Rishi Sunak has returned to London from Yorkshire, where he conceded defeat to Keir Starmer after a devastating election for the Tories, resulting in their lowest

number of MPs in history.

Sunak will not be heading back to Downing Street. Instead, he will make a brief farewell speech before meeting the King to formally resign. As a symbolic full-circle moment, rain is falling in Westminster, reminiscent of the rainy day when he announced the snap election.

Keir Starmer, following Sunak to Buckingham Palace, will then proceed to 10 Downing Street. Labour's majority has climbed to 170, just shy of Tony Blair's record 179 in 1997, with only a few seats left to declare. The Conservatives are struggling to reach 130 MPs, worse than their previous lowest of 156 in 1906.

The Liberal Democrats have also dealt a significant blow to the Tories, securing a record 71 seats. Meanwhile, Reform UK attracted millions of votes and finished second in around a hundred constituencies but only secured four MPs.

Starmer celebrated his victory at a rally in central London, declaring, "we did it!" Embracing his wife Victoria, he proclaimed that the British people had chosen to "turn the page" on 14 years of Conservative rule, countering critics who had doubted Labour's success.

In a somber speech, Sunak accepted responsibility for the defeat, acknowledging the hard work of Conservative candidates who lost despite their efforts. Liz Truss, among the notable casualties, lost her substantial majority in South West Norfolk to Labour.

Other significant Tory losses include Penny Mordaunt and Grant Shapps. Shapps remarked that the Conservatives had "lost" the election by trying the public's patience with internal divisions.

Many high-profile Tories, including Welsh Secretary David Davies, Culture Secretary Lucy Frazer, Science Minister Michelle Donelan, Education Secretary Gillian Keegan, and Justice Secretary Alex Chalk, were defeated. Chancellor Jeremy Hunt narrowly retained his seat.

Despite a few Labour setbacks, such as Jonathan Ashworth losing to an independent in Leicester, the Conservatives have been reduced from 365 MPs to 144, their worst modern performance. The Liberal Democrats are set to secure 56 MPs, while Nigel Farage's Reform UK will have four. Farage himself finally enters Parliament in Clacton on his eighth attempt, with other notable wins for Reform UK in Ashfield, Great Yarmouth, and Boston and Skegness. Photo by Chris McAndrew, Wikimedia commons.