Labour Party projected to sweep UK elections, with major Conservative losses expected, exit poll shows

The New Arab's live blog on the UK's general election has now ended, and will resume at 0900 am with more live updates and coverage.

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Veteran left-winger Jeremy Corbyn won his parliamentary seat, beating the candidate of the Labour Party he used to lead and promising to be a thorn in the side of Keir Starmer's incoming government after an acrimonious falling out with his successor.

Corbyn resigned as Labour leader in 2019 after the party suffered its worst election defeat since 1935, and Starmer threw him out of the parliamentary party less than a year later, accusing him of undermining efforts to tackle anti-Semitism.

Starmer is now set to succeed where Corbyn failed and become prime minister, having tacked towards the centre-ground, and he often cites Corbyn's exclusion from Labour ranks in parliament as a sign of how he has changed the party.

However, in a bitterly contested vote in Corbyn's north London constituency of Islington North, which he has represented since 1983, he hung on to the seat, defeating Labour candidate Praful Nargund by 24,120 votes to 16,873.

"This result is to me a resounding message from the people of Islington that they want something different, they want something better," Corbyn said.

An avowed socialist, Corbyn took charge of the Labour Party in 2015 after a bruising election defeat, shifting the party sharply from the centre ground and energising his supporters.

Nigel Farage, leader of the right-wing Reform UK party, won a seat in the British parliament for the first time on Friday in the seaside English town of Clacton-on-Sea, as voters deserted Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's Conservative Party.

Farage, whose career of anti-immigration, pro-Brexit campaigning has made him one of Britain's most recognisable and divisive political figures, comfortably beat the Conservative candidate Giles Watling who had previously held the seat.

His surprise entry into the election a month ago, having initially ruled out standing, boosted support for Reform UK across the country. That helped scupper Sunak's hopes of closing the gap on the centre-left Labour Party, which is on course for a huge victory.

After seven unsuccessful attempts to win a seat in parliament, Friday's victory finally puts Farage, 60, inside a political institution he has spent decades railing against and will test his ability to deliver on promises to voters.

British defence minister Grant Shapps lost his seat at Thursday's parliamentary election, becoming the most senior Conservative cabinet member so far to be defeated in what is set to be a clear overall victory for the Labour Party.

Shapps was defeated by Labour's Andrew Lewin in the Welwyn Hatfield constituency in southern England he had held for nearly two decades. Lewin won 19,877 votes compared to Shapps' 16,078.

Shapps, a loyal supporter of Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, had held other cabinet roles, including in departments of energy, housing and transport, and a six-day stint as interior minister under former leader Liz Truss.

The 55-year old former businessman was regarded as being one of the Conservatives best media communicators, often deployed in the aftermath of scandals or to defend the government at awkward times, such as during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Labour leader Keir Starmer declared that the UK was "ready for change" after a general election put him on course to become Britain's new prime minister on Friday.

"The change begins right here, because this is your democracy, your community and your future. You have voted. It is now time for us to deliver," he said, after being re-elected to his seat in north London.

Controversial independent candidate George Galloway loses Rochdale seat to the Labour party, with the new MP being Paul Waugh.

The right-wing populist Reform party has won its first-ever seat in the UK's general elections, gaining the Ashfield seat from the Conservatives. 

The Liberal Democrats have won their first seat in the UK's general election, after taking Harrogate & Knaresborough from the Conservatives.

Tom Gordon beats Andrew Jones with a majority of more than 8,000, the BBC reported.

Labour has made more gains, winning the constituencies of Swindon South, Washington and Gateshead South and Newcastle upon Tyne Central and West.

Keir Starmer's party claimed the Swindon South seat from the Conservative party.

The exit poll for the UK general election won't be able to account for Jeremy Corbyn's race in Islington North, an expert says.

Corbyn, the former leader of the Labour Party, is hoping to retain his longtime London seat as an independent.

Meanwhile, leftist firebrand George Galloway is aiming to remain the MP for Rochdale, a constituency he is contesting as leader of the Workers Party of Britain, a smaller party.

The exit poll "won't be able to pick that up", says Jenevieve Treadwell, a polling analyst.

The Labour Party has secured its second seat in the UK's general election, with MP Ian Lavery winning 20,030 votes in Northumberland's Blythe and Ashington constituency.

The right-wing Reform Party came in second with 10,857 votes.

Labour have won the seat of Houghton and Sunderland South, Northeast England, as the first result of the evening is declared.

Labour candidate Bridget Philipson won 18,837 votes, officially becoming the first MP for her party in the 2024 election.

Reform UK came in second with 11,668 votes, in a sign that the right-wing party will perform exceptionally well this election.

The Scottish National Party was set for its worst showing at a British parliamentary election since 2010, an exit poll said on Thursday, projecting it would win just 10 seats amid a predicted resurgence for the Labour Party in its traditional heartlands.

The SNP, which held 43 seats before the election was called, has suffered from a period of turmoil that has seen two leaders quit in little over a year, a police investigation into the party's finances and splits on a range of policies including its attempts to secure a second referendum on independence.

Former leader Nicola Sturgeon said the exit poll was at the "grimmer end of expectations" for her party, but said she expected it would be proved broadly correct.

The SNP has dominated the British parliament's Scottish seats since 2015, garnering the support of pro-independence voters in the wake of a 2014 referendum where Scots voted to remain part of the United Kingdom by 55 percent to 45 percent.

The UK general election exit poll projects that the Conservatives have won 131 seats, a sharp decline on the 365 they secured last time in 2019.

"This is not existential for the Conservative Party," says Tim Bale, a Queen Mary University of London politics professor, adding that it's a bad defeat.

He also says the exit poll's projection was probably "at the lower end" of the Scottish National Party's expectations.

"Ten seats... is a very, very bad result for them and probably will... have an impact on their ability, perhaps, to hold onto the Scottish parliament next time around," he adds.

Keir Starmer will be Britain's next prime minister with his Labour Party set to win a massive majority in a parliamentary election, an exit poll on Thursday indicated, while Rishi Sunak's Conservatives are forecast to suffer historic losses.

The poll showed Labour would win 410 seats in the 650-seat parliament, ending 14 years of Conservative-led government.

As the UK heads to the polls thoughout Thursday with the Labour Party expected to take the elections, The New Arab has listed a number of constituencies worth to keep an eye on:

lford North - Independent Leanne Mohamad taking on Labour's Wes Streeting.

Islington North - Independent Jeremy Corbyn taking on Labour's Praful Nargund.

Rochdale - Workers Party leader George Galloway taking on Labour's Paul Waugh.

Birmingham Perry Barr - Independent Ayoub Khan taking on Labour's Khalid Mahmood.

Bristol Central - Green Party's Carla Denya taking on Labour's Thangam Debbonaire.

Leicester South - Independent Shockat Adam and Green Party's Sharmen Rahman both taking on Labour's Jonathan Ashworth.

Other seats to watch out for: Birmingham Yardley, Birmingham Ladywood, Blackburn, Leicester East, Stratford and Bow, Holborn and St Pancras and Richmond and Northallerton - where current PM Rishi Sunak is expected to lose his seat.

During UK elections, the country enters a period known as purdah, limiting the speech of civil servants regarding political issues, but what is the meaning of the word, which is of Persian origin, and why is it used in the British political landscape?

The New Arab takes a look here.

At least 10 Palestinians were killed with several others wounded on Thursday by Israeli airstrikes, targeting multiple locations across the Gaza Strip.

The deaths occurred in Khan Younis, southern Gaza, as a result of Israeli artillery shelling targeting the Sheikh Nasser area east of the city.

Four Palestinians were killed in an airstrike on a house in the Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza.

Two more Palestinians were killed in an airstrike by Israeli warplanes targeting the Al-Mawasi area west of Rafah, with two others killed in the Daraj neighborhood of Gaza City.

The United States believes Israel and Hamas have a "pretty significant opening" to reach an agreement on a ceasefire in Gaza and the release of hostages held there, a senior US official said Thursday.

The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the Palestinian militant group's latest response "moves the process forward and may provide the basis for closing the deal," while stressing it does not mean an agreement was likely in the coming days, and that "significant work" remained on implementation steps.

A number of British-Palestinian candidates are standing as parliamentary candidates in the UK elections, with Brits casting their votes throughout Thursday.

For them, the ongoing war in Gaza – and Labour and the Conservatives' support for Israel - is a major factor in their decision to stand in their constituencies.

Some of them include community activist Leanne Mohamad, Lib Dem's Layla Moran and journalist Sameh Habeeb.

Read more here to find more about the British-Palestinian candidates.

Independent candidate and former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn said that "Palestine is on the ballot", as Brits continue to head to the polls on Thursday amid the UK's General Elections.

"If you re-elect me as an Independent MP in Islington North, I promise to always stand up for the people of Gaza, and for the only path to a just and lasting peace: an end to the occupation of Palestine," he said in a statement on X.

Today, Palestine is on the ballot.

If you re-elect me as an Independent MP in Islington North, I promise to always stand up for the people of Gaza, and for the only path to a just and lasting peace: an end to the occupation of Palestine. pic.twitter.com/GipNJAg10M

— Jeremy Corbyn (@jeremycorbyn) July 4, 2024

The Houthis rebels' Al Masirah TV said that US-UK air raids hit the districts of al-Lahiyah and Bait al-Faqih, on Yemen’s west coast.

The attacks would be the latest to target the Houthis, who have continued their attacks on Israel-linked ships in the seas surrounding Yemen, in support of Gaza amid Israel's war on the enclave. 

Israeli officials confirm Mossad chief to lead Gaza hostage negotiations deal, in a move welcomed by US President Joe Biden.

As the UK's population takes to the polls on Thursday, The New Arab has highlighted five key seats which MENA watchers can keep their eyes on, which could see some surprises and show Labour and the Conservatives that Gaza matters.

Among those seats are Ilford North, with independent British-Palestinian candidate will be looking to unseat Labour's West Streeting.

US President Joe Biden and Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu discussed in a call in Thursday efforts to finalise a deal for a cease-fire between Israel and Hamas and a release of hostages held by Hamas, the White House said.

The two leaders also discussed the recent response received from Hamas, the White House said. They also welcomed a meeting to take place on July 15 between the US and Israeli national security teams, it said. 

UK political parties are expected to spend over £1 million on online adverts for the Thursday 4 July elections, The Guardian reported, citing a monitor group.

"The parties are on track to spend a million pounds today on Meta and probably another £250,000 on Google," Sam Jeffers of WhoTargetsMe - which has monitored election advertising in the UK for the past ten years - told The Guardian.

This violates a longstanding rule by the media regulator Ofcom, that states: "Discussion and analysis of election and referendum issues must finish when the poll opens."

Norway condemns Israel's decision to "legalise" five settlement outposts in occupied Palestinian territory, Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide said on Thursday.

Eide added that Norway found it "totally unacceptable" that Israel had also decided to advance the approval of 6,016 housing units for settlements in the Israeli-occupied West Bank.

He said the decisions undermined efforts to establish peace in the region and demanded Israel reverse them. War between Israel and Palestinian Islamist group Hamas has been raging in Gaza for almost nine months.

"Israelis and Palestinians deserve to live their lives in peace and security, with freedom, dignity and equal rights. The two-state solution is the only viable solution," Eide said, referring to Norway's earlier stance.

Israel has approved plans for nearly 5,300 homes in occupied West Bank settlements, a settlement monitor says.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will dispatch negotiators to resume Gaza ceasefire talks, an Israeli official says.

Senior Hezbollah official Hashem Safieddine threatened on Thursday to attack new locations within Israel as part of the group's response to the killing by Israel of a top commander in the group.

"The series of responses continues in succession, and this series will continue to target new sites that the enemy did not imagine would be hit," Safieddine said, speaking at the senior commander's memorial.

Hezbollah fired at least 200 rockets and nearly two dozen drones on Thursday in retaliation.

Northern Ireland First Minister and Sinn Féin vice-president Michelle O'Neill has cast her vote at a polling station at a school in County Tyrone in Northern Ireland.

(BBC)

Alliance Party leader Naomi Long cast her vote in a church in Belfast, Northern Ireland.

Social Democratic and Labour Party leader Colum Eastwood has cast his ballot this morning at a primary school in Londonderry in Northern Ireland.

Plaid Cymru leader Rhun ap Iorwerth voted in Anglesey, north Wales.

Scottish Conservative leader Douglas Ross has also voted, casting his ballot polling station in Moray.

Liberal Democrats leader Sir Ed Davey cast his vote in south-west London.

Green Party co-leader Carla Denyer cast her vote at a polling station the west of England.

The pound gained on Thursday against a broadly weaker dollar which was hurt by soft U.S. economic data, as Britons voted in a parliamentary election that investors hope will bring some stability to British politics.

The pound was up 0.1% against the dollar at $1.2755 on Thursday, having gained 0.46% Wednesday after soft U.S. economic data sent the dollar lower across the board.

The pound has spent most of 2024 down slightly against the dollar - while outperforming other major currencies - though Wednesday's dollar weakness meant sterling was last up 0.23% against the dollar this year.

Gaza's health ministry said Thursday that at least 38,011 people have been killed during nearly nine months of the Israeli offensive.

The toll includes at least 58 deaths over the past 24 hours, a ministry statement said, adding that 87,445 people had been wounded in the Gaza Strip since the war began on October 7.

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer has arrived at a polling station north London to cast his vote with his wife.

(BBC)

Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) leader Gavin Robinson and his wife cast their vote in Northern Ireland's Belfast.

(BBC)

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and U.S. President Joe Biden will speak later on Thursday, Israel's Kan public broadcaster reported, citing a diplomatic source.

Netanyahu is due to confer with his own team about proposals from Hamas on a possible ceasefire deal to pause the nearly nine-month war in Gaza.

Lebanon's Hezbollah said on Thursday it launched more than 200 rockets targeting five Israeli military positions in response to the killing of one of the Iran-aligned group's top commanders in south Lebanon on Wednesday.

British tennis star Emma Raducanu said she's voting to have a "lie-in" on Thursday when the country goes to the polls, claiming she was unaware of a general election taking place.

When asked if she was planning to vote before practising at the Wimbledon championship, she said: "No".

"I think I'll have a lie-in, then I'll come to practise. I didn't even know it was tomorrow, to be honest. Thanks for letting me know," said the 21-year-old after reaching the third round at the All England Club.

"I'm going to stick to the tennis right now. I don't see myself as someone who's going to get involved in anything but tennis that day for the moment," she said.

"I'll cross that bridge when I get there."

Protesters scaled Australia's national parliament on Thursday, unfurling banners reading "Palestine will be free", and accusing Prime Minister Anthony Albanese of complicity in the Gaza war.

The small protest follows recent divisions within the Labor government, which suspended a Muslim senator who crossed the floor to vote in favour of Australia recognising a Palestinian state.

Senator Fatima Payman said she had been "exiled" after supporting the parliamentary motion - put forward by the Greens party - in defiance of government policy.

Pro-Palestinian protestors have climbed onto the roof of Parliament, saying “Australia is a country founded on genocide” #auspol pic.twitter.com/EX85lqnQpj

— Finn McHugh (@FinnianMchugh) July 4, 2024

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will on Thursday evening convene a meeting of his security cabinet to discuss proposals from Hamas about a possible ceasefire deal in Gaza, a source in Netanyahu's office said.

Before the cabinet meets, Netanyahu will have consultations with his ceasefire negotiations team, the source also said.

Scottish First Minister John Swinney cast his vote at Burrelton Village Hall in the village of Burrelton in Blairgowrie.

(BBC)

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has cast his vote in North Yorkshire. He and his wife Akshata Murty popped over to their polling station in a village hall in Northallerton, about half an hour after the polls opened at 7 a.m.

(BBC)

European shares climbed on Thursday boosted by optimism on interest rate cuts by the Federal Reserve after weak U.S. data, while London markets gained as voting began in the UK with opinion polls predicting a historic win for the Labour party.