Northern Ireland

General Election Live - DUP says Tory pact will not extend beyond 'confidence and supply deal'

&nbsp;&nbsp;<span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;;">Reports are emerging that a deal has been struck between the DUP and Conservatives</span>
  Reports are emerging that a deal has been struck between the DUP and Conservatives   Reports are emerging that a deal has been struck between the DUP and Conservatives
  • DUP leader Arlene Foster confirms her party has entered into discussions with the Conservatives
  • British Prime Minister Theresa May says she is forming a new government with support of "friends and allies" in the DUP
  • DUP wins 10 seats, Sinn Féin 7 seats and independent unionist Sylvia Hermon one seat. Turnout across north was 65.6%. Full list of winners and losers here. 
  • SDLP has lost all three of the Westminster seats it held before this election
  • Conservative Party are the largest party but Britain has a hung parliament
  • Jeffrey Donaldson says the exit poll puts DUP in the 'perfect territory' - and they will negotiate with 'relish'
  • SNP suffer losses making second referendum on Scottish independence less likely in near future
  • Comparison of 2015 and 2017 General Election UK wide results here.

DUP leader Arlene Foster has said the party has entered discussions with the Conservatives "to explore how it may be possible to bring stability to our nation". 

British Prime Minister Theresa May met the Queen at lunchtime to seek permission to form a government and speaking outside 10 Downing Street afterwards Ms May said the new government would have the support of "friends and allies" in the DUP.

East Belfast MP Gavin Robinson said the arrangement between the DUP and Conservatives would not extend beyond a confidence and supply deal.

According to the Guardian newspaper the DUP’s ‘price’will include a promise that there would be no post-Brexit special status for Northern Ireland. The DUP fears that such status after Brexit would push Northern Ireland away from the rest of the UK.

DUP leader Arlene Foster said only this morning that it was too early to say if her party would play any role in supporting a Conservative government.

"I certainly think that there will be contact made over the weekend but I think it is too soon to talk about what we're going to do."

Asked if she thought Mrs May would be able to remain as Prime Minister, the DUP leader replied: "I don't know", adding: "I think it will be difficult for her to survive".

--

The DUP and Sinn Féin have made significant General Election gains in the north at the expense of the UUP and SDLP.

With the SDLP having lost all three seats, the UUP shedding both of its two and the Alliance party failing to make the inroads it predicted, the two main parties have solidified their pre-eminence.

Sinn Féin recorded a seismic political shock by taking the SDLP's prized seat in Foyle and also captured the nationalist party's South Down stronghold.

The SDLP's Margaret Ritchie pictured with supporters after failing to get elected. Picture: Mal McCann&nbsp;
The SDLP's Margaret Ritchie pictured with supporters after failing to get elected. Picture: Mal McCann  The SDLP's Margaret Ritchie pictured with supporters after failing to get elected. Picture: Mal McCann 

The DUP replaced the SDLP in South Belfast, wrested back South Antrim from the UUP and saw off the challenge of the Alliance Party and Sinn Féin in East and North Belfast respectively.

Who are the DUP?

The DUP was the most searched-for political party after exit polls suggested a hung parliament. 

Google Trends data at 1am showed that in the previous hour of searches for political parties in the UK, 29 per cent were for the DUP, 21 per cent for the Labour Party and 12 per cent for the Conservative Party.

The DUP website this morning appeared to be struggling with the amount of traffic trying to access it.  

  • Click here for most recent updates
  • Results Table
  • All the weird and ridiculous things that happened in the election overnight

Sinn Fein President Gerry Adams made clear there was "no danger whatsoever" of his party ditching its abstentionist policy, even if its seats become crucial in the final shake-down.

Mr Adams also said he could not see British Prime Minister Theresa May surviving in her post.

Alasdair McDonnell lost his seat in South Belfast. Picture by Hugh Russell&nbsp;
Alasdair McDonnell lost his seat in South Belfast. Picture by Hugh Russell  Alasdair McDonnell lost his seat in South Belfast. Picture by Hugh Russell 

"There is no danger whatsoever of us taking our seats in the Westminster parliament," he said.

He credited Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn with fighting a good campaign despite "media bias".

"I don't know how Theresa May can survive this - that's a matter for her party, of course," he said.

As counting in Northern Ireland concluded shortly after 4.30am, the SDLP and UUP were both left licking their political wounds after losing all of their Westminster representatives.

DUP leader Arlene Foster hugs new South Belfast MP Emma Little Pengelly as former leader Peter Robinson looks on. Picture: Hugh Russell&nbsp;
DUP leader Arlene Foster hugs new South Belfast MP Emma Little Pengelly as former leader Peter Robinson looks on. Picture: Hugh Russell  DUP leader Arlene Foster hugs new South Belfast MP Emma Little Pengelly as former leader Peter Robinson looks on. Picture: Hugh Russell 

The final results will see the DUP return to the House of Commons with 10 MPs, including new faces Emma Little Pengelly and Paul Girvan.

Sinn Féin has also enjoyed an increased mandate, winning seven seats, while Independent MP Lady Sylvia Hermon was also returned - albeit with a significantly smaller majority.

  • DUP 10 seats, Sinn Féin 7 and independent unionist Sylvia Hermon 1 seat.
  • Turnout in the north was 65.6% compared to 58.45% in 2015. That was compared to 69% across the UK.
  • Fermanagh and South Tyrone boasted the biggest turnout in Northern Ireland with 76.08% voting. 
Sinn F&eacute;in's Chris Hazzard is elected in South Down. Picture: Mal McCann&nbsp;
Sinn Féin's Chris Hazzard is elected in South Down. Picture: Mal McCann  Sinn Féin's Chris Hazzard is elected in South Down. Picture: Mal McCann 

Latest Updates

Taoiseach elect Leo Varadkar says the election result is an opportunity for the Republic.

Leo Varadkar, who is due to be formally voted in as Taoiseach next week, claimed Theresa May's failure to get a majority showed there is no strong support for a hard Brexit.

"The Irish Government is ready to participate in negotiations on Brexit and to restore power-sharing in Northern Ireland," he said.

--

Former deputy prime minister Nick Clegg has lost his seat in one of the most high-profile defeats of the night.

The ex-Liberal Democrat leader lost to Labour rival Jared O'Mara, who took Sheffield Hallam with 21,881 votes to Mr Clegg's 19,756.

A sombre-looking Mr Clegg said he had "never shirked from the political battlefield" and warned of the "agonising" future ahead for the next government that seeks to unite a divided country.

--

Former first minister Alex Salmond has lost his seat to the Conservatives.

The SNP lynchpin and ex-party leader was defeated by Colin Clark in Gordon.

Mr Salmond, the SNP's foreign affairs spokesman, had swept to power in the seat with a 8,687 majority in 2015, overturning decades of Liberal Democrat rule.

--

--

--

Barry McElduff and Francie Molloy elected for Sinn Féin...

--

--

David Simpson elected comfortably ahead of rivals in Upper Bann despite a tight vote being predicted.

--

SDLP's Alasdair McDonnell unseated in South Belfast by the DUP's Emma Little Pengelly, meaning the SDLP has now lost all three of the seats it held at Westminster.

--

SDLP loses second set of the night, this time to Sinn Féin's Chris Hazzard in South Down.

--

Nigel Dodds sees off challenge from Sinn Féin's John Finucane in North Belfast

--

--

--

--

Elisha McCallion wins Foyle for Sinn Féin by 169 votes, unseating the SDLP's Mark Durkan in the election's biggest shock in the north so far.

--

--

--

Sinn Féin's Paul Maskey elected in West Belfast with increased majority.

--

Gregory Campbell retains seat in East Derry

-

Forget results for a second. Here is a close-up pic of the socks Gerry Adams was wearing last night:

--

Jeffrey Donaldson elected in Lagan Valley with largest ever majority, seeing his vote share increase by more than 8,000 compared to 2015.

--

Jim Shannon holds seat in Strangford and sees his vote increase since last election.

--

George Osborne, the former British chancellor, says he is getting messages from his friends in the Conservatives that they are "struggling" in southern towns, such as Milton Keynes and Reading.

--

Lady Sylvia Hermon is elected in North Down but the DUP's Alex Easton cuts her majority from over 9,000 in 2015 to 1,208 votes.

Lady Hermon was visibly emotional over the huge swing to the Democratic Unionists in her own constituency which shattered her massive 9,000 plus majority from the 2015 election.

She won the seat by only 1,208 votes from the DUP's Alex Easton.

Lady Hermon used her victory speech to urge DUP leader Arlene Foster and Sinn Féin northern leader Michelle O'Neill to reach a compromise on getting the Stormont Assembly back up and running.

She claimed Mrs May was ill-advised by insiders in No 10 into calling an "unnecessary election".

She added: "There was also the other factor ... this anxiety about a border poll, that every vote that is not a vote for the DUP will count against the unionist community.

"That is absolute nonsense and rubbish but I heard that repeatedly on the doorsteps."

--

--

The DUP could be poised to exert significant influence at Westminster if a hung parliament is returned, a senior party figure has said.

Jeffrey Donaldson's comments came as Sinn Féin President Gerry Adams made clear there was "no danger whatsoever" of his party ditching its abstentionist policy, even if its seats become crucial in the final shake-down.

.@GerryAdamsSF makes clear Sinn Fein abstentionist policy not up for negotiation - regardless of wider election result. #2017GE pic.twitter.com/LQGduYb155 — David Young (@DavidYoungPA) June 8, 2017

Mr Adams also said he could not see British Prime Minister Theresa May surviving in her post.

"In a hung parliament scenario, assuming Conservatives are the largest party, of course we will talk to them about their desire to form a government.

"We are not going to make a prediction or set out in advance what our negotiating position will be because we don't know at this stage what the scenario is."

Mr Adams dismissed his rival's remarks.

"Jeffrey always plays up their role," he said.

The senior republican added: "There is no danger whatsoever of us taking our seats in the Westminster parliament."

He credited Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn with fighting a good campaign despite "media bias".

"I don't know how Theresa May can survive this - that's a matter for her party, of course," he said.

--

--

--

--

Sinn Féin leader Gerry Adams tells BBC the party's MPs "will not be taking their seats" regardless of the end result of today's General Election

--

--

Possibilities of hung parliament examined on Reddit:

--

South Antrim incumbent MP Danny Kinahan of the UUP said his constituency is a UUP/ DUP battle and is going to be a "very, very close call"

--

Newcastle Central beat Sunderland to become the first seat in Britain  to declare at 11pm with Labour candidate Chi Onwurah winning

--

The Conservatives are set to be the largest party but without an overall majority according a joint BBC/Sky/ITV exit poll, which indicated the Tories will win 314 seats and Labour 266

A Labour source said if the poll was correct it would represent the largest increase in a party's popularity during an election campaign "by miles".

But the source said it was "too early" to consider talking to other parties about the prospect of forming a government.

--

Voter turnout has been reportedly steady through General Election day despite inclement weather sweeping large parts of the north.

As polls closed at 10pm, voters were continuing to brave the rain to cast their ballots.The poor conditions have placed a question mark over whether the relatively high turnout of 64.8% in March's Assembly election will be replicated.

--

Tensions must be running high at this polling station in the UK...

Meanwhile, voters in Lisburn did a double take when a bride strolled into a polling station to cast her vote.

Alliance candidate for West Belfast Sorcha Eastwood married Dale Shirlow earlier today and then hot footed it to the polling station before their wedding celebrations got underway.

As people up and down Northern Ireland cast their vote in the General Election, there are many, many patient pups waiting outside polling stations – much to the joy of Twitter.

It’s one of the most eagerly awaited trends to appear on polling day – voters posting pictures of their dogs with the hashtag #dogsatpollingstations.

A voter's dog cocks its leg against the doorway of a polling station in The Abbey Centre on Great Smith Street, London, as people cast their votes in the General Election. Picture by&nbsp;Yui Mok/PA Wire
A voter's dog cocks its leg against the doorway of a polling station in The Abbey Centre on Great Smith Street, London, as people cast their votes in the General Election. Picture by Yui Mok/PA Wire A voter's dog cocks its leg against the doorway of a polling station in The Abbey Centre on Great Smith Street, London, as people cast their votes in the General Election. Picture by Yui Mok/PA Wire

Here are a few more of the very good dogs who’ve helped their human carry out their democratic duty.

Meanwhile, one candidate interrupted her wedding day to vote. Alliance's west Belfast candidate Sorcha Eastwood made the two-minute trip from St Patrick's Church in Lisburn to Brownlee Primary School to cast her ballot. Picture to follow. 

Not only did Theresa May threaten to ruin her big day by calling the General Election on her wedding day but the 31-year-old also tweeted yesterday that she had been recovering from a bad dog bite. 

STORM CLOUDS

Voter turnout across Northern Ireland has been reportedly steady through General Election day despite inclement weather sweeping large parts of the region.

With two hours to go before the polls close, voters were continuing to brave the rain to cast their ballots.The poor conditions have placed a question mark over whether the relatively high turnout of 64.8% in March's Assembly election will be replicated.

A bit of wet weather wasn't, however, enough to put off party leaders.

Democratic Unionist leader Arlene Foster voted near her home in Brookeborough, Co Fermanagh, while Sinn Fein's Stormont leader Michelle O'Neill marked her ballot paper close to her home village of Clonoe in Co Tyrone.

Outside the polling station, Mrs O'Neill said she was confident Sinn Fein could build on the momentum of its successful Assembly election in March.

"This is a chance for the electorate to come out and take a stand against Tory cuts and Brexit," she said.

"The public are angry. They want to come out and take a stand."

Ulster Unionist leader Robin Swann voted in Kells, Co Antrim, with SDLP leader Colum Eastwood and Alliance leader Naomi Long due to vote later on Thursday in Londonderry and Belfast respectively.

It is the fourth time in little over a year that voters across the north have gone to the polls .

The past 13 months have been a particularly busy time politically, with today's general election coming on the heels of two Stormont polls and last June's EU referendum.

The north's 619 polling stations will all open at 7 am and close at 10pm. Any voter who arrives at a station before 10pm but is waiting in a queue will be permitted to vote.

Arlene Foster, DUP leader, arrives at Brookeborough Primary School, Co Fermanagh, to cast her vote in the 2017 General Election. Picture by Brian Lawless, PA
Arlene Foster, DUP leader, arrives at Brookeborough Primary School, Co Fermanagh, to cast her vote in the 2017 General Election. Picture by Brian Lawless, PA Arlene Foster, DUP leader, arrives at Brookeborough Primary School, Co Fermanagh, to cast her vote in the 2017 General Election. Picture by Brian Lawless, PA
Sinn F&eacute;in leader in Northern Ireland Michelle O'Neill arrives at a polling station at St Patrick's primary school in Annaghmore, Clonoe to cast her vote in the General Election. Picture from Press Association
Sinn Féin leader in Northern Ireland Michelle O'Neill arrives at a polling station at St Patrick's primary school in Annaghmore, Clonoe to cast her vote in the General Election. Picture from Press Association Sinn Féin leader in Northern Ireland Michelle O'Neill arrives at a polling station at St Patrick's primary school in Annaghmore, Clonoe to cast her vote in the General Election. Picture from Press Association
Wet and eerily quiet. Stranmillis Primary School polling station this morning.&nbsp;
Wet and eerily quiet. Stranmillis Primary School polling station this morning.  Wet and eerily quiet. Stranmillis Primary School polling station this morning. 

Polling day gallery: Political leaders brave the rain to voteOpens in new window ]

In a Westminster election, you vote for a single candidate by placing an 'X' beside their name. If there is any other mark made on the ballot paper it may not be counted.

For a complete list of candidates standing in the general election on Thursday click here  

The first results from Northern Ireland are expected between midnight and 1am.

ON TWITTER

`

Back to top

Constituency Quick Links

  • Belfast North
  • Belfast East
  • Belfast South
  • Belfast West
  • East Derry
  • Lagan Valley
  • East Antrim
  • Fermanagh & South Tyrone
  • Foyle
  • Mid Ulster
  • Newry and Armagh
  • North Antrim
  • South Antrim
  • North Down
  • South Down
  • Strangford
  • Upper Bann
  • West Tyrone