UK General Election 2012 - Campaign Thread (FULL RESULTS)

[Lumine]

SOMETIME LATER

Dimbleby: So what are we hearing from the parties, Nick?

Robinson: Conservatives have rushed to the airwaves as we speak to claim victory, David, and it's hard to say they're wrong. Clearly the electoral system will mean that the Conservatives won't be anywhere close to a majority, but with reports that they may have surpassed 40% of the vote it is hard to say that Theresa May has not "won" the election. You can also hear the cries of despair from Labour, and interestingly, the cries of joy from the Lib Dems at the fact that they've finally broken through.

Kuenssberg: At the end of the night the Lib Dems will be the second largest party even if our Exit Poll was somewhat off, and Nick Clegg may yet become Prime Minister depending on the numbers. Must be quite a night for them.

EAST OF ENGLAND: 40 seats
Conservative Party: 52% (31)
Liberal Democrats: 28% (17)
UKIP: 11% (7)
Labour Party: 7% (3)
Green Party: 1% (0)
Others: 1% (0)

LABOUR COLLAPSE IN EAST OF ENGLAND, UKIP RISES TO THIRD

Vine: Astounding, isn't it? The Conservatives break 50% on this stronghold of them, but lose almost twenty seats due to the proportional system. The Lib Dems consolidate as the alternative here by being close to 30% and winning a dozen of seats, and virtually two-thirds of the Labour voters have disappeared. It is clear John McDonnell isn't the type of leader to appeal to this region of the country, but it seems Paul Nuttall's emphasis on working class voters may have worked far better than expected. Rather than seeing Conservative voters defect in massive numbers, it may be Labour voters concerned about immigration that are deserting to vote UKIP.

Dimbleby: And here is London as well, with quite a surprise as I'm being told:

LONDON: 73 seats
Conservative Party: 39% (29)
Liberal Democrats: 31% (23)
Labour Party: 22% (17)
Green Party: 5% (4)
UKIP: 2% (0)
Others: 1% (0)

CONSERVATIVES AND LIB DEMS BATTLE FOR LONDON, GREENS TAKE SEATS

Vine: If there was a sign of the success of Nick Clegg a capturing former Labour voters, this is it. While Theresa May has gained a few points on a reasonable swing to win in London, the story here is the large-scale surge of the Lib Dems across the city all the way to more than 30%, making significant gains in terms of seats on Labour's expense as the Conservative make a couple of gains. With UKIP shut out of the city, the Greens deliver on an unexpected surprise by barely making the threshold, adding 4 MP's to their current representation. Polls appeared to have underestimated the Green vote in the city, and Caroline Lucas must be quite happy right now.

[DKrol]

Ian Paisley, Jr., MP, on BBC after the Welsh results

"You had Nigel Dodds on early in the program, and I think what he said is ringing true across the country. The SNP failed terribly, based off of where they started in the polls and the results they had in the Holyrood elections of last year, in a real defeat for the separatist, Nationalist cause. 17% of the vote, when they got 45% just last year, is a disaster for the SNP and the Nationalists. I imagine Alex Salmond is wringing his hands while someone like Angus Roberts is sharpening his knives.

Look at Wales as well. Plaid Cymru, while they did better than 2010, still fell far short of where they could have been. This new electoral system was designed to support more parties, and to boost local interests. If there was any serious support for Welsh independence and the Welsh Nationalist cause, they could have been in third or even second place. But it simply isn't there. Voters recognize that we are a great Union of nations, united by a common heritage, a common culture, and common future, and we're seeing it tonight.

The Conservative and Unionist Party looks set to be the largest party, Theresa May, probably going to try and form a Government. UKIP, too, is having a great night. UKIP is a Unionist party. Look at what they're doing tonight, Paul Nuttall and all that. They're seeing massive, unprecedented success for their party and their message.

In every corner of this country the Unionists are the ones coming out ahead. The Government, when we're all said and done tonight, will certainly be a Government built on strengthening, protecting, and continuing the Union. And they'll have to be if they want the DUP's support."

[Lumine]

SOMETIME LATER

Vine: Clearly the next House of Commons will be quite hard for whoever becomes the next Prime Minister. The door seems closed for Mr. McDonnell and the Labour Party, leaving us with three options to speculate on as results continue to come in. With the Conservatives having clearly won the popular vote by a large margin Theresa May could very well become Prime Minister, but would either have to lead a minority government or form a coalition with UKIP and the Unionist parties, which might not have a majority. Nick Clegg could also have a go if the Lib Dems do as well as the exit poll suggests, but for that he'd need both to bring Labour on board and also recruit some of the smaller parties in a "progressive alliance". Finally, the possibility of the Lib Dems and the Conservatives making a deal could be an interesting one, if unlikely to happen.

NORTH WEST: 75 seats
Conservative Party: 36% (29)
Labour Party: 28% (21)
Liberal Democrats: 23% (18)
UKIP: 9% (7)
Green Party: 1% (0)
Others: 1% (0)

CONSERVATIVES TAKE THE NORTH WEST, LIB DEMS UNDERPERFORM

YORKSHIRE AND THE HUMBER: 54 seats
Conservative Party: 38% (21)
Labour Party: 27% (15)
Liberal Democrats: 25% (14)
UKIP: 8% (4)
Green Party: 1% (0)
Others: 1% (0)

LABOUR DOWN IN YORKSHIRE, CLEGG RE-ELECTED

SOUTH WEST: 55 seats
Conservative Party: 43% (24)
Liberal Democrats: 41% (23)
UKIP: 8% (5)
Labour Party: 6% (3)
Green Party: 1% (0)
Others: 1% (0)

LIB DEM SURGE ACROSS SOUTH WEST, LABOUR COLLAPSE

Kuenssberg: I think what's becoming clear is just how regional swings are affecting the results. For example, you can see Labour remains a strong force in the North and in Scotland, but they are simply evaporating in places like the East of England and the South West as the Lib Dems rise. Indeed, Nick Clegg got very close to beating May for first place in the South West. I think we can safely assume the Exit Poll got the places right, but it underestimated Labour and the Conservatives to overestimate the Lib Dem surge.

Robinson: Still, at least this time their surge materialized more strongly. Unlike 2010, this should not be a disappointment for the Lib Dems at all. For the first time in ninety years, they'll be one of the two major parties.

Dimbleby: It's morning already, and there's only two more regions to go: the South East of England and, of course, the hotly contested Northern Ireland. Stay tuned.

[Blair]

Liberal Democrat Deputy Leader Simon Hughes

You must be logged in to read this quote.

[DKrol]

Diane Dodds, MEP on BBC after the South West results

"I know a lot of people on your programme tonight, David, have spoken about the rise of the Unionist cause and the DUP's plan to expand to a UK-wide basis for the next election, but I think that there's something going on here that's maybe more interesting. The surge of the UKIP vote is very telling because it's showing something that the DUP have been talking about all election - the people need to have a say on the EU. UKIP and the DUP are the only parties that have made a referendum on the EU a central point of our campaigns. We're also both set to have good nights electorally, although our's may seem less impressive because we're only fighting for 18 seats, because our messages are resonating with the voters - less tax, less reliance on unelected EU bureaucrats, greater freedom for the British people, a stronger Union for all nations.

Clearly, based off of UKIP's results across England and based off of what we're seeing at the DUP HQ with regards to our races, Euroscepticism is not dead, there is a significant amount of public support for it, and it's time to have a referendum on the matter. That's what UKIP's been saying and it's what the DUP has been saying. Who ever gets to form a Government after this, and I think it'll be Ms. May, but Mr. Clegg could get it done in a pinch, will have to give the people what they want and schedule a referendum within a year, two at most."

[Lumine]

AROUND NOON

Dimbleby: It has been a very long and exciting night, and finally the Northern Ireland results are being declared at Belfast:

NORTHERN IRELAND: 18 seats
Democratic Unionist Party: 35% (7)
Sinn Fein: 27% (5)
Social Democratic and Labour Party: 14% (3)
Ulster Unionist Party: 11% (2)
Alliance Party: 6% (1)
Traditional Unionist Voice: 2% (0)
Others: 5% (0)

DUP TRIUMPHS IN NORTHERN IRELAND, SINN FEIN FALLS BEHIND

SOUTH EAST: 84 seats
Conservative Party: 49% (42)
Liberal Democrats: 27% (23)
UKIP: 11% (9)
Green Party: 6% (5)
Labour Party: 6% (5)
Others: 1% (0)

THERESA MAY RE-ELECTED, GREENS SURPASS LABOUR IN THE SOUTH EAST

Robinson: And that is the last results. As predicted the DUP swings to a strong performance across Northern Ireland after a brilliant campaign by Arlene Foster, and in the South East the Conservatives continue to dominate despite losing two dozen seats to the new electoral system. The Greens can also be quite pleased with this performance, jumping to fourth place ahead of Labour with 4 new MP's joining Caroline Lucas in the region.

Kuenssberg: It seems inevitable that Mrs. May will be called to form a government very soon, as John McDonnell has lost all chance of remaining as Prime Minister. Whether he resigns the Labour leadership or not will be interesting, just as the fate of Alex Salmond as First Minister is fully uncertain. The negotiating process will likely be far more complex and difficult than what 2010 was, so it seems British politics will continue to take a dramatic turn.

Dimbleby: And on that note we end our coverage of Election Night 2012. Thank you, and good night.

THE END

[Lumine]

General Election 2012, Results:

Popular Vote (without Northern Ireland)

Conservative Party: 40.4%
Liberal Democrats: 28.5%
Labour Party: 18.6%
UKIP: 7.8%
Green Party: 2.4%
SNP: 1.4%
Others: 0.9%

Seats:

Conservative Party: 259
Liberal Democrats: 177
Labour Party: 123
UKIP: 49
SNP: 10
Green Party: 9
DUP: 7
Sinn Fein: 5
SDLP: 3
UUP: 2
Alliance: 1