UK Elections 2024: Rishi Sunak likely to resign as Conservative Party leader, exit poll predicts Labour’s victory

UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is expected to announce his resignation as Conservative Party leader on Friday morning, The Sunday Times told Times Radio. This came after Britain's main opposition, the Labour Party, looked set for a landslide election win.

The survey for UK broadcasters indicated that the centre-left Labour Party would secure 410 seats in the 650-seat House of Commons, marking its return to power for the first time since 2010 with a 170-seat majority.

Sunak's Conservative party would capture only 131 seats, a historic low. Nigel Farage's anti-immigration Reform UK party, which might win 13 seats, seems to be dividing the right-wing vote, AFP reported.

In another gain for the centrists, the smaller opposition Liberal Democrats are projected to secure 61 seats, surpassing the Scottish National Party, which is expected to get 10 seats, as the third-largest party.

This anticipated outcome contrasts with the rightward shift seen among Britain's closest Western allies, where the far-right in France is eyeing power, and Donald Trump appears poised for a comeback in the United States.

British newspapers spotlight Labour's imminent return to power, marking the first time since Gordon Brown's tenure in 2010. The Labour-supporting Daily Mirror was headlined, “Keir We Go”. "Britain sees red," said The Sun.

Both Starmer and Sunak expressed gratitude to their activists for their hard work and support throughout the election campaign. However, senior Labour officials avoided any early celebrations, as per AFP reports.

Counting of ballots from some 40,000 polling stations across the country stretches into the night, with official results expected into Friday morning.

The first result was announced just over an hour after the polls closed at 2100 GMT, with Bridget Phillipson of the Labour Party being re-elected as the MP for Houghton and Sunderland South in northeast England.

(With inputs from AFP)