Basic election dwell: social gathering leaders be part of tens of millions throughout the UK casting their votes

Labour chief Keir Starmer has posted an image of him along with his spouse Victoria on their option to vote with the message “Today, Britain’s future is on the ballot”

Labour have additionally posted a video urging folks to exit and vote, saying “nothing is decided yet”. Utilizing archive footage it mocks up the BBC’s David Dimbleby asserting at 10pm tonight that Rishi Sunak’s Conservatives are the most important social gathering in accordance with the exit ballot, after which cuts to a clip of Sunak celebrating throughout Euro 2024.

Simply to verify that as with Rishi Sunak, when Keir Starmer voted he breifly greeted folks however didn’t communicate to any of the gathered media.

Labour’s chief in Scotland, Anas Sarwar, has voted at Pollokshields Burgh Halls in Glasgow. He was accompanied by his spouse Furheen, and son Aliyan. I feel it’s honest to say that the photograph alternative could haven’t gone totally to plan. The household have been photobombed by somebody holding up an indication which learn “Starmer is a snake”.

The SNP have posted an election day message video, with first minister John Swinney reiterating the social gathering’s key messages at this election, calling for an finish to the two-child profit cap, and urging supporters to vote SNP to assist “ending Westminster austerity”, “eradicating child poverty” and “rejoining the European Union as an independent country, because we are a country that proudly looks out.”

My colleague Robyn Vinter has been trying into simply how some constituencies return their outcomes so shortly on election evening:

In most constituencies, counting the tens of 1000’s of votes solid throughout an election takes someplace between 5 and eight hours, which suggests voters normally have to remain up very late or stand up very early to find the end result.

Sunderland has held bragging rights for many years, being the quickest to declare at each common election between 1992 and 2015, and setting that file time of 10.42pm for Sunderland South in 2001.

The feat was described as a “military operation”, with the rely masterminded by the returning officer Invoice Crawford, who left Sunderland in 2015. Underneath his stewardship, poll counters have been sourced from native banks due to their pace with small bits of paper. And he would recruit sixth-formers from close by colleges, coaching them on how finest to run with poll packing containers of their palms.

Learn extra right here: Speedy outcomes – UK poll counters braced for race to declare first winner

When you didn’t get an opportunity to do it yesterday, then can I like to recommend you spend a few minutes between now and the exit ballot at 10pm having a crack at the Guardian’s supermassive election quiz …

Alfie Packham

Readers have been getting in contact as they head to the polls this morning.

In Sheffield Central, NHS GP Tom McAnea, 54, stated he’s “excited” to be voting. “The sun is shining brightly this morning which should be an encouragement for voters to turn out. This is my ninth general election where I can vote, the first being in 1992. I still find the whole process both a privilege and a huge responsibility.”

Tom was accompanied by his 17-year-old daughter, Freya, who hopes to check politics at college subsequent 12 months. “She’s very keyed up today. She’s frustrated she can’t vote but is enthused by the whole process. We’ll be tuning in this evening at 10pm for the exit poll. I voted not long after seven. It wasn’t busy, but I could see that there was already a list of people who had been in and voted. I think they’re expecting a good turnout today.”

Hayley voted earlier this morning in Ashton-under-Lyne together with her canine Nova.

She stated there she didn’t have any drawback voting and there was no queue round 8am. Hayley added it was Nova’s first election (she is eighteen months previous) although she could not have been as excited as some.

“She was shown the leaflets from all the candidates but she was more interested in the one from the local pizza place.”

Andrew Dunning, 37, from Oxford, voted at 7.30 along with his son, aged three. “My son had us up at 4.30 am asking whether ‘goat’ rhymes with ‘poll’. There was nobody at the polling station and I was the tenth person to vote. We put a cross on the ballot papers together.”

Having to point out ID has made the method really feel “less friendly” this 12 months, he provides. “The very nice fellow who was running the polling station went to ask the manager if they should accept my passport because I’ve grown my hair and beard out since the photo was taken nine years ago. Then he asked my son, ‘Is this daddy?’ My son said yes. ‘That’s fine, then.’”

Plaid Cymru’s chief Rhun ap Iorwerth has posted a video clip of himself after he solid his vote in Ynys Môn.

He stated:

I’ve simply voted for Llinos Medi and Plaid Cymru right here on Ynys Môn. For equity. For ambition. For Wales. For honest funding for Wales. For the NHS. For your loved ones. In your neighborhood. Thanks to you for all of your assist.

It is among the constituencies Plaid Cymru have been focusing on on this election. Final trip Ynys Môn was received by Conservative Virginia Crosbie as a acquire from Labour, however each Labour and Plaid Cymru have been solely narrowly behind with a few thousand votes in it.

Keir Starmer has arrived to vote in London along with his spouse, Victoria. Polling forward of the election suggests he’s the individual most certainly to be the following prime minister of the UK, 5 years after his Labour social gathering suffered a disastrous defeat within the December 2019 common election which noticed Boris Johnson returned as UK prime minister. The nation has modified chief twice since with out holding a common election.

Rishi Sunak and John Swinney have already voted, as has now, in accordance with PA Media, Ulster Unionist Occasion chief Doug Beattie. He voted at Seagoe Main Faculty in Portadown. Beattie advised reporters “It is an important day, it is a day for the people to cast their votes. We have run a good campaign.”

The previous Labour chief Jeremy Corbyn has additionally voted, posting an image of himself exterior a polling station with the message “Just voted for the independent candidate in Islington North. I heard he’s alright.”

Labour’s deputy chief Angela Rayner has urged folks on social media to “be part of it” by voting for Labour immediately.

Sunak’s message appears to be considered one of accepting inevitable defeat, telling folks to “Head to your polling station. Bring ID. Vote Conservative. Stop the Labour supermajority^*”

Jane Dodds, chief of the Liberal Democrats in Wales, has taken her canine Wanda all the way down to vote.

And Pickles the dachshund has been all the way down to the polling station in Ticknall Village corridor within the South Derbyshire, and seems to be displaying there’s a nice deal extra belief positioned in his recall talents than I’d dare with my very mischievous miniature dachshund Willow.

^*There is no such thing as a such factor as a “supermajority” in British politics. A authorities both enjoys a majority within the Home of Commons, or it doesn’t.

Aletha Adu, our political correspondent, has this explainer on what totally different outcomes would imply for Labour, trying three eventualities: a reasonable majority of 0-80 seats, a Blair-style landslide of 80-179 seats, and a haul of greater than 179 seats.

Learn extra right here: Blair-style landslide or ‘supermajority’: what totally different outcomes would imply for Labour

When you can’t get sufficient politics protection – and the very fact you’re studying an election day dwell weblog greater than twelve hours earlier than we get the exit ballot suggests you is likely to be that sort of individual – then tomorrow night my colleague Hugh Muir will chair a panel of Guardian columnists and writers together with John Crace, Gaby Hinsliff, Jonathan Freedland, and Zoe Williams at an occasion in London known as Guardian Newsroom: Election outcomes particular.

It’s on from 7.30pm-9pm (BST) tomorrow, and you may be part of it in individual or on a livestream. There are extra particulars right here.

First minister of Scotland, John Swinney, has arrived to vote alongside SNP candidate Dave Doogan on the polling place in Blairgowrie, close to Perth.

PA Media report that addressing supporters at a pre-election rally in Leith on Wednesday night, John Swinney stated the Conservatives have been going to be “heavily defeated” by the Labour social gathering in England, however that there have been “narrow margins” between Labour and the SNP in Scotland.

On social media the SNP has urged folks to message family and friends reminded them to vote, saying “Don’t wake up on Friday thinking that you could have done more in the final days of the campaign. You can help to boost turnout at the election by messaging everyone you know to remind them to vote SNP today.”

The SNP candidate for Glasgow West, Carol Monaghan, has posted a pic of Wee Jean carrying an SNP rosette at a polling place within the newly shaped constituency of Glasgow West. Monaghan was MP for Glasgow North West from 2015 to 2024.

Robbie Butler is standing for the Ulster Unionist Occasion in Lagan Valley, the place he got here third in 2019. He has simply posted to say thathe hasn’t missed an election since he was 18 and has simply solid his vote immediately, however what caught my eye was the similarity in his submit to the web meme of Timothy Dalton as Simon Skinner in Scorching Fuzz.

[Please note it is not Timothy Dalton’s birthday today, that is just an old social media post]

My colleague John Crace has clearly been up and early to vote, and has posted an image of Herbert Hound to verify it. When you missed it, his sketch of the final day of the marketing campaign – Rishi sinks into TV couch as Boris gloats and Mel goes rogue – will be discovered right here, and he additionally teamed up with Marina Hyde alongside Helen Pidd to debate the election on yesterday’s At present in Focus podcast. Crace that’s. Herbert Hound shouldn’t be on the podcast.