Thousands of voters gathered across the United Kingdom (UK) to cast their ballots on Thursday. The vote will see Tory Leader and incumbent Prime Minister Rishi Sunak battle it out with Labour leader Keir Starmer. As they compete in 650 constituencies, Here’s what will happen after polling booths shut down at 10 pm (Local Time).
10 PM – Exit Polls
Results for UK exit polls will be announced at 10 pm. These speculative results will provide a snapshot of what to expect nationally before the final results trickle in. Currently, opinion polls suggest that Labour is expected to win by a landslide.
11 PM – Early Results
According to The Guardian, results for eight constituencies will be announced by 1 am (UK time). Blyth and Ashington, and Houghton and Sunderland South, both in north-east England, are expected to be the first, around 11:30 pm on Thursday.
Midnight to 5 AM
Starting at midnight (UK time), about 85 seats are expected to be declared over the next three hours. These will include Basildon and Billericay in Essex, and Swindon North, among others.
Results are expected for 443 of the 650 constituencies, meaning that by 5 am, roughly 530 seats will have been declared. The remaining seats will be declared by 7 am, with perhaps a few exceptions.