in terms of actual seats - a string of second places, likely votes in the millions but still only 2 seats predicted. They have failed to take Castle Point from the Tories. 2.30am Tory and SNP gains Battersea, currently held by the Tories, was a top Labour target in London. But the Conservative majority increased from 5,977 to 7,938 SNP are gaining a string of seats on huge swings. East Kilbride, Strathaven & Lesmahagow, Glenrothes, etc. A sea-change is underway in Scotland - on an increased turnout from 2010.

2.23am Huge blow to Labour in Scotland Douglas Alexander, Labour campaign chief, has been beaten by a 20 year old SNP student. She's attacked Trident in the first couple of minutes of her acceptance speech. The swing is 34% from Labour to SNP (when Portillo lost his seat, the swing was only 17%). This is a crushing defeat. James Kirkup adds: "The SNP gain here represents so many things. It's not just the fact that Douglas Alexander, Labour's general election co-ordinator lost his seat to a 20-year-old student. It's the fact that another rock-solid Labour seat in the west of Scotland has fallen to the SNP. A seismic change is underway in Scottish politics, one that could well spell the end of the United Kingdom as we know it. " Still to come later tonight 4.30am Sheffield Hallam: Will Nick Clegg survive? Nick Clegg is defending his Sheffield Hallam seat from Labour Clacton – Douglas Carswell is seeking to keep this seat for Ukip, and most Tories expect him to win. A Conservative gain here would delight and surprise Tories.

Witney - David Cameron's victory speech here will show us how the Conservatives will approach the overall results: will he claim victory even if he doesn't have a majority, or hint at another deal with the Lib Dems? 5am Inverness – Danny Alexander, another senior Lib Dem, is fighting for his life against the SNP. Brentford & Isleworth – another key Tory marginal in London. Hove, Brighton & Kempton, Wirral West and Warrington South – all marginals held by the Tories in 2010: losses to Labour here will be major setbacks to the Conservatives. Finchley and Golders Green – a Labour gain from the Conservatives in Margaret Thatcher’s old seat would be unlikely but dramatic. Rochester and Strood – Mark Reckless is defending this seat for Ukip, a key test of the Tories’ ability to win back Ukippers. 6am Thanet South – Nigel Farage either becomes an MP or has to resign as Ukip leader. Ukip leader Nigel Farage has said he will step down if he does not win in Thanet Uxbridge and Ruislip South – Boris Johnson will win, but will he be celebrating a Tory return to government?

Noon on Friday Warwick & Leamington – another crucial Conservative vs Labour marginal. If the overall numbers are very close, we could be waiting for the result here to tell us who can govern. 1pm St Ives - due to be the last constituency to declare. Will the general election hang on the result here, where the Lib Dems are trying to hang on to a seat they've held since 1997. From earlier tonight 2.10am: 5 things we know James Kirkup says this is what we know: The Tories are heading for a serious -- and surprising -- victory, and maybe even a majority. Labour is in deep trouble - they didn't take Nuneaton, one of their targets. Instead, the Tories increased their majority. Ed Miliband may not survive this. The Lib Dems are having an even worse night. On the current showing, Nick Clegg definitely won't survive. Scotland is lost to the SNP. Seats that Labour used to hold with huge majorities are swinging to the nationalists. Ukip is going to win lots of votes but not many seats. Expect the party to come out strongly for electoral reform soon.

1.50am - the first big result BREAKING: The Conservatives have held Nuneaton. This was on the Labour target list, around 34th. To really hurt the Tories, Labour needed to gain it. Instead Marcus Jones of the Tories is UP 4%, and Labour DOWN 2%. Confirmation of a bad night for Labour - especially as the exit polls predicted the Conservatives wouldn't do this well here - and the most important result so far. 1.10am: 5 things we know James Kirkup with his 1am update: So far, none of the actual results have suggested that that stunning exit poll is wrong. The near-total collapse in the Lib Dem vote is looking like being a decisive factor in the overall result. Instead of switching to Labour as Ed Miliband had hoped, it looks like a lot of former Lib Dems have actually gone to Ukip. The SNP surge in Scotland could be just as big as predicted: Labour is set to lose seats it used to hold with huge, huge majorities. The Tories may well win seats they didn't think were winnable. They could well have enough to try governing as a minority administration, relying on the support of the DUP on an ad hoc basis.

Midnight update: 5 things we know The Telegraph's James Kirkup says this is what we know so far: If the exit poll is even vaguely accurate, the polling industry is in deep trouble. Its models have systematically underestimated Tory support. The results in the Sunderland seats suggest that Ed Miliband's strategy of relying on disaffected Lib Dems to come to Labour could be faulty: the numbers suggest many former Lib Dems have actually gone to Ukip instead. That would mean success for the Ukip long-term plan to replace Labour in the north of England. It puts Ukip on course for a very respectable share of the vote: more than 10 per cent and close to 4 million votes in all. But it may not be much help to Nigel Farage in Thanet South in Kent. The Lib Dem strategy of focussing resources on defending around 30 seats does not appear to have been enough to hold back the tide: Nick Clegg and his party are facing something close to total destruction. Labour's attempts to question the accuracy of the exit poll will be tested in Nuneaton at around 1am.

10.55pm - the first seat to declare Houghton & Sunderland South – traditionally the first seat to declare and safe Labour territory. It's an increased majority for the Labour candidate, but the Lib Dems have collapsed (beaten by the Greens) and Ukip have come second: Labour: 21,218 votes (55%) Conservative: 7,105 votes (18%) 10pm exit poll The Tories are on course for victory, according to the Ipsos MORI/GfK NOP exit poll, published at 10pm, based on a 20,000 sample. It shows: Conservatives: 316, up 9. Inside One Man's Obsessive Quest To Be The First To Declare The Election Results - BuzzFeed News Chris Stokel-Walker ID: 5036605 Bill Crawford will be wearing a new suit come election night, just as he has for every previous count as head of elections at Sunderland city council.

He hasn’t quite decided what kind it’ll be, but the shoes have been bought, and he’s wearing them in as he pads around the city’s Civic Centre, a brutal brick monstrosity that doesn’t look like it’s seen much care for 40 years or more. Between 1975 and 1992, Crawford oversaw a team of staff who would count the city’s results, and announce them in the early morning of the day after polling day. But then in the early 1990s, the city’s returning officer asked Crawford a simple question: “Why don’t we try and declare on the same day as the vote?” “1992 was the year Sunderland became a city,” Crawford tells BuzzFeed News. “It was the year the football team were in the final of the FA Cup, and we got university status. So the election was the conclusion to it all, and it was just a question of keeping up the momentum.” At the time, the constituency of Torbay was famed for being the first to declare, usually at about 11:45pm on the day of the polls.

“The difference between getting dayside of midnight and declaring first was only about 10 or 15 minutes,” explains Crawford. “We changed from, ‘Let’s declare on the day of the poll,’ to, ‘Actually, if we just knocked another five or 10 minutes off, we could be first.’” They were. In 1992 Sunderland was the first area to declare a general election result, and has been ever since. Bill Crawford wore his new suit with pride that night, and even though this will be his final election – he’s handing the role as head of elections to Lindsay Dixon, to whom he’s passing on all the tricks of the trade – he’ll be there on 7 May, hoping that his well-oiled machine works its magic and it’s Sunderland David Dimbleby calls on first once again. ID: 4976284 ID: 5019072 Above all, Crawford will be hoping to do better than he did in 2010. Although a Sunderland constituency announced first (and second, and third) five years ago, the day doesn’t hold entirely happy memories.

Crawford had been aiming to beat the previous fastest declaration time – set by Sunderland, predictably – of 42 minutes. Instead, his team only finished counting the 38,021 votes cast in Houghton and Sunderland South a disappointing 52 minutes after polling stations closed across the country , followed by Washington and Sunderland West (37,334 ballots) 33 minutes later, then Sunderland Central (42,463 votes cast) 16 minutes after that. Never mind that the fourth-placed constituency, Antrim North, didn’t declare for another 20 minutes. Crawford thought he could – should – would beat his record, and he didn’t. ID: 5018622 Gareth Copley / PA Archive / Press Association Images ID: 5682621 Sitting in the office of Sunderland council’s chief executive (and returning officer), Dave Smith, Crawford recalls his immediate thoughts when he realised the record had slipped through his hands. “What we started to do was to think: ‘Where can we get those minutes back?’” The target time this year, he says, “has got to be nearer 40 minutes than 50.

42 is the fastest we’ve ever done, and certainly that is well within our goals.” The race to declare election results first is perhaps the most bizarre of all niches in the already odd world of electoral organisation. Though no one wants an election count that runs on for days, only a smattering of election officers feel the need to try to race through the count to announce their results first. There’s no prize for the winner, beyond personal and civic pride, and a brief TV slot blathering at David Dimbleby to help fill in the long, slow hours of dead air between polls closing and the mass of constituencies announcing their results. So why do it? “What could be more important in a democracy than people putting themselves through the wringer of standing for election, and people turning up to vote?” says Smith, who’ll announce the results of the votes in Sunderland’s three constituencies. “If people are going to do that, what they should see and experience from us is a professional outfit that wants to return an accurate count as quickly and accurately as possible. “You’ve got a choice.

You can say, ‘We’re going to take our time, and people will need to take breaks,’ or you can say, ‘No, we’re not going to do that. We’re going to put our hand to the wheel and push on and do it quickly, so everyone does their best and we can finish relatively quickly.’” There’s also a practical element. Sunderland’s ballot counters are sourced largely from local banks. For such staff, trained in rifling through piles of banknotes, ballot papers are a cinch. But, says Crawford, “they’ve got their own job to do on the Friday, so the quicker we can get them to turn up, do the job they’ve got to do, then go back home, the easier it is for them to get back to work the next day.” ID: 5682598 Chris Stokel-Walker ID: 4976317 The number of people involved in Sunderland’s election count, and the granularity of the planning that goes into the process, is astonishing. “It’s like a military operation,” says Smith (pictured above).

“Every second and minute is accounted for in terms of the moment the polling station closes to the moment we count the piece of paper and put the results out.” All told, the number of council staff and volunteers will top 1,200. There were dress rehearsals for senior staff in March; Crawford has enlisted two schools, St. Aidan’s Catholic Academy and St Anthony’s Girls Academy, to run the boxes from the doors of the tennis centre where the count takes place to the counting stations on the sports hall floor. He’s made several visits to both schools to train sixth-formers about what they’ll encounter on the night, including how best to run with a full ballot box when the media’s cameras are trained on you. “Ballot boxes are a huge, cumbersome thing,” he says. “We kit them out in gloves and then supply them with T-shirts on the night, and we just practice running, passing the box from person to person, so they get a feel of what it’s going to be like on the night. We put bits of paper in the box to weigh it down and give them a feel of what it’s going to be like.” The council also endlessly tweaks its processes to try and shave seconds off the times.

They’ve even made the ballot papers thinner. “If you feel the difference between 100gsm and 80gsm paper, it’s physically different,” says Crawford, explaining that the change came after feedback from ballot counters. “If you try and count with 100gsm paper, as opposed to 80gsm, it’s huge. The 80gsm paper is more flexible and therefore easier to count.” Each ballot box in Sunderland comes equipped with a barcode that’s scanned as the box leaves the polling station and enters the counting hall. “We’ve got data for the last 10 years on the time each box has come in from each polling station, so you can go back over the years and say, ‘The box came in three minutes later this time: Why?’” says Crawford. “It might be that there was a particular stretch of road had traffic lights on. You work out if they’re going to be there for the next election: If so, let’s reroute them.” But, Smith is keen to point out, “We absolutely don’t do any of the things that are claimed. We’ve been accused of all sorts: We must change the traffic lights, have control over them.

We mustn’t count the ballots, we must weigh them in. I’ve even had somebody say that I declared the result before we counted. “None of it is remotely true. We don’t break any laws – we play by the regulations and rules and the law. Because frankly, if we don’t, I’ll be up in court.” ID: 5019098 Gareth Copley / PA Archive / Press Association Images / Via \ ID: 5052003 If all goes well, and Sunderland manages to declare its first result at around 10:40pm, it’ll be another record for Bill Crawford, and a good way to retire. “I think we’re pretty close to plateauing at that,” he says quietly. “Forty minutes from the sound of the gun to Dave declaring… It’s going some.” He picks up the volume and the pace of his speech: “If you’ve got to gear yourself up for anything, you’re in the wrong job. You’ve got all the press there, the press are trying to get hold of Dave, and when the room fills up you can suddenly turn around and the room is full.

You’ve got schoolkids coming in, togged up in their T-shirts, and you know we’re ready to rock ‘n’ roll. “At the point of 10, we’ve got a polling station two minutes away, so we’ll get a box in within two, two and a half minutes, and you know at that point they’re going to stream in. Within 15 or 17 minutes we’ll have every single box in.” Of course, although Crawford has honed the election count to what he believes is the summit of its art, the realities of demography mean that the actual outcome is rarely in dispute. Since 1974, with one exception (Sunderland Central in 2010), Labour has never got less than 50% of the vote in any of the city’s constituencies. Still, that doesn’t take anything away from the drive and gumption of Sunderland’s election staff. Certainly, election night would be a lot more boring without those T-shirted teenagers racing across our screens and the endless parsing of the city’s results in the hours that follow.

Near the end of our conversation, I ask Smith and Crawford which they’d prefer: to get their first result out more quickly than ever before, or to keep the gold, silver, and bronze medal spots from the last general election. There’s a moment’s pause as the chief executive and returning officer looks over at his long-time head of elections and gives a wry smile. “I’d rather have both,” Smith says. ID: 5019119 Election results live 2015: who won the general election? | The Week UK Conservative manifesto 2015: the policies David Cameron has in store David Cameron's party secured a majority of 331 seats in a surprise result that "shook British politics to its core", The Times said. In a speech outside Number 10, David Cameron said he would make Great Britain "greater still", promising to follow through on his campaign pledges to generate jobs, create apprenticeships and build new homes. Ed Miliband stood down after conceding that the result were "deeply disappointing" for Labour. The Conservatives' Lib Dem coalition partners were all but wiped out, and just before midday a tearful Nick Clegg offered his resignation statement as well.

Nigel Farage also resigned as Ukip leader after losing in the seat of South Thanet to Conservative Craig Mackinlay. Scroll down for live coverage of the election results. General election live results: who won? Number of seats declared: 650 out of 650. UK election 2015: the key points * Conservatives win general election after securing 331-seat majority. David Cameron says he hopes to govern in the interests of the whole UK. * Ed Miliband stands down after apologising for a "very disappointing and difficult" night for the Labour Party. * Final result in Scotland sees SNP win 56 out of 59 seats, on high turnout. Scottish Labour leader Jim Murphy is unseated, and shadow foreign secretary Douglas Alexander loses to 20-year-old student. Alex Salmond wins his seat. * Ed Balls, the shadow chancellor, loses his seat to the Tories, and George Galloway loses in Bradford West. * Nigel Farage loses in Thanet South to Conservative Craig Mackinlay and resigns. Ukip also fails to win Thurrock and Mark Reckless loses Rochester and Strood, but Douglas Carswell holds in Clacton.

* Nick Clegg resigns as Lib Dems lose their deposits across the country. Prominent Lib Dems to fall include Vince Cable, Danny Alexander, David Laws, Simon Hughes, Charles Kennedy, Lynne Featherstone and Ed Davey. Live election results coverage 1:22pm: David Cameron delivers victory speech outside Number 10 In his victory speech outside Number 10 Downing Street, Prime Minister David Cameron said he believes Britain is "on the brink of something special", as his party added another three seats to take its Commons majority to 329. The Prime Minister praised Nick Clegg and said that Ed Miliband had called to congratulate him. Cameron said that he would deliver on his promises to create 3m apprenticeships, cut taxes, build homes, and generate millions more jobs. He also pledged to "deliver that in-out referendum on Europe." The Prime Minister ended his speech with a promise to make Great Britain "greater still" before returning inside Number 10 with his wife, Samantha Cameron. 12:49pm: Conservatives secure 326-seat majority Victory in the Cotswolds pulls the Conservatives across the finish line, as the party secures an overall majority.

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown received 32,045 votes, defeating Lib Dem Paul Hodgkinson on 10,568 votes. David Cameron and his wife Samantha arrived at the King's Door entrance of Buckingham Palace for a short audience with the Queen. According to the BBC Royal correspondent Nicholas Witchell, Cameron's conversation with the Queen "will be a short formality" as he is officially reinstated Prime Minister. 12:18pm: Ed Miliband resigns as leader of the Labour party In a "gracious resignation speech", Ed Miliband has resigned as Labour leader telling party faithful he was "truly sorry" that he did not succeed, but promising he would "never give up" fighting for the Britain in which he believes. The outgoing leader thanked his supporters for their selfies and said that #Milifandom was the "most unlikely cult of the 21st century", the BBC reports. Miliband was given a standing ovation as he left the room. He became the third party leader to resign within the space of 60 minutes. Harriet Harman will become caretaker leader while the party looks for a permanent replacement.

11:50am: Nick Clegg resigns as leader of the Liberal Democrats A tearful Nick Clegg has resigned as leader of the Liberal Democrats, describing the party's losses as "simply heartbreaking". Clegg said that it was too early to assess what had gone wrong in detail and warned that the UK has reached a perilous point. "In the absence of strong and statesmanlike leadership … the existence of our United Kingdom itself is in grave jeopardy." 11:43am: Nigel Farage resigns as leader of Ukip Nigel Farage has called for electoral reform after Ukip achieved 12 per cent of the vote but only managed to win one seat. The outgoing leader told supporters "I'm a man of my word", having pledged to step down if he failed to win in the constituency of South Thanet. In his speech, Farage said: "Many of you may think I have been having a bad day but five years ago I was in intensive care after an air crash. That is a bad day. "On a personal level I feel an enormous weight has been lifted from my shoulders and I have never felt happier." Farage's failure raises "major questions about the future direction of the party", the Guardian says.

Farage is expected to nominate Suzanne Evans, the deputy chairperson, as stand-in leader while the party looks for a permanent replacement. 11:01am: Conservatives take 323 seats with 638 counted The Conservative party has passed 323 seats - the "magic number" for controlling the House of Commons once your take out the Speaker of the House and Sinn Fein, who refuse to take their seats. Just a few days ago Nick Clegg said it was a "big, fat fib" to suggest the Conservatives could win 323 seats. During a visit to south-west London, the Liberal Democrat leader said: "They are not going to get 323 seats and they know it." 10:39am: Nigel Farage loses in Thanet South Ukip leader Nigel Farage has lost in the constituency of Thanet South to Conservative Craig Mackinlay, prompting speculation that he will resign, as promised, within ten minutes. Farage has said previously that he should be replaced as leader by a sitting MP, which will mean Douglas Carswell - Ukip's lone representative in Westminster.

10:15am: Cameron delivers 'euphoric speech' In a speech at Tory HQ, David Cameron has declared the election result "the sweetest victory". The Prime Minister thanked his campaign team who were heard "cheering and whooping" in footage captured on a smartphone by Spectator magazine. Cameron declared that "the pollsters got it wrong and the commentators got it wrong". 9:35am: Ed Miliband to resign, reports suggest Labour leader Ed Miliband is expected to "stand down shortly", The Guardian reports. Miliband is set to address Labour staff this morning, leading the BBC to speculate that he may use the speech to offer his resignation. Bookmaker Paddy Power has already offered odds on the next Labour leader with Andy Burnham the favourite at 7/4, from Yvette Cooper at 9/4. Other possible candidates include Chuka Umunna (3/1), Dan Jarvis (6/1) and Tristram Hunt (11/1).

9:08am: Nigel Farrage awaits results As Nigel Farage waits for the results in his constituency of South Thanet, the Ukip leader has said that the national results underline the peculiarity of the UK's first past the post voting system, in which Ukip, "a party that wins clearly the third [largest] popular share of the vote", has won just one seat so far, for Douglas Carswell in Clacton. Asked by reporters whether he would follow through with his promise to resign if he fails to secure his seat, Farage replied: "Are you calling me a liar?" 8:31am: Ed Balls loses his seat in shock result Shadow chancellor Ed Balls has lost his Morley and Outwood seat to Conservative candidate Andrea Jenkins by 422 votes. Balls, who has been an MP since 2005, becomes "the highest profile Labour casualty" on a "terrible election night" for the party, The Guardian says. In his concession speech following a recount of the ballot, Balls congratulated his political opponents and thanked his campaign team.

The outgoing MP said that any personal disappointment he felt was "nothing compared to the sense of sorrow I have about what has happened to Labour" 7:59am: Final results in Scotland see 'astonishing victory' for SNP The SNP has won a landslide victory in Scotland, claiming 56 out of a possible 59 seats. The SNP took 50 new seats, largely from Labour, which has been left with just one MP in Scotland. The Liberal Democrats also lost nine seats, but managed to hold Orkney and Shetland. The Conservatives held onto Dumfrieshshire, Clydesdale and Tweeddale - the only other seat to survive the "SNP tsunami", the BBC reports. The results represent an "astonishing victory" for the SNP, The Guardian says. 7:40am: Recount underway in Ed Balls' constituency A recount has begun in Ed Balls' constituency of Morley and Outwood amid rumours that the shadow chancellor may have lost his seat by just 300 votes. The recount is expected to take an hour, ITV reports.

Balls earlier admitted that he had "a fight on his hands" after rumours suggested that he may have narrowly lost to Conservative candidate Andrea Jenkyns. 5.45am: David Cameron hails 'one nation' Conservatism "I want to bring our country together, our United Kingdom together," says David Cameron, having retained his seat in Witney. He avoids claiming outright victory, but says he hopes to form a government that will govern in the interests of everyone in the UK. After saying that he will work to implement further devolution for Scotland and Wales, Cameron tweets the key message of his speech: "One nation, one United Kingdom - that is how I hope to govern if I am fortunate enough to continue as Prime Minister." Meanwhile, the BBC has updated its forecast. It now predicts that the Conservatives will end up with 325 seats, which is just enought to secure a majority, assuming that Sinn Fein leave their seats vacant. 5.25am: Ed Miliband apologises to his party Having held the seat of Doncaster North, the Labour leader gives a short speech in which he acknowledges that the nationwide result has come as a disappointment and apologises to his party's supporters.

The next government will face a huge challenge in keeping the country together, he says, and "if we believe in a United Kingdom we should stand up for people in every part of the United Kingdom." The BBC's Andrew Marr says it is "as close to a concession speech as you'll hear". 5.15am: Lib Dem soul-searching begins After retaining his seat with a much reduced majority, Nick Clegg dropped a strong hint that he will soon resign. He promises to make an announcement about his future later this morning, after talking to party activists. Former leader Paddy Ashdown has sent an email to Lib Dem members, describing a "bitter night" of results."Let us remember what we fought for - liberal values, offering a vibrant, positive, and hopeful alternative for our country," he wrote. "However painful this defeat, our fight for all this party stands for must continue." Ashdown may experience some personal pain: when the exit poll came in he promised to eat his hat if the Lib Dems ended up with only ten seats. They may be lucky to get into double figures.

4.50am: Boris Johnson looks to the future Having dodged David Dimbleby's inevitable questions about the Conservative party leadership, Boris Johnson turns his attention to the future of the UK. The country, he says, should move towards a federal structure in order to defuse nationalist tensions. He also said that he welcomed the prospect of a referendum on British membership of the EU, to which Cameron has committed himself. Earlier, having won his Uxbridge and South Ruislip seat, Johnson had said that the British people "have decisively rejected any attempt to take the country back to the 1970s" and "want us to go forward with sensible moderate policies". 4.20am: Nick Clegg arrives at his count The Lib Dems were not expecting to do well at this election, but they have underperformed even by their own gloomy forecasts. Their seat count may not even get into double figures, and any hopes they may have had of holding the balance of power appear to have evaporated. PA reports that a "grim-faced" Clegg was asked whether he would resign as he arrived at the count in his Sheffield Hallam constituency, but he ignored the question.

Some commentators suggest that he may have no choice: reports that he may lose his seat, which had receded in recent days, are doing the rounds once again. 3.30am: Will Ed Miliband keep his job? Until the polls closed at 10pm last night, few people were predicting that Ed Miliband's position as Labour leader would be under threat. His personal ratings had improved, and he had, it seemed, kept pace with the Conservatives despite an improving economy and doubts about Labour's economic credibility. But the exit poll, and the results that have come in since then, have begun to pile pressure on Miliband. "Every Labour figure being interviewed is being asked if Ed Miliband should stay as leader," The Guardian says. "They have all either sidestepped the question, or said yes, but in private Labour figures are saying something different." Sky's Sophy Ridge says MPs are telling her in private that Miliband must go, and former Labour foreign secretary Jack Straw seems less than certain about his leader's future. Describing the results as "pretty depressing", he says "it's up to Mr Miliband to decide his own future".

3am: Nicola Sturgeon talks up anti-Tory pact The SNP leader hasn't given up hope of deposing David Cameron. "The SNP stand ready and willing to work with Labour to lock David Cameron out of Westminster," she said. Despite the huge SNP advance in Scotland, however, Labour may not have done well enough to keep the Tories out. The exit poll suggests that Labour will end up with 239 seats and the SNP 58, giving them a total of 297. The Conservatives are on course to get 316 on their own. 2.30am: Douglas Alexander loses to a student The first big scalp of the evening. Shadow foreign secretary Douglas Alexander has lost to the SNP in Paisley and Renfrewshire South, whose new MP is a 20-year-old student. Mhairi Black, who will return to university to complete her exams before taking her seat in the House of Commons, will be the youngest MP since 1667, Buzzfeed reports. The swing from Labour to the SNP has reached 35 per cent in some Scottish constituencies. That compares with a swing from the Conservatives to Labour of about ten per cent in the 1997 landslide.

2.20am: Could the Conservatives get a majority? The one certainty in this most uncertain of elections was supposed to be that no party could get a majority. Now that too is in doubt. John Curtice, who helped to design the exit poll which predicted that the Conservatives would end up with 316 seats now says that Cameron's party appears to be outperforming even that unexpected forecast. The result in Nuneaton, and highly competitive constituency in which both parties campaigned hard, had been expected to show a two per cent swing to Labour. In fact it produced a two per cent swing to the Tories, and that, says Curtice, could mean that Cameron is on course to command a narrow Commons majority without needing to rely on the support of any other party. The Guardian 's Alberto Nardelli agrees. "If anything the exit poll may well have underestimated the number of seats the Tories will win and overestimated Labour's share," he writes. "It's not even out of the question that Cameron may get an overall majority." 1.15am: Will the coalition survive? Soon after the publication of the exit poll, Michael Gove suggested that David Cameron would be keen to keep the Conservative-Lib Dem coalition alive.

"If this exit poll is correct, that gives the Prime Minister considerable authority," Gove said, and he will want "to ensure that we have a strong, stable and secure government that we argued for and that it seems the country has backed". But it is not clear that the Lib Dems will retain enough MPs to make up the numbers, and nor that they would want to stick with the arrangement that appears to have led to their near-wipeout. "if the Lib Dem losses are on the scale suggested, it would leave the party so weakened that it might play no significant role in any post-election dealmaking," the Financial Times suggests. "Those Lib Dem MPs who survive election night may conclude the party needs to rebuild its fortunes in opposition, even were Mr Cameron to offer some kind of deal." 00.25am: Is the exit poll correct? With only three constituencies having declared, most analysis is still based on the exit poll , which suggests that the Conservatives will be the largest party by a significant margin. But is it accurate? Labour figures are keen to play up doubts, and with good reason.

"The Labour tribe – and the polling fraternity – are haunted by the experience of 1992, when the 10pm poll prepared the nation for Prime Minister Neil Kinnock," writes Jonathan Freedland for The Guardian . Nevertheless, he says, "exit polling has come a long way since 1992. Indeed, the exit poll issued in 2010 turned out to have called it just about right." The Daily Telegraph also notes the accuracy of the exit poll at the last general election, but adds a caveat. "Experts conceded that the accuracy of this year’s exit poll could be reduced because of the rise of the SNP in Scotland," it says. And Bloomberg reports that John Curtice, one of the academics involved in compiling the exit poll, has acknowledged that it is "likely to be imprecise and may well be wrong". 11.35pm: Has Ed Balls lost his seat? The shadow chancellor is reluctant to be drawn on whether the voting is going against him. He had a majority of just 1,100 at the last election, and rumours suggest that the Conservative candidate may have beaten him into second place. "The ballot boxes haven't even arrived," he tells David Dimbleby.

"I've fought very hard in my campaign and we'll see what the result is when it arrives." Balls also repeats an argument earlier advanced by Harriet Harman: that the exit polls suggest that David Cameron and the coalition may have lost their mandate. "Legitimacy is not decided by David Cameron or David Dimbleby," he says, and the voters may not have given the Tories and Lib Dems a majority. 11.30pm: Strong showing for Ukip in north-east The first three constituencies to declare, all in Sunderland, are safe Labour seats and there are no upsets as far as the winners are concerned. What may unsettle the main parties, and particularly Labour, is that Ukip has come second in all three of them. This is part of Nigel Farage's party's "2020 strategy", in which they position themselves as the natural opposition to Labour in the north and the Conservatives in the south, giving themselves a springboard from which to win seats across the country at the 2020 general election.

10pm: Exit poll gives Conservatives a decisive lead David Cameron's path to Downing Street appears much smoother than expected, with the exit poll predicting that the Conservatives will win 316 seats in today's general election. They would fall short of the 326 seats needed for a majority (or 323 once Sinn Fein and the speaker are discounted), but would be by far the biggest party. Labour is forecast to finish in a distant second place, with 239 seats, losing almost all their Scottish seats. The SNP is expected to pick up all but one of the 59 seats on offer north of the border. And the Liberal Democrats - the Conservatives' coalition partners for the past five years - are facing a wretched night. They are expected to lose 47 of their 57 seats, ending up with a mere ten. Ukip, the Greens and Plaid Cymru are each expected to pick up two seats.

The better-than-expected outcome for the Conservatives, if it is borne out by the result, means that they may try to govern alone as a minority, but the remains of the Lib Dems would give them the slimmest of working majority in the Commons if the two parties agreed a second coalition. Sign up for our daily newsletter Newsletter Election 2015: Sunderland aiming to be first to declare results for sixth time in a row Election 2015: Sunderland aiming to be first to declare results for sixth time in a row May 7, 2015 12:50 BST Sunderland are once again hoping to be the first to declare their election results in BritainGetty As the polls close at 10pm for this year's general election, all eyes will be on one Wearside city as it hopes to once again be the first to declare a result. In every election since 1992, Sunderland has been the first to declare their winner, sometimes taking less than one hour to do so. Council chiefs and polling authorities are now hoping Sunderland can make it six elections in a row.

In the 2010 election, Sunderland declared the first three results from three constituencies within 90 minutes of the polls closing. The first declaration came at 10.52pm Houghton and Sunderland South, Washington & Sunderland West being declared at 11.26pm and finally Sunderland Central at 11.41pm. Dr Dave Smith, Sunderland Returning Officer, told IB Times UK: "All election counts have their observers. For us, it's well-known that Sunderland has been declaring first since 1992 and while there might be a sense of anticipation from others, the accuracy and the integrity of the election remain our top priorities. "What we're aiming to do is run an efficient election and declare accurate results as quickly as we can. The prime aim is running an accurate and efficient election count for voters and candidates. If we happen to be first that's bonus." This year, 200 counters across three constituencies will be hoping to continue Sunderland's run of declaring first, with 100 local sixth formers helping to run in the ballot boxes from 121 stations once they have arrived outside the Sunderland Tennis Centre.

Smith accredits Sunderland's fast declaration speed to "tired and tested procedures" which they have honed over the years, as well as an experienced counting staff, some of who have done the job for 25 years. "The City Council has also tested having bar codes on each ballot box and scanning it as it arrived at the count so we could time how long it took each box to arrive and how we could improve on this next time," Smith said. Sunderland also used lighter paper to make counting more efficient and puts counters in teams of three and paired off with people they know and whose skills they are used to. "This aids the team effort and saves valuable seconds," Smith added. As with 2010, camera crews are expected to flock to Sunderland to film the dash at the counting station, an experience Smith says adds to the enjoyment of the election night. He said: "The presence of television and the coverage of the count adds to that buzz. In 1992 there was one television crew present for the first time. It has grown in size and numbers ever since to almost 100 media representatives in 2010.

"It's a massive team effort delivered with a lot of pride – in the job, in the accuracy of the result ... and for the City. The vast majority of the team live and work in Sunderland and they will be striving to be first again for the city." More about general election

Question: The first three constituencies to declare their results in the 2010 General Election were in which city?
Answer: SUNDERLAND