GENERAL ELECTION 2010
update at 8.30a.m. 7 May 2010
Conservatives now lead on 286 seats and need 40 to win an outright majority, Labour have 239 and Lib Dems have 51.
There are 48 seats left to declare their results.
GENERAL ELECTION 2010
7.30 AM FRIDAY 7 MAY 2010
Now the Conservative Party have won 283 seats, Labour in second place with 229 and the LIbDems have 50. To recap any party needs 326 seats to gain an outright majority otherwise there will be a hung parliament. (see below for an explanation of that.
589 of 650 seats have now declared, leaving the UK in limbo until later on Friday when all results are known. Gordon Brown has returned to Number 10 Downing Street, perhaps for the last time, unless he can form a meaningful coalition with the LibDems
Caroline Lucas the very first Green Party MP has won her seat in Brighton Pavilion, whilst Jacqui Smith one of the MPs who was the focus of the MPs expenses scandal has lost her seat.
LABOUR HOLD TWO SEATS IN EDINBURGH
report at 2.30 a.m Friday 7 May 2010
The first Edinburgh results are now in at 2.45 and Labour have held Edinburgh East and also the seat of Midlothian.
GENERAL ELECTION 2010
report at 2.30 am Friday 7 May 2010
We do not anticipate running a ‘through the night’ minute by minute announcement, but here is the news in Scotland and Edinburgh as it stands at 2.30 am.
The BBC exit poll for the UK predicts a Conservative win of 305, Labour 255, Lib Dem 61 and Others 29.
Gordon Brown has held his seat with an improved majority in Kirkcaldy and Cowdenbeath.
Turnout in Edinburgh South has been high but the recount has been delayed till Friday morning. Problems are reported elsewhere of voters who were turned away from polling stations at closing time after delays and queuing.
The first Scottish result came from Rutherglen and Hamilton West where Labour have won with an increased majority. Motherwell and Wishaw is another Labour win with a 16,806 majority. East Kilbride Strathaven and Lesmahagow is another Labour hold in staunch Labour country.
Fife North East has been held by Menzies Campbell for the Lib Dems with a majority of 9048.
Western Isles has been held by SNP. Labour hold Lanark and Hamilton East, East Lothian , Dundee West, Glenrothes, Kilmarnock & Loudon where Cathy Jamieson has become the new MP, Falkirk, Coatbridge Chryston and Bellshill, Dunfermline and West Fife which they regain from the Lib Dems.
SNP hold Angus.
Labour win in Inverclyde, Glasgow East where the SNP’s John Mason has been ousted by Margaret Curran the current MSP.
Douglas Alexander has been elected for Labour with a majority of 16,614. The SNP hold Dundee East where Stewart Hosie has been elected.
Labour hold Cumbernauld Kilsyth and Kirkintilloch East, Livingston, Airdrie & Shotts, Glasgow Central where Mohammed Sarwar’s son has held his father’s seat. Labour also hold Stirling and the Edinburgh seat Midlothian. Labour hold Linlithgow and Falkirk East and Paisley and Renfrewshire North.
It appears that Labour have also held Stirling.
SNP have held Perth and Perthshire North where former Runrig member Pete Wishart has been re-elected, whilst Labour have held Glasgow North.
Counting is still ongoing in Edinburgh seats with Alistair Darling predicted to hold on to his Edinburgh South West seat and Edinburgh & North Leith to be close for the current Labour MP Mark Lazarowicz.
Jim Murphy the Scottish Secretary has held his seat in East Renfrewshire.
So far nationwide Labour have won 67 seats, Conservative 51 and Lib Dems have won 8 seats. 146 results have been declared out of 650 so far.
HUNG PARLIAMENT
There are 650 seats and one party requires 326 seats to have an overall majority. If no party has that then there will be a hung parliament.
There is a very good explanation of what it means on the BBC website.
