Polling stations will close at 10pm this evening as we enter the final hours of the election race – and the 2024 turnout is expected to rival that of the 2019 General Election.
Just after 10pm this evening, we can expect the exit poll which will give us a reliable prediction as to how the parties have performed.
Labour are widely expected to make history with a bigger majority than Tony Blair achieved in 1997.
A final poll has revealed Labour is ploughing ahead with an 18-point lead over the Conservative party.
Meanwhile, the Tories are at their lowest ever level. Research also found that 25% of voters who supported the Tories in 2019 have now backed Nigel Farage’s Reform UK party.
The poll was carried out on Monday and Wednesday evening, making the results some of the most recently published.
What are the numbers we should look out for at the exit poll?
Craig MunroRecent polls have set us up for a very dramatic result at the 2024 General Election, with Labour potentially on the verge of a historic win.
But how will we know just how dramatic it is? Here are the comparison numbers you should know.
The most seats ever won by Labour in a General Election: 418
This record was set by Tony Blair’s party in 1997 – an election that has come up a lot over the course of this campaign. There’s been a lot of speculation over whether Keir Starmer will manage to beat that figure.
The fewest seats ever won by the Conservatives in a General Election: 156
For this one, you have to go way, waaay back to 1906 when the Tories were led by Arthur Balfour. It was won by Henry Campbell-Bannerman for the Liberals – this was so long ago that it was only the second General Election fought by the Labour Party.
Incidentally, the Conseervatives came close to beating that unenviable record in the aforementioned 1997 election, when they won just 165 seats. Could their total fall even further tonight?
Most seats ever won by a single party in a General Election: 470
These were pretty extraordinary circumstances, to be fair. The 1931 General Election is a favourite of political geeks, because the results were so crazy. Stanley Baldwin’s Conservatives won a whopping 470 seats. In second place was Labour, with just 52 seats. We’re unlikely to see something that dramatic tonight – though certain polls have suggested we might not be far off.
It was a unique year because a coalition of parties were running under the title ‘the National Government’, in an effort to lift the country out of a massive economic slump. So technically the Conservatives didn’t win alone, despite their huge seat total – they were just part of a coalition which swept to victory with an astonishing 554 seats out of 615 available.
Rishi reveals who he’ll be sending to the House of Lords
Craig Munro
With less than an hour to go before polls close and the exit poll is announced, the prime minister has revealed the peerages he wants to grant to mark the dissolution of parliament.
They include:
- Ex-prime minister Theresa May, who would join her predecessor David Cameron in the chamber
- Sir Graham Brady, the former chair of the 1922 Committee that decided whether Conservative leadership contests would be held
- Alok Sharma, who served as president for Cop26 when it was held in Glasgow
- Craig Mackinlay, the MP who lost all his limbs to sepsis and was nicknamed ‘the bionic MP’
- Chris Grayling, former transport secretary, justice secretary and Leader of the House of Commons
Keir Starmer has also produced a Labour peerage wish list, including:
- Former Labour deputy leader Margaret Beckett
- Ex-culture secretary Margaret Hodge
- Long-serving MP and another former Labour deputy leader Harriet Harman
Dr Hilary Cass, who produced the recent Cass Review into children’s gender identity services, would also enter as a crossbench peer.
Under an hour to go until the exit poll is announced – Tell us what you think
Jasper KingIt is just under one hour now until we pretty much know who is going to win this General Election – exciting times!
But who do you think is going to come out on top? Will we see a Labour supermajority? Will the Lib Dems make lots of gains and take seats away from the Tories? What will be this election’s Portillo moment.
It is still all to play for as we are just 50 minutes away now from polls closing.
Tell us what you think via our Twitter account below.
Ahead of tonight’s exit poll, we would like to know which #GeneralElection2024 result are you looking forward to the most? pic.twitter.com/zvLGFkquEx
— Metro (@MetroUK) July 4, 2024
Nigel Farage is looking happier than we have ever seen him
Jasper KingNigel Farage seems to be taking the final few hours of the election in his stride and has been seen grinning from ear to ear while out door knocking.
It is not surprising, considering Reform UK are polled to do pretty well in the election.
And if the polls are anything to go by, Farage could even win his Clacton seat which would be a first for him.
These are the top 10 Tories who could lose their seats
Jasper KingMany ‘big beast’ Tories are set to be unseated in this election if the polls are anything to go by.
Cabinet names like Jeremy Hunt, Grant Shapps and Penny Mordaunt are all on course to lose their seats as Labour are expected to achieve a bigger majority than in 1997.
This is because the Lib Dems are expected to take key seats away from the Tories like Godalming and Ash, Surrey, where Jeremy Hunt is standing, and Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, contested by Alex Chalk.
For a full list of all the major Tories expected to lose their seats, check out the link below.
10 top Tories who could lose their seat, from Jeremy Hunt to Penny Mordaunt
How much do Prime Ministers and ex-Prime Ministers get paid?
Jasper KingIt is no secret that Rishi Sunak is the wealthiest prime minister the UK has ever had.
He is married to an heiress and Indian businesswoman Akshata Murty.
Their combined net worth is a whopping £651 million, according to the 2024 Sunday Times Rich List.
On top of this Rishi also has two different salaries: one for the role of PM (£75,440 in 2024), and one for being a Member of Parliament (£91,346 in 2024).
You can find out more about how much he earns and his wealth below.
How much does the Prime Minister get paid? Rishi Sunak’s salary explained
Metro’s very own election bingo card
Jasper King
There will be some standout moments from this election and here at Metro we have come up with a few moments that are bound to happen.
So if you are settling in for the long haul tonight with drinks and copious amounts of snacks get ready to play our Metro General Election bingo game.
Loganair helping to transport votes from UK’s most northerly polling station
Jasper KingThere are polling stations up and down the UK, from village halls and schools, to even pubs and lifeboat stations.
But one airline is doing its bit to transport some very important cargo from the most northerly ballot boxes located in the Shetland Islands.
The airline posted on Instagram: ‘Our team are busy getting our G-BLDV aircraft ready to carry some very important cargo.
‘Tonight, our team will help transport the most northerly ballot boxes in the United Kingdom. A journey consisting of two ferries, two cars and a plane will take the boxes from the Isle of Unst to Orkney to be counted.
‘That is a journey of 180 MILES.
‘Remember to vote!’
https://www.instagram.com/p/C8_5K-SuNpz
Queues form hours before polls close
Jasper KingThe polls close this evening at 10pm and we are already seeing massive queues outside some polling stations particularly in the capital.
There is expected to be huge voter turnout at this year’s election, rivalling that of 2019, as the Tories are expected to face dramatic loses.
What time is the exit poll announced?
Jasper KingThe exit poll is arguably one of the most exciting moments of the election and gives an accurate indication as to which party will be in power.
It is announced at 10pm and was created by Professor John Curtice and statistician David Firth in 2005.
The way it works is voters are asked which candidate they voted for as they leave the polling station.
Pollsters from Ipsos talk to around 20,000 people across 130 polling stations – a drop in the ocean compared to the millions who turn out to the 40,000 stations across the UK.
Voters are selected at random throughout the day and asked to ‘vote’ again on a mock ballot paper which is placed into the exit poll. (Around 80% agree, in case you were curious.)
Find out more about how exit polls work below.
How accurate are exit polls and are they ever wrong?
What do the public think of the Tories?
Jasper KingA key question you might want to find out about. Well we have got all the answers for you below.
Do I need my polling card to vote?
Jasper King
You might think that you need your polling card to vote but in actual fact you don’t.
What you do need however is you voter ID so if you haven’t voted yet make sure you have this handy.
You can also still vote if you have lost your polling card.
Your poll card tells you when to vote and at which polling station and you have until 10pm this evening to do so.
Can I use any polling station to vote?
Jasper King
Your chance to vote at this year’s General Election closes at 10pm this evening but you might be wondering whether you can vote at any polling station?
The answer is no. You need to go to the polling station that has been assigned to you on your polling card.
For example, you can’t just choose a polling station that is near to your workplace.
The polling station assigned to you is usually a school or village hall, but you might be lucky and get treated to a polling station in somewhere like a pub or lifeboat station.
If you’ve lost your polling card you can find your polling station online or contact the elections team at your council and they will help.
And remember as long as you are still in the queue at 10pm you can still vote!
We think we’ve found our favourite candidate
Sam CorbishleyChris French isn’t your typical General Election candidate.
While many vying to become a local MP get caught up in the chaotic scramble to secure every last vote, Chris is pretty laid back about the whole thing.
The 47-year-old London pub owner launched The Mitre party, named after the bar he runs in St Mary’s Grove in Richmond.
And he’s gunning for the Richmond Park seat in parliament.
His name is perfectly wedged between the Labour and Conservative candidates on the ballot paper – and the party logo certainly jumps out at you.
It’s fair to say he’s taken a slightly different approach to campaigning compared to his rivals, though.
‘To be honest, I’ve spent the entire day painting my pub garden because it needed doing,’ Chris told Metro.co.uk.
‘I think it’s green but someone else said it’s grey. I’m colour blind, so who knows. I’ve not been out campaigning – and I was never going to.’
We spoke to the pub that’s standing for election and we think we’ve found our new PM
‘Every vote counts – get out and vote’
Lucia Botfield
It is also Lucy’s first time voting in a general election.
The 21-year-old told Metro: ‘It’s important for everyone to get out and vote.
‘My friends are very interested in voting, but it is just who you surround yourself with and your own bubble. Social media has made things better for young people and voting as people are posting more informative things and posting on their stories.
‘I would like Labour in. I want the Tories out, and more people listened to.
‘Every vote counts. Your life is political, everyone’s life is political.’
Why is voting done in pencil?
Sam CorbishleyNo, it’s not so one of the volunteers can quickly rub out your ‘X’ and rig the vote for someone else.
In its guidance for polling station staff, the Electoral Commission actually says people can vote with a pen or pencil.
But pencils are typically used for practical reasons – pens can dry out or spill ink all over the voting booth.
Ink can also transfer on to different parts of the page when the ballot paper is folded, potentially leading to a vote being rejected if the voter appears to have picked multiple candidates.
The Electoral Commission adds that there are safeguards in place to prevent tampering with ballot papers.
Seals are attached to ballot boxes at the close of voting, and are removed only when the count begins.
Candidates are allowed to monitor the process and attach their own seals if they wish, and to check them before ballot boxes are opened.
The police investigated just 13 allegations of tampering with ballot papers during the 2019 general election, with only one leading to a conviction. This was after a person entered a polling station and took hold of a ballot box, preventing other people from voting.
‘I’m starting to get into politics – I like the drama’
Lucia Botfield
Theo, 21, – accompanied by dog Milo – is voting in a general election for the first time.
He told Metro.co.uk: ‘I’m starting to get into politics. I like the drama to be honest, it’s quite entertaining to be honest.’
Theo says he is ‘definetly not’ happy with the current political climate in the UK: ‘That’s why I’m voting, so it can change.
‘My whole life that I’ve been aware of politics, the government has always been Tory. And I don’t want it to be Tory anymore, I want it to change.
‘The bare minimum is just get the Tories out. I come from a big Labour family, and we’re all hoping to get them out.’
We asked the public: What do you think of Nigel Farage and Reform UK?
Lucia BotfieldBBC and ITV schedules face huge shake-up as general election results loom
Sam CorbishleyThe general election has led to major channels including BBC, Channel 4, and ITV shaking up their normal schedules.
The nation has been at the polling stations today (if you haven’t made it down yet, you have until 10pm), and as votes are counted, TV will largely be devoted to the results.
While the TV channels often follow a certain formula, especially during the daytime, they’ve naturally made way for programmes completely focused on the biggest news story to mark the huge occasion.
Here’s all you need to know…
BBC and ITV schedules face huge shake-up as general election results loom
‘I’m voting to get the Tories out’
Lucia Botfield
Emma, 20, thinks the last 14 years under Conservative leadership have been ‘quite depressing’, and believes the current political situation is a ‘mess’ and a ‘joke’.
They told Metro: ‘Partygate was the worst, everyone was struggling and politicans were having a great time.’
Emma wants to encourage more young people to vote, adding: ‘Read the news. Get out of your little bubble and go and vote.’
Emma thinks some young people don’t vote as they think ‘nothing is going to change’.
‘There’s no hope is there. We’re all just sat around like, things are bad, and that is just how it is going to be.’
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