See below for live updates on today’s general election results, both locally and nationally.
4.23am – To conclude our general election coverage, Droitwich and Evesham’s re-elected Conservative MP – Nigel Huddleston – digests the results.
Mr Huddleston has thanked everyone for their support which has resulted in him retaining his seat.
He recognised how being in opposition rather than government changes the landscape of his powers as an MP.
He fears his constituency will be left behind as a result of Labour’s focus on urban areas.
“We need to really make sure these parts of the country are not forgotten, and in particular my responsibility first and foremost is to the people of Droitwich and Evesham.
“I am indebted to the people of this constituency for the trust they put in me and I need to make sure I respond with appropriate dedication to show I deserve that trust.”
4.03am – The results are in and its a comfortable majority for Nigel Huddleston of the Conservative Party, albeit with a considerably smaller majority than was the case back in 2019.
Mr Huddleston recorded 19,975 votes, with Labour’s Chipiliro Kalebe-Nyamongo, coming second in the polls with a vote count of 10,980.
It was also a ‘win’ for Sam Bastow of Reform UK who recorded 9,456 votes cementing his place on the podium in Droitwich and Evesham.
Missing out on the top three with a decent number of votes is Oliver Walker of the Liberal Democrats with 5,131 votes and the Green Party’s Neil Franks who garnered 3,828 votes.
Bottom of the pile was Andrew Flaxman of the Social Democrat Party with just 239 votes.
3.18am – With results expected here very shortly, Reform UK’s candidate – Sam Bastow – tells the Standard a podium finish would be a win for himself and his party locally.
As for support in his party, he believes campaigning has highlighted groups of ‘closet’ Reform supporters who feel they ‘can’t express how they genuinely feel’ for ‘fear of being attacked for their views’ by the other end of the political spectrum.
When speaking on the public’s perceptions of the party as a result of some members’ conduct, he claimed a few ‘bad apples’ are inevitable in any group of people and highlighted how Reform have recently dealt with such issues by ‘banishing’ three parliamentary candidates for offensive and racist comments.
Sam appears committed to helping the people of Droitwich and Evesham politically in the future, with aims to make headway into local politics through council elections.
The Reform candidate also echoed Neil Franks earlier sentiments regarding believed flaws in our first past the post voting system.
2.30am – The Observer understands Labour’s candidate, Chipiliro Kalebe-Nyamongo, has no intention of interviewing with the press.
2am – As the Green Party is set to gain an historic second seat in parliament tonight – according to the exit polls – the party’s Droitwich and Evesham candidate, Neil Franks, told the Standard of his optimism for the future of his party.
“I tell people we’re not there yet, we know we’re not but you’ve got to work hard every step of the way.”
“Every single election is a chance to build and grow your party,” he added.
Neil, who represents the Green Party on Droitwich Spa Town Council also wanted to highlight what he feels are flaws in the nations use of a first past the post voting system which allows for ‘super-majorities’ and encourages tactical voting which fails to represent the genuine wishes of the people.
01.04am – Voter count is now in for Droitwich and Evesham constituency. A total of 49,789 verified votes have been counted, equating to a 65 per cent turnout.
12.56am – As votes are being counted, former MP for the constituency and current Conservative candidate, Nigel Huddleston tells the Observer the national picture for his party is disappointing. He said: “Of course the national message is not so positive for the Conservative Party.
“We need to reflect on how to rebuild the publics confidence.
“The reality is there’s many reasons to be frustrated with my party and I understand that and I have shared some of those frustrations.
“We’ve got to make sure we show we’ve listened and have learned.”
He added that his re-election is not guaranteed but vows to serve the people of Droitwich and Evesham to the best of his ability if he retains his seat.
“If I’m elected, it’ll be an honour and a privilege and I’m very grateful for those who voted for me.”
“We need to make sure we work very hard to make sure we hold what looks like an incoming Labour government to account,” Nigel added.
12.20am – Tables in Pershore’s count hall have officially begun counting. Voter turnout is expected shortly.
12.17am – Labour have recorded their first gain nationally after winning Swindon South with a vote share of 46.9 per cent – a 4.3 per cent improvement on 2019’s results. Interestingly, Green recorded a 5.1 per cent increase in vote share in this constituency.
23.30pm – Wychavon District Council’s chief executive, Vic Allison, has just announced all ballot boxes have now officially arrived at the count hall.
23.20pm – The first election result of the night is in and its a Labour hold in Houghton and Sunderland South. Labour gained 47.1 per cent of voting share, with a majority of 7,169 votes. Reform gained a 13.4 per cent vote share, with the Conservatives losing 19.2 per cent of their vote share.
23.07pm – Candidates across the count hall seem deeply focused on their vote sampling sheets which give the parties an idea of how electorates have voted before the full count is tallied up.
22.38pm – The current exit poll methodology has been used in the last five general elections and has been as accurate to predict final results to within 10 seats.
The worst of the five was still accurate enough to 30 seats.
It is based on 130 seats across the country and a poll of 200,000 people.
22.30pm – The Liberal Democrats are expected to win 61 seats compared to Reform’s 13, SNP’s 10, Plaid Cymru’s 4, and Green’s 2 with the remaining 19 seats split among other opposing parties.
22.26pm – Hotly anticipated exit polls have, as expected, predicted a Labour landslide with BBC’s figures tipping Keir Starmer’s party to win 410 seats to the Conservatives 131.
The count for the nations’s first elected prime minister since Boris Johnson in 2019 will soon be underway.
As ballot papers across the nation are tallied up, the Observer is at Pershore Leisure Centre to keep you posted on the parliamentary election results for the newly named Droitwich and Evesham constituency.
The constituency, formerly known as Mid Worcestershire, is historically Conservative, having never had another party representing its people since its inception as a parliamentary region in 1983.
Nigel Huddleston, who’s held the seat on behalf of the Conservatives since 2015, stands for election again alongside Chipiliro Kalebe-Nyamongo (Labour), Oliver Walker (Liberal Democrats), Sam Bastow (Reform UK), Andrew Flaxman (Social Democratic Party), and Neil Franks (Green Party).
Although Labour’s 18 point lead in recent polls point to a seemingly inevitable landslide victory for Keir Starmer’s party, the public’s perception of Labour’s opponents could be slightly more favourable in many localised constituencies such as this one.
Our first election update is likely to be the voter turnout across Droitwich and Evesham which is expected around 12.30am.
Election results for the constituency are expected between 2.30am and 3.30am.
