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Sir Keir Starmer’s Labour party is heading for a massive majority of about 170 seats at the UK general election, according to a national exit poll that indicated Rishi Sunak’s Conservatives will crash out of office after 14 years.
The poll on Thursday night suggested Starmer will become prime minister with 410 seats out of 650 in the House of Commons while Sunak’s party is facing the worst result in its history, with just 131 seats.
The result is momentous for Britain and will resonate around the world: the UK’s political dial has swung back to an internationalist, centre-left party at a time when right-wing populists are advancing in many countries.
The survey result is a personal triumph for Starmer, who took over the Labour leadership in 2020 after the party’s worst election defeat in almost a century.
The Ipsos exit poll is usually a reliable predictor of overall results. Vote counts from individual constituencies will trickle in through the night, with Labour, if the polls are correct, likely to have a clear majority by 5am.
This is a developing story
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