Exit poll shows Boris Johnson on track to WIN crucial election

Boris Johnson storms home: Exit poll shows Tories WINNING crucial election as voters hand PM a majority to ‘get Brexit done’ – with Labour’s ‘red wall’ of Leave-leaning strongholds crumbling

Exit poll has given the first indication of results after ballot boxes closed in biggest election for a generation
Results in key seats are expected from 2am tomorrow and the next PM should be known by 6am Friday
Early results in Labour strongholds in the North East could show early signs of a swing to the Conservatives
Results will come pouring in from around 3am, with big names including Iain Duncan Smith at risk of losing
Tory strategists believe key to victory is grabbing Labour heartlands including Workington and Grimsby

Boris Johnson is on track to secure a staggering landslide in the election battle tonight as Labour’s ‘red wall’ of Brexit-backing strongholds implodes.

The hotly awaited exit poll shows voters handing the Tories a massive 368 seats, with Labour languishing on 191 – the worst performance in modern history. The SNP are predicted to get 55 and the Lib Dems 13.

The bombshell numbers – equivalent to a Commons majority of 86 – comes after a month of brutal political struggle, as Jeremy Corbyn tried to sell his hard-Left agenda to the UK public.

But his dream of a socialist Britain is now in ruins, with his time in charge of the party surely coming crashing to an end. It is worse than the showing by Mr Corbyn’s hero Michael Foot, who was famously put to the sword by Margaret Thatcher with just 209 seat in 1983.

Amid reports of ‘mega’ turnout and unprecedented levels of tactical voting by Remainers, Tories had become increasingly nervous that victory could somehow slip from their grasp, despite a slew of polls during the campaign having given them a double-digit advantage.

But the fears turned out to be overblown, as the party’s mantra of ‘get Brexit done’ seemingly swung previously staunch Labour supporters.

Mr Johnson was fighting for votes to the last minute tonight, tweeting to urge supporters to cast their ballots as he campaigned in his Uxbridge and South Ruislip seat.

Going into today, Mr Johnson’s lead in the polls was narrowing and he hoped to secure a swathe of northern Labour seats to give the majority that eluded Theresa May in 2017 – when she won 318 seats to Labour’s 262.

What is the exit poll?

The exit poll provides the first real indication of winners and losers from the most important election in a generation.

The figures have been produced by eminent pollsters including Sir John Curtice, Colin Rallings and Michael Thrasher.

They have spent the day asking tens of thousands of people which way they votes, as they left 144 ballot stations across the country.

Individuals fill in a mock ballot paper and drop it into a mock ballot box to encourage truthfulness.

The team then calculates a prediction for seats won by the parties – which is kept a closely guarded secret until the polls close at 10pm.

The last exit poll in 2017 was a bombshell as it predicted – correctly – that Theresa May was being stripped of her overall majority.

But Labour sources claimed its traditional vote was holding up.

One veteran Labour activist, who had previously been pessimistic about the party’s prospects said their vote appeared to be holding up better than feared in ‘red wall’ seats.

‘It doesn’t feel like there’s any real move towards Johnson or away from Corbyn,’ they said.

‘I think we could easily see almost exactly the same result as last time.’

A Tory defending a south east marginal said turnout seemed ‘very high’ so far and the result could be ‘closer’.

However, another Tory fighting to keep a seat in the north east said they believed turnout was ‘good’ among their own supporters.

Another Conservative source agreed that turnout looked ‘mega’.

But they added: ‘No way to know if it’s really up or if people are just voting early because it’s winter and they don’t want to do it after work.’

Mr Johnson’s hope of getting Brexit done was hanging in the balance tonight as voters turned out in their millions to take part in the most important election of a generation.

Constituencies across the country reported the longest queues seen at polling stations for years today, sparking fears of a Remainer ‘youthquake’ that could derail attempts to leave the EU.

Thousands snaked around the block outside schools, village halls, churches, pubs and other community buildings in the wet and cold to exercise their democratic right at the UK’s 50,000 polling stations from 7am.

Boris Johnson was out campaigning in his Uxbridge and South Ruislip seat hours before the polls closed

The Prime Minister tweeted appealing for Conservative supporters to go out and cast their ballots

Constituencies across the country reported the longest queues seen at polling stations for years today, sparking fears of a Remainer ‘youthquake’ that could derail attempts to leave the EU (pictured, queues at the University of Lincoln)

Elsewhere, at the University of East Anglia there were reports of ‘queuing out of the door’ at the student union. It comes amid reports of a huge turnout for the election today

At the University of Kent, there were huge queues of students waiting to cast their vote. Students lined up along one pavement as they waited patiently to have their say

Voters have turned out in their droves this evening, despite the inclement weather. A ‘mega’ turnout is expected today, with both parties predicting it to play in their favour

Britain’s Prime Minister and Conservative Party leader Boris Johnson holds his dog Dilyn after voting in the general election at Methodist Central Hall in London today

Jeremy Corbyn gives a thumbs up after casting his vote in the 2019 General Election at the polling station at Pakeman Primary School in Islington, north London

Voters have described the longest queues they have ever seen at polling stations, including here in Putney, south-west London, as Britain holds a generation-defining election with the future of Brexit at its heart

Boris Johnson brings his dog Dilyn to vote at Westminster’s Methodist Central Hall this morning – the polling station closest to Downing Street

Boris Johnson gave his dog Dilyn a big kiss as the Tory leader voted early as polling day for Britain’s most important election for a generation got underway today

Could high turnout spell danger for Boris?

Turnout at general elections has been on the rise ever since the turn of the century. And this year it may be more important than for many years with the nation’s future outside – or inside – the European Union potentially resting on how many people haul themselves to the polling stations.

If turnout is confirmed as being high after the polls close at 10pm it could spell danger for Boris Johnson.

It is traditionally a sign that Labour has managed to mobilise its younger and working class voters, who have in the past been less likely to make the journey to the ballot box.

But this is an election like no other in recent times. Mr Johnson has been making overtures to less affluent Leave voters in traditionally Labour-voting areas who want Brexit done.

It is possible that any surge is being sparked by people coming out to vote for him and for Brexit.

Where turnout is key is in marginal seats, which is why money, time and activists are poured into these areas. It can make all the difference between winning or losing.

So politicos will be anxiously looking at turnout in early declaring Labour marginals in the North and Midlands.

They could indicate how likely seas are to change hands. If Boris Johnson has succeeded in activating the Leave vote in former Labour heartlands he has one foot back in Number 10.

High turnout is traditionally seen as a sign that Labour has managed to mobilise its younger and working class voters, who have in the past been less likely to make the journey to the ballot box.

The first seats to declare after 11pm will provide more evidence of whether voters have turned out in high numbers and what the impact of it could be.

Where people have turned out to vote could also be as crucial as how many.

‘In London we’ve seen in the past that a higher turnout in some constituencies will increase an already Labour majority, but not necessarily switch it,’ according to Tim Bale, professor of politics at the Queen Mary University.

He added that while a high turnout could help Labour and Remain, ‘if there are lots of people who are motivated to vote who might not normally vote, it could be a good sign for Leave, like in the Brexit referendum.’

Mr Johnson has been making huge overtures to less affluent Leave voters in traditionally Labour-voting areas who want Brexit done.

Tories were hoping that any surge is being sparked by people coming out to vote for him and for Brexit.

There have been claims that the crowds suggest that the turnout for the first December general election since 1923 could be the highest since Clement Atlee and Sir Winston Churchill fought to be PM in the 1950s.

Turnouts dropped in the UK following Tony Blair’s landslide victory in 1997 but have started to rise again in recent national votes.

It has been an anxious few days for Mr Johnson, as his lead was whittled down to its narrowest of the whole election.

One poll this morning estimated there were just five points separating the parties as voting started.

Mr Johnson’s party was on 41 per cent but Mr Corbyn’s leftwingers had made up ground and are now on 36 per cent, according to Savanta ComRes for the Telegraph.

After six weeks on the campaign trail, Mr Johnson gave his dog Dilyn a big kiss and voted early at the nearest polling station to No 10 Downing Street.

But he was without his partner Carrie Symonds on the biggest day of his political life, after she chose to cast her ballot for the Tories in Richmond.

But naughty Dilyn ws also spotted with Ms Symonds as she posed with voters supporting Zac Goldsmith in Richmond

Carrie Symonds, Boris Johnson’s new partner, took Dilyn and sibling Lettice to support Zac Goldsmith in Richmond

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn and his wife Laura Alvarez were joined by supporters as he came to vote in North Islington

Almost a quarter of voters might CHANGE THEIR MINDS about who to vote for, according to new poll that suggests Boris Johnson is on course for a majority

Almost one in four voters were still wobbling over who to vote for just days before the polls opened today, a new survey reveals.

Some 23 per cent of those quizzed by IpsosMORI between Monday and Wednesday this week said they were still considering changing their support.

The analysis, carried out for the Evening Standard and published today, also showed that Boris Johnson is on course for a majority. It has the Tories on 44 per cent, 11 ahead of Labour on 33 per cent.

But researchers found that nearly one in four people who said they had picked a party to back, also admitted they may still change their mind.

Lib Dem supporters were the most undecided, with 41 per cent indicating they could well change their mind.

Tory support stood firm at 83 per cent saying they would definitely vote Conservative. Of the Labour supporters quizzed, 74 per cent said they were sure.

Ipsos MORI interviewed 2,213 adults across Britain by telephone between December 9 to 11.

However there is a wide variety of result in polls today, with a second having the Tory lead down to just five points, which would lead to a hung parliament.

Opinion polls have shown a variety of leads for Mr Johnson in recent weeks but today’s numbers for the Telegraph may cause some concern in Number 10.

The Tory lead over Labour has been whittled down to its narrowest of the whole election with just five points separating the parties as voting starts, the shock poll revealed.

The Tory leader voted at the Methodist Central Hall next to Westminster Abbey rather than in his Uxbridge constituency – a highly unusual move because Prime Ministers traditionally vote where they are standing as candidates.

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, accompanied by his wife Laura, also voted early in his ultra-safe Islington North constituency.

As the polls opened this morning Mr Johnson tweeted: ‘Today is our chance to get Brexit done. Vote Conservative’.

Meanwhile Mr Corbyn wrote on social media: ‘Vote Labour today to save our NHS, to bring about real change and create a country that works for the many, not the few’.

Millions of voters faced inclement weather with torrential rain and ice across vast swathes of the country before the polls closed at 10pm.

After the exit poll, the first formal results are expected by 11pm and a clearer picture of who will be the next Prime Minister between 2am and 4am tomorrow.

A major YouGov poll on Tuesday predicted a 28-seat Tory majority – the largest since 1987 – but pollsters said the situation was so volatile that Britain could face another hung parliament.

A No 10 spokesman confirmed that Mr Johnson had taken the unusual step to register to vote in Downing Street rather than his Uxbridge constituency.

‘The Prime Minister was proud to vote for Nickie Aiken, the fantastic Conservative candidate for the Cities of London and Westminster, who is committed to voting for the PM’s Brexit deal and getting Brexit done by January 31,’ she added.

Members of the public in a number of London constituencies have had to queue around street corners to vote in some of the busiest conditions they have seen.

‘I’ve voted at the same station and time for eight years, but have never had to queue before,’ said Craig Fordham, 45, from Putney, who had to wait for 15 minutes.

Chris Schofield queued for 20 minutes in the Bermondsey and Old Southwark constituency.

‘It’s about 20 times busier than it was in 2017, and for the locals and Euro elections,’ the 27-year-old consultant told PA.

‘Atmosphere is very London: orderly queueing and no-one is talking to each other!’

Mr Schofield said there were over 70 voters waiting outside, adding that there were at least three officers working at the station but only one taking addresses from voters.

Asked why he thought there were so many queuing, he said: ‘I think it’s the election of a lifetime for many of us.’

Alixe Bovey said she was queueing for 35 minutes in the Streatham constituency.

Sharing a photo of the queue outside her local station, she tweeted: ‘In 20 years of voting in Streatham Hill, always at about this time of day, I have never encountered a queue of more than six or seven people.

‘What is going on. The tailback is right up the road now.’

Ms Bovey said: ‘No idea what it means in my constituency – I’m in a super safe Labour seat.’

Voters in Bermondsey, south east London, faced difficulty getting to one polling station after an apparent burst water water main caused flooding in the road around it.

Hannah Tookey, who waded through the water to cast her vote, tweeted: ‘It was too deep to wade through the middle, even in wellies.’

Another voter, Graham Kings, was prevented from voting by the flooding in Bermondsey.

Labour’s Diane Abbott started off on the wrong foot today – as she appeared to go out campaigning with odd shoes on the wrong feet. At the end of a long and gruelling winter election campaign she turned out to support Labour colleague Meg Hillier in her neighbouring East London constituency of Hackney South. But Twitter users quickly spotted something was up when Ms Hillier posted a picture of them online. Ms Abbott appeared to be wearing two left shoes

Dozens of people queue at the polling station in Effra road, Brixton, (left) and in Bermondsey in south-east London (right) raising hopes of a big turnout for the crucial election

in Woolwich, south-east London, a safe Labour seat, queues formed at a town centre polling station this morning

More than 100 people were queuing to vote in Ancoats, Manchester, today (left) with delays to vote in nearby Bury (right) too

Voters in Bow, east London queue up to vote at a cafe/art gallery being used to serve the electorate today

The BBC was forced to defend its political editor Laura Kuenssberg today after she was accused of breaking electoral law in a live broadcast.

The top political journalist suggested that postal votes already counted were painting a ‘grim’ picture for Labour in a live two-way on the BBC’s Politics Live yesterday.

But the comments infuriated supporters of Jeremy Corbyn, who suggested she might have breached the Representation of the People Act, which bans reporting of how people voted until after polls close at 10pm tonight.

Shortly after the broadcast the Electoral Commission tweeted: ‘It may be an offence to communicate any information obtained at postal vote opening sessions, including about votes cast, before a poll has closed.

A BBC spokesman said: ‘The BBC does not believe it, or its political editor, has breached electoral law.’

He said: ‘I could have gone home and put wellington boots on and waded across the flooded road to try to get in, but had to go to work and so will vote this evening.’

Boris Johnson yesterday said he was ‘fighting for every vote’, and made a final, impassioned appeal to voters last night as he warned the most important General Election in a generation was teetering on a ‘knife-edge’.

In a final eve-of-poll rally in London, Mr Johnson said there was a ‘very real risk of another hung parliament’ – and the ‘nightmare’ of a Jeremy Corbyn-led coalition that would follow.

He pleaded with voters to instead deliver a Conservative majority that could unite the country, ‘smash through the Parliamentary gridlock’ and get Brexit done. Mr Johnson even issued a direct appeal to Leave voters who had always voted Labour, saying: ‘Even if you have never voted Conservative before, this is your chance to be heard and I promise I will not let you down.

‘A great future is there within our grasp, but I need your vote.’

Voters will face rain and gales in many parts of the country as they go to the polls in the first December election for almost a century.

Voters reported long queues and waits of up to 45 minutes when in the past they were done and dusted in jut a few minutes, suggesting the turnout could be very high today

There were large queues at the University of Kent in Canterbury, a seat Labour is desperate to keep hold of

Queues of voters snaked from the doorways and sometimes around the block in Battersea, Clapham and north London today (top left to bottom right)

Voters go to the polls in the granary of Grade II listed Thelnetham Windmill on the Norfolk/Suffolk border

Voters in the village of Carlton, Cambridgeshire voting in a caravan for today’s general election

This horse was taken by its owner to this polling station in Wiltshire as people braved the wet and cold weather across the country

Nuns from Tyburn Convent cast their vote at St John’s church in west London

Philip, 61, and Julie Jones, 60, outside the polling station in Nenthead, on the Cumbria and Northumberland border, with snow, ice and freezing rain forecast across the UK today

Students from the University of Reading arrive to vote in the General Election 2019 ahead of their December graduation ceremonies later

But voters in this area of Bermondsey after a burst water main on the busy Jamaica Road flooded the area

Boris Johnson and Jeremy Corbyn have tweeted today and both hope to win the election and become the next PM

Jeremy Corbyn posed for a selfie outside his local polling station with a hung Parliament a major possibility according to the polls

A member of Jeremy Corbyn’s security detail argues with a person dressed as Sesame Street character Elmo, who is standing against Boris Johnson in Uxbridge

Liberal Democrat leader Jo Swinson and her partner Duncan Hames arrive to cast their votes at Castlehill Primary School in Glasgow this morning

Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon arrives to vote in the general election in Glasgow this morning

Caroline Lucas (L), Green MP arrives with her son to cast her vote at a polling station in Brighton this morning

DUP leader Arlene Foster arrives at a polling station in Enniskillen, in Northern Ireland, to cast her vote

Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn was greeted by a small number of supporters as he arrived to cast his vote in north London.

A protester dressed as Elmo, a character from children’s TV programme Sesame Street, was restrained by security guards as she tried to approach Mr Corbyn as he entered the polling station.

As the woman in fancy dress argued with security and police, Mr Corbyn said: ‘Hello guys, can we stop the arguments please.’

He later posed for photographs with well-wishers outside the polling station.

Mr Corbyn arrived to cast his vote at Pakeman Primary School in Islington with his wife Laura Alvarez at around 9.25am.

Scotland’s First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has cast her vote in the General Election campaign.

The SNP leader was joined by her partner Peter Murrell, as well as the party’s Glasgow East candidate David Linden, at Broomhouse Community Hall in Uddingston.

Scottish Labour leader Richard Leonard cast his vote at Ralston Community Centre in Paisley.

Scottish Conservative leader Jackson Carlaw is voting in Clarkston and Scottish Greens co-leaders Patrick Harvie and Lorna Slater are casting their ballots in Glasgow and Edinburgh.

The leader of the Democratic Unionist Party Arlene Foster has cast her vote in Co Fermanagh in the General Election campaign.

Mrs Foster arrived at the polling station at Brookeborough Primary School shortly after 10am.

She stopped to speak to a number of other voters, including local DUP councillor Paul Robinson.

A man dressed as Father Christmas walks from his grotto to vote at the Dunster Tithe Barn near Minehead, Somerse

Chris Johnson (left), 62, does her knitting as she talks with colleague Christine Habberjam, 72, while awaiting people to vote at the polling station in Nenthead Village Hall in Cumbria

Sarah Sutton and Annie Price from the Somerset Reindeer Ranch take their reindeer to the Village Hall in Chilthorne Domer

Chelsea Pensioners leave after casting their votes at the world famous Royal Hospital in west London

Voters in Hartlepool used this rather unusual polling station – a shipping container

The polls in the Brexmas election have opened including here at Riverhead village hall near Sevenoaks in Kent

Monks from Nunraw Abbey cast their vote at Garvald Village Hall near Haddington in East Lothian, Scotland

A couple arrive to vote in the rain at a polling station in Dobcross near Oldham, in Greater Manchester

A woman exits a polling station in a wet and windy Birchgrove, Cardiff, this morning

A lit Christmas tree greets voters at the hamlet of Christmas Common in Oxfordshire as Britain embarks on one of its most important peace time elections

Voters also turned up early at the Oulton Institute in the Leeds West constituency held last time by Labour’s Rachel Reeves

The statue of Sir Winston Churchill – Britain’s greatest ever PM – looks on to the Houses of Parliament as a new government will be elected by Britain today

One detailed analysis yesterday revealed that Nigel Farage’s Brexit Party could help Labour hold on in many seats which would otherwise be taken by the Tories. Yesterday, Mr Johnson made an extraordinary 500-mile dash around the country in a final pitch for the votes he needs to secure victory.

Bomb squad carry out controlled explosion on ‘suspicious device’ found at polling station

A bomb squad carried out a controlled explosion after a suspicious object was found at a polling station early this morning.

Residents of the Glen Tower flats in Motherwell, North Lanarkshire, were evacuated at 1am after the device was found.

The building was cordoned off before the controlled explosion was carried out.

Neighbour Robert McCristall wrote on Twitter: ‘Looks out the window of the building where I live and there’s a ‘bomb disposal truck’ down below, and it’s also the polling station for the general election.

‘Not sure if there’s a connection’.

A spokesman for Police Scotland said: ‘We received a report of what was described as a suspicious device on the ground floor of Glen Tower flats, Motherwell around 1am on Thursday, December 12.

‘A cordon has been placed around the building, residents within the cordon have been evacuated and a controlled explosion has been carried out by Explosive Ordnance Device staff as a precaution.

‘Enquiries are ongoing to establish how viable the device was and the full circumstances surrounding the incident.’

North Lanarkshire Council advised voters that they should attend Knowetop Primary School in Knowetop Avenue in Motherwell from 7am.

After delivering milk in Guiseley, West Yorkshire, working in the kitchen at a catering firm in Derby – sporting an apron emblazoned with ‘Get Brexit Done’ – and a quick flight to Cardiff, Mr Johnson delivered his final campaign address in tub-thumping style at the Olympic Park in east London.

He told voters: ‘This election is our chance to end the gridlock but the result is on a knife-edge. To every one of you who is fed up with the endless arguments and wants to move on, every one of you who wants us to respect the referendum result and deliver the change people voted for, every one of you who wants us to focus on a positive, united future, every one of you who worries about the chaos of a Corbyn-Sturgeon alliance in a hung parliament, my message is simple.

‘Give me a majority and I will finish what we started – what you instructed us to do – three and a half years ago. A great future is there within our grasp, but I need your vote.’

And in a homely appeal to voters weary of Westminster’s long-running Brexit farce, Mr Johnson added: ‘Just imagine how wonderful it will be to settle down to a turkey dinner this Christmas with Brexit decided –and how awful it would be if Corbyn and Sturgeon were in Downing Street advancing their plans for two more referendums.’ He warned that Labour would ‘wreck our economy, with more borrowing and higher taxes’.

Mr Corbyn insisted he was on course to win despite a faltering campaign in which his manifesto has been branded ‘not credible’ by independent experts, his own health spokesman suggested he could not be trusted with national security, and the Chief Rabbi issued an unprecedented warning that Britain’s Jews feared a Labour government because of his failure to tackle the party’s anti-Semitism crisis.

Brushing aside his party’s troubles and today’s poor weather forecast, he said: ‘I am looking forward to sunshine on Friday.’

Speaking on a campaign stop in Middlesbrough, Mr Corbyn insisted he will win the election ‘no problem at all’.

At a final rally in London last night, the Opposition leader pitched himself as an outsider, telling activists: ‘Tomorrow you can shock the Establishment, by voting for hope.’

Pro-Corbyn group Momentum said it was mobilising up to 30,000 supporters to knock on doors up and down the country to get people out to vote.

And Labour said it had won the social media battle – with millions more people watching the campaign videos of Mr Corbyn than those of Mr Johnson.

Starting off on the wrong foot! Labour’s Diane Abbott is so keen to cast her vote she appears to have rushed out wearing MISMATCHING shoes

Labour’s Diane Abbott started off on the wrong foot today – as she appeared to go out campaigning with odd shoes on the wrong feet.

At the end of a long and gruelling winter election campaign she turned out to support Labour colleague Meg Hillier in her neighbouring East London constituency of Hackney South.

But Twitter users quickly spotted something was up when Ms Hillier posted a picture of them online.

Ms Abbott appeared to be wearing two left shoes.

But Twitter users quickly spotted something was up when Ms Hillier posted a picture of them online

Ms Abbott appeared to be wearing two left shoes from separate pairs of black loafers

They were at a supermarket in east London this morning

Ms Abbott speaking ahead of the election yesterday

One person wrote: ‘Mmmmm well done Dianne Abbott. Odd shoes and one of the shoes is on the wrong foot.’

Another said: ‘Two left shoes and odd shoes too!’

Ms Abbott, a close ally of Jeremy Corbyn, is defending a Labour majority of 35,000 in her Hackney North and Stoke Newington seat.

Ms Abbott has has a low key election campaign and has seldom featured at large events with Jeremy Corbyn.

He was greeted by a protester dressed as Elmo, a character from children’s TV programme Sesame Street as he arrived to cast his vote in north London this morning.

The woman was restrained by security guards as she tried to approach Mr Corbyn as he entered the polling station.

As the woman in fancy dress argued with security and police, Mr Corbyn said: ‘Hello guys, can we stop the arguments please.’

He later posed for photographs with a small number of supporters and well-wishers outside the polling station at Pakeman Primary School in Islington with his wife Laura Alvarez.

Almost a quarter of voters say they could CHANGE THEIR MINDS about who to vote for as they head to the ballot box, according to new poll that suggests Boris Johnson is on course for a majority

Almost one in four voters say they could change their mind about who to vote for, a new survey reveals today after the polls have already opened.

Some 23 per cent of those quizzed by IpsosMORI said they could yet alter their support.

The analysis for the Evening Standard also showed that Boris Johnson is on course for a majority. It has the Tories on 44 per cent, 11 ahead of Labour on 33 per cent.

However there is a wide variety of result in polls today, with a second having the Tory lead down to just five points, which would lead to a hung parliament.

Gideon Skinner, head of political research at Ipsos MORI, said: ‘Labour has squeezed the Liberal Democrat vote share over the course of the campaign, but our final poll suggests this has not been enough to prevent the Conservatives scenting victory.

The Ipsos MORI analysis for the Evening Standard also showed that Boris Johnson is on course for a majority. It has the Tories on 44 per cent, 11 ahead of Labour on 33 per cent

But the Tory lead over Jeremy Corbyn’s (pictured voting today with wife Laura Alvarez) Labour has been whittled down to its narrowest of the whole election, according to a CoRmes poll

‘Overall, the Conservatives have managed to keep their vote from 2017 more successfully than Labour, while Boris Johnson retains his lead over Jeremy Corbyn as the most preferred PM.

‘The country is not unanimous though, with clear splits by age as well as by other groups, and the number of people who said they might still change their mind is slightly higher than in 2017, with potential for more switching between Labour and the Liberal Democrats.

‘And despite a record number saying the election outcome is very important to them, there are signs that the public is not wholly enthusiastic about the choices they face from either party.’

Opinion polls have shown a variety of leads for Mr Johnson in recent weeks but today’s numbers for the Telegraph may cause some concern in Number 10.

The Tory lead over Labour has been whittled down to its narrowest of the whole election with just five points separating the parties as voting starts, the shock poll revealed.

Boris Johnson’s party is on 41 per cent but Mr Corbyn’s leftwingers have made up ground and are now on 36 per cent, according to Savanta ComRes.

It came as polling stations across the country opened in a Christmas election that will shape the future course of Brexit.

A survey conducted by Opinium between December 10-11 puts the Tories on 45 per cent overall, down one point on the company’s work published last week.

Labour is up two points in the poll to 33 per cent, giving the Tories a 12 point lead as Britain prepares to go to the ballot box.

Last night Security Minister Brandon Lewis appeared to heap pressure on Mr Johnson to achieve a comfortable victory, saying it would be ‘really good’ to get a 30-seat cushion

Almost one in ten voters are yet to make up their mind about how they will cast their vote.

Last night Security Minister Brandon Lewis appeared to heap pressure on Mr Johnson to achieve a comfortable margin of victory.

He was asked on ITV’s Peston, asked what number would make a good working majority for the Conservative Party in Thursday’s election.

‘I think it would be really good to get a majority like we had before, something 20 to 30 upwards,’ he said.

‘But that’s going to be hard work, you know we’ve got to make sure we’re gaining every single vote tomorrow, every vote matters, we’ve all seen the polls over the last couple of days which show that there is all to play for for everybody, that every vote is going to matter.’

Jeremy Corbyn’s security detail gets into bust-up with protestor dressed as Elmo when Labour leader goes to cast his vote

A fathers’ rights activist dressed as Elmo gatecrashed Jeremy Corbyn’s polling station visit this morning before scuffling with security guards.

Bizarre footage from the north London polling station shows Elmo being restrained by the guards as she tried to approach the Labour leader, who was making his way to vote.

The woman in fancy dress is seen arguing with security and police, appearing to be outraged at being held back from Mr Corbyn, who said: ‘Hello guys, can we stop the arguments please.’

She held up a sign with the name Bobby Smith, appearing to be in reference to a former Fathers 4 Justice activist who caused a security breach at Buckingham Palace in 2016 after using a ladder to scale the building and climb onto the roof.

The woman in fancy dress is seen arguing with security and police, appearing to be outraged at being held back from Mr Corbyn, who said: ‘Hello guys, can we stop the arguments please’

She held up a sign with the name Bobby Smith, apparently in reference to a former Fathers 4 Justice activist who caused a security breach at Buckingham Palace in 2015 after using a ladder to scale the building and climb onto the roof

The Labour leader, 70, promised higher public spending, nationalisation of public services, taxes on higher earners and another referendum on Brexit should he gain election

A person dressed as Sesame Street character Elmo is seen next to police officers after arguing with a member of Britain’s opposition Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn’s security detail as Corbyn returns from a polling station after voting in the general election

A man in a santa hat and a man in an Elmo costume outside the polling station at Pakeman Primary School in Islington, north London

Police speak to a protester dressed as Elmo who attempted to approach Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn and his wife Laura Alvarez

The Labour leader, 70, promised higher public spending, nationalisation of public services, taxes on higher earners and another referendum on Brexit should he gain election.

Voters were stuck in the biggest queues seen at polling stations for years today as millions took part in Britain’s most important election for a generation with their decision expected to make-or-break Brexit.

The largest queues were seen in London’s marginal seats where many were late for work and described the busiest election day they had seen for decades.

Fifty infamous moments that shame Jeremy Corbyn: The list of incidents that call into question the Labour leader’s credentials to be prime minister

Jeremy Corbyn has been branded a threat to national security by everyone from his own shadow health secretary Jon Ashworth to former MI6 chief Sir Richard Dearlove.

During his long career in politics, he has held meetings with and appeared at rallies with enemies of Britain including IRA bombers and Islamist extremists.

The Labour leader claims he has always wanted to bring about peace and talk to all sides in conflicts.

But the list below, which originated online before being reviewed and separately confirmed by the Mail as to its accuracy, would appear — at the very least — to call into question Mr Corbyn’s claim and his credentials to be prime minister.

Mr Corbyn’s supporters say that he has always stood up for minority groups who are oppressed by larger, more powerful states, and has always sought dialogue and peace.

This means, however, that he sometimes shares platforms with people whose views he does not share, be they in the Middle East or in Northern Ireland.

He said in 2015: ‘I am absolutely committed to a meaningful peace process between Israelis and Palestinians and that has to be one based on the 1967 borders. I am proud to have been one of the first politicians prepared to engage in dialogue with Irish republicans about a peace process in Northern Ireland in the 1980s.’

This is the list of what Mr Corbyn has done:

Jeremy Corbyn can be seen in October 2014, attending a wreath-laying ceremony at the grave of one of the 1976 Munich massacre terrorists

1. Invited two IRA members to Parliament two weeks after the Brighton bombing

2. Attended Bloody Sunday commemoration with bomber Brendan McKenna

3. Attended meeting with Provisional IRA member Raymond McCartney

4. Hosted IRA-linked Mitchell McLaughlin in Parliament

5. Spoke alongside IRA terrorist Martina Anderson

6. Attended Sinn Fein dinner with IRA bomber Gerry Kelly

7. Chaired Irish republican event with IRA bomber Brendan MacFarlane

8. Attended Bobby Sands commemoration honouring IRA terrorists

9. Stood in minute’s silence for IRA gunmen shot dead by the SAS

10. Signed Early Day Motion after IRA massacre, blaming Britain for the deaths

11. Arrested while protesting in support of Brighton bomber’s co-defendants

12. Lobbied Government to improve visiting conditions for IRA killers

13. Attended Irish republican event where calls were made for armed conflict against Britain

14. Put up £20,000 bail money for IRA terror suspect Roisin McAliskey

15. Said banned terrorist groups Hamas and Hezbollah were his ‘friends’

16. Called for Hamas to be removed from terror banned list

17. Attended wreath-laying at grave of 1976 Munich massacre terrorist (above)

18. Attended conference where Hamas and Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine were present

19. Photographed at rally in front of Hezbollah flag

20. Attended rally with members of banned Al-Muhajiroun

21. Repeatedly shared platforms with plane hijacker

22. Accepted £20,000 for appearing on state TV channel of terror-sponsoring Iranian regime

23. Opposed banning Britons from going to Syria to fight for ISIS

24. Defended rights of fighters returning from Syria

25. Voted to let ISIS fighters return from Syria

26. Opposed police ‘shoot to kill’ policy

27. Signed letter defending Lockerbie bombing suspects

28. Accepted £5,000 donation from academic who said ‘Palestinians have a moral right to their terrorism’

29. Chaired Stop The War, which praised the ‘internationalism and solidarity’ of ISIS

30. Shook hands with cleric Raed Salah after he had been found guilty of incitement to terrorism

31. Shared platform with representative of extremist cleric Muqtada al-Sadr

32. Compared ISIS to U.S. military in interview on Russia Today

33. Opposed proscription of extreme Islamist group Hizb ut-Tahrir

34. Backed Holocaust-denying anti-Zionist extremist Paul Eisen

35. Criticised drone strike that killed Jihadi John

36. Failed to unequivocally condemn the 9/11 attacks

37. Called Colombian terror group M-19 ‘comrades’

38. Gave speech in support of Gaddafi regime

39. Voted against banning support for the IRA

40. Voted against the Prevention of Terrorism Act three times during the Troubles

41. Voted against emergency counter-terror laws after 9/11

42. Voted against stricter punishments for being a member of a terror group

43. Voted against criminalising the encouragement of terrorism

44. Voted against banning al-Qaeda

45. Voted against control orders for terror suspects

46. Voted against increased funding for the security services to combat terrorism

Meeting: Gerard McLaughlin (far left) and Jeremy Corbyn (far right) with bespectacled Gerry Adams and Tony Benn at the House of Commons in 1994

47. Helped convicted IRA bombmaker Gerard McLaughlin (above left with Corbyn) get a job after he got a council flat

48. Said ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi should have been arrested rather than killed

49. Went to court to support an IRA fixer

50. Co-sponsored Irish Republican event that called jailed bombers ‘prisoners of war’

Can you take a selfie in a voting booth? When do polls close? And when will the first seats be declared? Your guide to polling day… and the nail-biting results night to follow

After an exhausting seven-week campaign, Britain goes to the polls today in its first December general election since 1923.

Polling stations are open from 7am until 10pm, when an exit poll will give the first indication of the results. Votes will then be counted overnight.

Most opinion polls predict a Conservative majority, but there are signs that the race has narrowed in the final weeks of the campaign.

YouGov’s final polling analysis, which correctly predicted a hung parliament in 2017, projects a Tory majority but experts warn that a hung parliament is still possible.

The national picture should become clear in the early hours of Friday morning. For those with the energy to stay up, here is a guide to how the 2019 general election will play out.

Head to head: Boris Johnson (left) and Jeremy Corbyn (right) give their closing pitches of the campaign at separate London rallies last night, as Britain goes to the polls today in its first December election since 1923

How they stand: This diagram shows how many MPs each party had when Parliament was dissolved last month. Boris Johnson is hoping to turn his minority government into a majority in order to pass his Brexit deal

Swingometer: The Tories would need only a small swing from the 2017 election to reach enough seats for an overall majority – but a two per cent swing to Labour could make them the largest party

7am – POLLS OPEN

Polling stations open across the UK at 7am and remain open until 10pm.

The Electoral Commission says any eligible electors who are queuing at the polling station at 10pm must be allowed to vote.

If you live in England, Wales or Scotland you do not need to bring any identification to vote. However, you will need to show photo ID to vote in Northern Ireland.

You do not have to take your poll card with you, but the Electoral Commission advises if you have it with you it can help speed up the process.

Broadcasters are not allowed to publish the results of any opinion polls while people are voting.

In recent elections, voters have used the relative quiet to share pictures of their dogs at polling stations. You can send yours to MailOnline by emailing [email protected].

Taking photos, including selfies, inside the polling station is not allowed as it puts the secrecy of voting at risk. The Electoral Commission says you are welcome to take photos outside the polling station.

Directions: UK polling stations will be open from 7am until 10pm, when an exit poll will give the first indication of the results

10pm – EXIT POLL

Polls close, and the BBC, ITV and Sky will reveal the results of their combined exit poll.

The exit poll is different from other opinion polls because instead of asking people how they intend to vote, it asks people how they actually voted.

It has a good track record of forecasting the result in recent elections. In 2017, the exit poll predicted the Tories would end up with 314 seats, just three short of the 317 the party actually won.

However, it is still only a survey and could prove to be incorrect. In 1992, the exit poll forecast a hung parliament, but John Major’s Conservatives went on to win a majority of 21.

Exit poll: When polling stations close at 10pm, broadcasters including Sky News (above) will reveal the results of an exit poll which will give the first indications about the results

11pm – FIRST RESULTS

Two constituencies in the North East of England – Houghton and Sunderland South, and Newcastle-upon-Tyne Central – will race to be the first to declare.

Both results are expected around 11pm and both are safe Labour seats. Bridget Phillipson has a majority of 12,341 in Houghton and Sunderland South.

However, any rise or fall in Labour’s majority could be an early indication of how Jeremy Corbyn’s party will fare nationally.

In 2016, Sunderland’s strong vote for Brexit – and Newcastle’s marginal Remain vote – was an early indication that the Leave campaign was outperforming expectations.

Race toe be first: Election staff count ballot papers for the General Election at Silksworth Community Centre in Sunderland. Two early seats in the North East will be held by Labour but could give an indication of swing to or from the Conservatives

12pm – MORE LABOUR STRONGHOLDS

Four more safe Labour seats are likely to have declared by midnight, all in the North East of England.

Again, look out for any evidence of a change in Labour’s vote share and a possible swing to the Conservatives.

1am – WORKINGTON MAN

‘Workington Man’ was said to be a key figure in this campaign – the sort of northern Brexiteer who might leave Labour for the Tories.

However, the Conservatives have to overturn a sizeable majority (3,925) to win the first key marginal of the night. YouGov’s final polling model showed Labour on course to hold it.

If Mr Johnson’s party takes the seat, he might be on course for a comfortable majority in the new Parliament. If Labour holds, the overall result could be narrower.

North Down should be the first result of the night from Northern Ireland – a seat formerly held by the Independent MP Sylvia Hermon, and being targeted at this election by the DUP, the Ulster Unionists and the Alliance.

The home of Workington Man: The Conservatives have to overturn a sizeable majority (3,925) to win the first key marginal of the night. YouGov’s final polling model showed Labour on course to hold it

How will the election be shown on TV?

BBC coverage will be led by Huw Edwards. He will be joined by Reeta Chakrabarti, Andrew Neil, Tina Daheley, while Jeremy Vine will take his place at the swingometer.

The 2019 election programme team will also include political editor Laura Kuenssberg, Europe editor Katya Adler, economics editor Faisal Islam, and media editor Amol Rajan, alongside polling expert Professor Sir John Curtice.

Across the country the broadcaster will also have BBC Breakfast’s Naga Munchetty, Andrew Marr, Martha Kearney, Nick Robinson and Lucy Manning, plus Sarah Smith and Kirsty Wark broadcasting live from Scotland.

Sophie Raworth will analyse the results as they come in on a giant constituency map of the UK.

Sky pulled the upset of the election broadcast operation when it announced that former Speaker John Bercow would form part of its team.

Mr Bercow only stepped down from the role at the end of October, shortly before the election was called.

He will join veteran anchor Dermot Murnaghan, with added input from political editor Beth Rigby, deputy political editor Sam Coates and economics editor Ed Conway.

Channel 4 is hosting a live eight-hour Alternative Election Night.

Coverage will be hosted by its veteran presenter Krishnan Guru-Murthy and comedian Katherine Ryan along with reality television star and radio DJ Rylan Clark-Neal, who will be ‘sense-checking results with a specially invited studio audience’.

Clare Balding will have the results as they happen, political comic Matt Forde will run an ‘alternative news desk’ and Judge Rinder will be out and about at votes.

The broadcaster said they would be joined by ‘an eclectic mix of the country’s biggest political figures’, including ex-home secretary Amber Rudd and former Labour deputy leader Tom Watson, plus comedians including Sophie Willan and Tez Ilyas.

ITV will welcome back former financial opponents George Osborne and Ed Balls, after they sparred well in 2017. They will be joined by former Scottish Tory leader Ruth Davidson, with Tom Bradby anchoring.

Also appearing will be Mr Johnson’s brother Jo Johnson, who stepped down as an MP at the election, Momentum chief Jon Lansman, Leave leader and ex-Labour MP Gisela Stewart, and former Labour home secretary Alan Johnson.

1.30am – KEY MARGINALS

There has been much talk of the Tories breaching the ‘red wall’ of Labour support in the North, thanks in part to Brexit. If the Conservatives overturn Labour’s majority of 3,280 in Darlington, it’s a very good night for them.

A Tory victory in Nuneaton was an early sign of David Cameron’s election success in 2015. The Tories are hopeful of taking votes off Labour in the West Midlands. If Marcus Jones extends his 4,739 majority, it will show they have succeeded.

2am – RESULTS PICKING UP

By 2am, results will start to pick up. The first results will come from Scottish seats being defended by the SNP, such as Dunbartonshire West, and Lanark and Hamilton East.

Results to look out for include:

Battersea – Marsha de Cordova (Lab) – majority 2,416

One of the first indications of how the parties are faring in the capital. Labour snatched it last time – and it will hope to increase its vote in this Remain seat.

Putney – former seat of Justine Greening (Con) – majority 1,554

Another south London seat – this one vacated by Justine Greening who lost the Tory whip in September – is one of Labour’s key hopes. Again, it is a Remain seat.

Hartlepool – Mike Hill (Lab) – majority 7,650

One of the first seats where the Brexit Party could have a real impact. The Tories are hopeful of overturning Labour’s majority, but this could be in peril if too many back Nigel Farage’s party.

West Bromwich East – former seat of Tom Watson (Lab) – majority 7,713

Before he quit as Labour’s deputy leader and stepped down as an MP last month, Mr Watson had a healthy majority and if the Tories take it it’s a very good night for them. However, YouGov’s final MRP projections showed Labour on course to hold the seat.

Wrexham – former seat of Ian Lucas (Lab) – majority 1,832

A crucial marginal in North Wales. The Conservatives have never won here – but it is definitely within the party’s grasp.

2.30am – KEY SCOTTISH MARGINAL

Angus – Kirstene Hair (Con) – majority 2,645

The first big Tory-SNP fight of the night. The seat is expected to fall to the nationalists, but if the Tories hang on it’s a good night for them. If they lose heavily, it could herald a near wipeout north of the border.

3am – BIG NAMES ON THE BALLOT

Constituency results will be flooding in by now. Several big names will find out around 3am if they will be sitting in the new parliament.

Jeremy Corbyn’s result will be declared in Islington North. He will win easily, but the Labour leader will be expected to address the emerging national picture.

Some of the key seats include:

Esher and Walton – Dominic Raab (Con) – majority 23,298

Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab is under threat in this Surrey seat. He has a mammoth majority, but the constituency voted Remain and the Liberal Democrats are talking up their chances.

Chingford and Woodford Green – Iain Duncan Smith (Con) – majority 2,438

Another Tory big beast at risk – former leader Iain Duncan Smith. He has a majority of just 2,500 and Labour are pushing him hard.

The seat will also be an indication of Labour’s overall strength in London. The party performed exceptionally well in the capital in 2017, but the Lib Dems won London in the European elections in May.

At risk: Former Tory leader Iain Duncan Smith is facing a strong challenge from Labour in his constituency of Chingford and Woodford Green. The seat will also be an indication of Labour’s overall strength in London

Final push: Jeremy Corbyn in London yesterday on the final day of the general election campaign. He will win easily in his North London constituency but will be expected to address the emerging national picture

Cities of London and Westminster – former seat of Mark Field (Con) – majority 3,148

Former Labour and Change UK MP Chuka Umunna is standing here for the Liberal Democrats, who were a distant third last time.

East Dunbartonshire – Jo Swinson (Lib Dem) – majority 5,339

Lib Dem leader Jo Swinson could be under threat here if the SNP has a very good night. The nationalists won the seat in 2015, but Ms Swinson took it back in 2017.

Ms Swinson has seen the Lib Dems’ poll rating decline since the election was called, with signs that Remainers are returning to Labour.

Lib Dem leader Jo Swinson (pictured) could be under threat in East Dunbartonshire if the SNP has a very good night. The nationalists won the seat in 2015, but Ms Swinson took it back in 2017

Great Grimsby – Melanie Onn (Lab) – majority 2,565

Boris Johnson has been targeting this heavily Leave-voting Labour seat in North East Lincolnshire. Labour has held the seat without interruption since Winston Churchill’s defeat in the 1945 election.

Beaconsfield – Dominic Grieve (Con) – majority 24,543

Ex-Attorney General Dominic Grieve won by a huge majority last time – but now the arch-Remainer is standing against the Tories as an independent. It will be hard for him to hang on.

Independent candidate: Ex-Attorney General Dominic Grieve (pictured on the campaign trail) won by a huge majority last time – but now the arch-Remainer is standing against the Tories as an independent in Beaconsfield

Bishop Auckland – Helen Goodman (Lab) – majority 502

This is exactly the sort of Leave-voting northern seat the Tories need to take if they are to have any chance of getting a majority. Labour have held the seat since 1935.

Sheffield Hallam – former seat of Jared O’Mara (Lab) – majority 2,125

The Lib Dems will want to retake Nick Clegg’s former seat of Sheffield Hallam from Labour. Jared O’Mara won the seat in 2017 but was suspended from the party over claims he made misogynistic and homophobic comments.

Sedgefield – Phil Wilson (Lab) – majority 6,059

Taking Tony Blair’s former seat would be a symbolic victory for the Tories and a sign of Labour’s decline since it won three elections in a row in 1997, 2001 and 2005.

3.30am – CONSERVATIVE BELLWETHERS

Totnes – Sarah Wollaston (previously Con) – majority 13,477

The South West is traditionally a Lib Dem heartland but the 2015 election changed all that. Tory defector Sarah Wollaston is standing for the Lib Dems in her old seat.

Hastings and Rye – former seat of Amber Rudd (Con) – majority 346

Miss Rudd was almost toppled here in 2017, but she quit the Cabinet and surrendered the party whip in the autumn, and is not standing at this win it this time, it will indicate a bad night for Mr Johnson.

4am – HIGH-PROFILE MARGINALS

Over half of the results will be in, and the overall trend of the night should be clear. Labour targets such as Harrow East, Loughborough and Milton Keynes South will declare, along with Lib Dem targets like St Albans and Cheltenham.

The SNP will hope to hold Fife North East and with a larger margin than they managed in 2017, when they had a majority of just two.

Seats to watch include:

Wakefield – Mary Creagh (Lab) – majority 2,176

The Conservatives are very confident of snatching Miss Creagh’s marginal seat in West Yorkshire – another pro-Leave constituency which feels left behind by Labour.

Canterbury – Rosie Duffield (Lab) – majority 187

Rosie Duffield became the first ever Labour MP for Canterbury in 2017. She has a tiny majority – but tactical voting could see her hang on.

The initial Lib Dem nominee, Tim Walker, stood down in the hope of helping Labour, but Jo Swinson’s party has fielded another candidate.

Marginal seat: Labour’s Emily Thornberry and Rosie Duffield, who won Canterbury for the party in 2017, campaign in the seat on December 1. Labour has a tiny majority but tactical voting could see them hang on

Kensington – Emma Dent Coad (Lab) – majority 20

Labour took this well-heeled seat on a tiny majority in 2017 just days before the Grenfell fire. On a good night the Tories will take it back, but it could be a close three-way race with the Lib Dems.

In 2017 the result needed several recounts and wasn’t confirmed until nearly 24 hours after polls closed.

Uxbridge and South Ruislip – Boris Johnson (Con) – majority 5,034

Boris Johnson will give his first reaction to the election night drama when the results are declared in his West London constituency.

The PM only has a small majority and Labour has been fighting this one hard in the hope of claiming a remarkable scalp. If its candidate, Ali Milani, manages to unseat him here, it would be a truly historic night for Labour.

By 5am Boris Johnson should know whether he’s safely back in Uxbridge and South Ruislip, where he won only a slim majority over Labour in 2017

5am – MORE LABOUR SEATS AT RISK

By 5am, Anna Soubry should have discovered whether she’s been able to hold Broxtowe for the Change party. Labour seats at risk include:

Bolsover – Dennis Skinner (Lab) – majority 5,288

Could it finally be the end for the Beast of Bolsover, Dennis Skinner? His seat is heavily pro-Brexit, and the Conservatives have poured resources into fighting it.

Ashfield – former seat of Gloria de Piero (Lab) – majority 441

Another Labour seat which is on the brink of a historic switch. Created in 1955, it has been held by Labour at every general election since.

Former GMTV star Gloria de Piero narrowly won this pro-Brexit seat in Nottinghamshire last time. It will be hard for her successor to hang on.

6am – FINAL TRICKLE OF RESULTS

By now, results will have slowed to a trickle. London could deliver some late upsets, such as:

Chipping Barnet – Theresa Villiers (Con) – majority 353

Environment Secretary Theresa Villiers is under threat here. She only just clung on in 2017 with a wafer-thin majority over Labour.

Finchley and Golders Green – Mike Freer (Con) – majority 1,657

Luciana Berger, the Labour MP forced out of the party over anti-Semitism, is standing in this heavily Jewish seat for the Lib Dems. But the Tories are confident of holding on.

Richmond Park – Zac Goldsmith (Con) – majority 45

Tory Zac Goldsmith won this seat in 2017 by a handful of votes. He’s unlikely to do so this time – making it a valuable Lib Dem gain in the capital.

Vulnerable: Tory Zac Goldsmith (pictured) won his Richmond Park seat in 2017 by a handful of votes. He’s unlikely to do so this time – making it a valuable Lib Dem gain in the capital

7am – THE FALLOUT BEGINS

The last handful of results will come in later on Friday morning. Caroline Lucas will discover if she has been re-elected as the Green MP for Brighton Pavilion and there could be late Lib Dem gains in the South West.

Recounts could delay some of the declarations from earlier, but every seat is due to begin counting overnight so there is a good chance all 650 results will be in by mid-morning.

With the national picture now decided, the winning party leader will go to see the Queen and begin the task of forming a new government.

In a hung parliament, pro-Remain MPs could try to force another extension of Brexit beyond the current Article 50 deadline. Jeremy Corbyn could then attempt to form a government with the help of the SNP.

The prize: Either Boris Johnson or Jeremy Corbyn will be speaking in front of 10 Downing Street’s famous black door (pictured) after the first December general election since 1923

Hoping to WINALOT of votes! Britain’s dogs are out in force as their owners visit polling stations across the UK to make crucial call on the nation’s future

As millions of voters brave the cold and wet weather this morning to line up outside schools and community centres to vote in the election, hundreds have shared adorable photos of their dogs excitedly waiting for them to exercise their democratic right.

One cockerpoo puppy, Reggie, was seen waiting patiently outside a polling station in Chester-le-Street, County Durham this morning as his owner exercised their right to vote.

Leon Kazakos shared a picture of his lovely but camera-shy Labrador Loki, saying ‘Loki can’t bear to look at the camera at this hour’.

Taking our furry friends to the polling station has become something on a tradition in recent years, with hundreds of voters posting dog selfies on social media under the hashtag #dogsatpollingstations.

Boris Johnson was spotted walking his and girlfriend Carrie Symonds’ puppy Dilyn to a polling station at Central Methodist Hall as the first of the party leaders to cast his vote, rather than in his Uxbridge constituency – a highly unusual move because outgoing prime ministers traditionally vote where they are standing as candidates.

London Mayor Sadiq Khan was also out with his dog Luna urging people to use their vote.

Polling stations are open today from 7am until 10pm, you don’t need your polling card to vote, but you might need to wrap your dog up as queues have already started to form at stations up and down the country.

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A voter leaves their polling station at a Church in Brighton with their dog Lilly after casting their vote in Britain’s first December general election since 1923. Members of the public and their dogs were out in force earlier today

It’s polling day and all the dogs have come out to play! These cute dogs were pictured being tied up outside a polling station

Reggie the cockerpoo puppy waits patiently in the dark outside a polling station in Chester-le-Street, County Durham this morning as the cute pooch waited for its owner

This gorgeous dog was seen outside a polling station in Southampton this morning as many headed out to vote in the general election

Penelope (pictured above) was also pictured outside a polling station this morning as her owner Leticia snapped this cute photo of her

Strike a pose! One man posted this picture of himself and his cute dog outside the polling station and said: ‘gone early gone hard’

Many dog owners took to social media this morning to share snaps of their beloved pets getting involved in what has been branded the Brexmas election.

While you’re not allowed to take photos inside polling stations, you are allowed to take them outside, and many dog owners took the opportunity to snap their pooches posing today.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson also joined in with the trend this morning and was pictured with Dilyn the dog at Methodist Central Hall, after casting his vote.

He seemed in high spirits and waved to the cameras as the cute little pooch looked as though he wanted to get out of the cold.

Mr Johnson is the first party leader to cast his vote this morning as the UK heads to the polls in the most crucial election in a generation.

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn voted just after 9am today in his Islington North constituency with the result in the first December general election since 1923 said to be on a knife-edge.

This is while London Mayor Sadiq Khan was also pictured out and about this morning with his dog Luna, as he also took to social media to urge people to vote.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson with Dilyn the dog at Methodist Central Hall to cast his vote in the 2019 General Election

London Mayor Sadiq Khan was also out and about today and took his dog Luna to the polls, urging people to vote

One Twitter user called Leon posted this snap of his dog Loki and said the dog was turned away as it ‘couldn’t bear to look at the camera at this hour’

Another Twitter user Leanne Forshaw Jones posted this cute snap of her French Bulldog and said the most important job of the day was done

Millie and Charli (pictured above) heading off to vote North East Fife earlier this morning, both wearing little flags

Millions of voters face inclement weather with torrential rain and ice predicted across vast swathes of the country before the polls close at 10pm.

An exit poll will give the first indication of the results and votes will then be counted overnight with the first results expected by 11pm and a clearer picture of who will be the next Prime Minister between 2am and 4am tomorrow.

A major YouGov poll on Tuesday predicted a 28-seat Tory majority – the largest since 1987 – but pollsters said the situation was so volatile that Britain could face another hung parliament.

A dog waits for its owner to vote in the General Election 2019 outside a polling station in Reading. The dog was looking through the window to try and see its owner

Lily the Border Collie was out and about this morning as her owner Simon took her to the polling station in Buxton today

A voter leaves with their dog after casting their vote at a polling station in Church in Brighton. The voter had made sure to put a little coat on the dog to keep it warm

Barney the dog wasn’t very impressed with election day and decided to urinate on a tree which had a polling station sign resting on it

Kerry Sell posted this picture of her dog Ruby at 7am this morning as she was up and about early to cast her vote in the election

***Did you take your dog to a polling station today? Share you cute pooch pictures! Email [email protected]***

‘It’s on a knife-edge!’ Boris Johnson makes final plea to voters as he hammers home his Brexit vow

By James Tapsfield, Political Editor and Jack Maidment, Deputy Political Editor for MailOnline

Boris Johnson made his final plea for voters to help him ‘get Brexit done’ last night, hours before the ballot boxes open – and with polls showing the result is still on a knife edge.

The PM said it is ‘up to you now’ after another frenetic day of campaigning in which he warned the risk of a Jeremy Corbyn government is still ‘very real’.

‘Now is the time for this amazing country to come together and remember what it is capable of doing,’ he told a glitzy rally at the Olympic Park in east London.

Mr Johnson urged activists to ‘fan out’ and convince people to ‘give a miss’ to the hard-Left platform of Mr Corbyn, and instead elect a ‘sensible, moderate, dynamic One Nation government’.

Boris Johnson told a glitzy rally at the Olympic Park in east London (pictured) that it is ‘up to you now’ after another frenetic day of campaigning in which he warned the risk of a Jeremy Corbyn government is still ‘very real’

‘We have 24 hours to break the deadlock,’ the PM warned Conservative party faithful who broke out into chants of ‘Boris! Boris!’.

‘Give me a majority and I will finish what we started – what you instructed us to do – three and a half years ago. A great future is there within our grasp, but I need your vote.’

Mr Johnson’s rallying cry came as a series of polls showed the Tories holding on to their lead over Labour – but the gap is not big enough to guarantee an overall majority when the outcome is finally revealed on Friday morning

In a homely appeal to voters weary of Westminster’s long-running Brexit farce, Mr Johnson added: ‘Just imagine how wonderful it will be to settle down to a turkey dinner this Christmas with Brexit decided.

‘And how awful it would be if Corbyn and Sturgeon were in Downing Street advancing their plans for two more referendums.’

The rallying cry came as a series of polls showed the Tories holding on to their lead over Labour – but the gap is not big enough to guarantee an overall majority when the outcome is finally revealed on Friday morning.

A survey by Opinium, conducted in the last two days of the campaign, put the Conservatives on 45 per cent, down three points over the past week.

Labour was up two points to 33 per cent, figures which should be enough to guarantee Mr Johnson the functional government he craves.

However, one in ten voters are yet to make up their mind about how they will cast their vote. A Savanta ComRes survey found there was just five points between the main parties, with the gap shrinking by one.

An Opinium survey gives the Tories a 12 point lead over Labour on the eve of the general election. Compared to the same poll last week, Labour are up two, the Conservatives are down one and the Lib Dems are also down one

Boris Johnson plants a Get Brexit Done sign in Benfleet, Essex, this evening as he was given a pre-election poll boost putting him on course to win a majority

The Labour leader’s own rally last night was a much more low-key event in Hoxton Docks, where he told supporters to spread the message of ‘socialism, which is about hope’ to the country on Thursday.

Mr Corbyn visited Glasgow and the north of England where he raised eyebrows by insisting Labour will win the election ‘no problem at all’.

How Britain’s pollsters are predicting the election

YouGov: Tory 9-point lead Conservative 43, Labour 34, Lib Dems 12

ICM: Cons 42, Lab 36, LD 12

Opinium: Cons 45, Lab 33, LD 12

BMG: Cons 41, Lab 32, LD 14

Panelbase: Cons 43, Lab 34, LD 11

NCP: Cons 43, Lab 33, LD 12

Qriously: Cons 43, Lab 30, LD 12

Savanta ComRes: Cons 41, Lab 36, LD 12

Kantar: Cons 44, Lab 32, LD 13

Deltapoll: Cons 45, Lab 35, LD 10

Pro-Corbyn group Momentum said it was mobilising up to 30,000 supporters to knock on doors up and down the country to get people out to vote.

Voters will face rain and gales in many parts of the country as they go to the polls in the first December election for almost a century.

And Labour said it had won the social media battle – with millions more people watching campaign videos of Mr Corbyn than those of Mr Johnson.

Mr Corbyn also fired a broadside at his Tory rival for ‘hiding in the fridge,’ saying that Labour is not afraid of being asked questions after a bizarre row engulfed the PM on the final day of the campaign.

Mr Johnson’s day got off to an awkward start in West Yorkshire as he was ambushed by a reporter from ITV’s Good Morning Britain, prompting one of his aides to swear on live television.

The PM refused to be interviewed and sought refuge in a fridge at the dairy he was visiting, sparking a wave of ridiculing memes on social media.

The attempt to hijack the premier’s final day of the campaign left the Conservatives furious as sources insisted Mr Johnson had not been ‘hiding’.

In his sabre-rattling speech to whip up party grassroots, Mr Johnson warned against electing ‘a Hamas-backing IRA-supporting, anti-Semitism-condoning appeaser of the Kremlin’ – Mr Corbyn

Jeremy Corbyn’s final rally was a much more low-key event at Hoxton Docks, where he told his party faithful to vote for ‘socialism, which is about hope’

Hammering the Brexit message: The PM has spent the final day of campaigning on a cross-country blitz of marginal seats, ending in Benfleet, Essex, where he used a sledgehammer to plant a Conservative sign in an activist’s garden

Jeremy Corbyn, pictured on a visit to Rother Valley this afternoon, has insisted Labour will win the election ‘no problem at all’

While Mr Johnson was addressing party faithful in Stratford, his partner Carrie Symonds was hunkered down in Tory HQ in Westminster making last-minute calls to voters with her adopted dog Dilyn

The Opinium survey is likely to have buoyed Mr Johnson’s spirits, pictured in Hengoed in south Wales this afternoon, as it suggests he is still on course to win a majority

Prediction: YouGov’s final polling model of the 2019 general election campaign projects that the Conservatives will win a majority of 28

YouGov projects a small Conservative majority as the most likely outcome of the election, with this map showing the seats most likely to change hands

Predicted vote share: The seat-by-seat model, which is based on thousands of interviews, puts the Tories on 43 per cent of the vote and Labour on 34 per cent

Boris Johnson’s final day of campaigning gets off to terrible start

Boris Johnson’s exasperated media minder swore on live TV as the PM refused to speak to Good Morning Britain before seeking refuge in a fridge as he started an early-morning milk round in Yorkshire.

Piers Morgan was visibly shocked and Susanna Reid had her head in her hands as Mr Johnson’s press secretary Robert Oxley declared ‘for f***’s sake’ and blocked the path of GMB’s roving reporter Jonathan Swain after he tried to ambush the premier.

The Tory leader, who was delivering milk in the marginal seat of Pudsey, West Yorkshire, yesterday morning, has repeatedly refused to appear on the ITV1 show.

Mr Swain confronted Mr Johnson as he put milk crates in a van and said: ‘Morning Prime Minister, will you come on Good Morning Britain? Will you deliver on your promise to speak to Piers and Susanna?’

A tired-looking Mr Oxley loudly muttered: ‘For f***’s sake’ as his boss ignored the calls and wandered into a large walk-in chiller as Mr Morgan exclaimed: ‘He’s gone into the fridge’.

Following several minutes in the fridge, Mr Johnson later returned with a crate of orange juice and was asked if he would keep his promise to appear on the programme and replied: ‘Of course I will’ – but with the polls opening tomorrow he refused to say when.

Tory sources said the PM was ‘categorically not hiding’ in the fridge and that he was actually being briefed by aides ahead of a separate and pre-agreed interview.

The YouGov polling analysis which correctly predicted the hung parliament in 2017 predicted on Tuesday night that the Tories were on course to win a 28-seat majority.

However, the MRP model suggested the race had tightened in the final weeks of the campaign and pollsters warned that a hung parliament was still possible.

The model predicts that the Conservatives will win 339 seats, with Jeremy Corbyn’s party on 231 and the Liberal Democrats on 15.

The seat-by-seat model, which is based on thousands of interviews, puts the Tories on 43 per cent of the vote and Labour on 34 per cent.

The forecast suggests the race has tightened since the previous MRP results on November 27 showed the Tories on course for a majority of 68.

The Conservatives are predicted to gain 22 seats, including in Labour heartlands such as Ashfield, Bassetlaw and Tony Blair’s former seat of Sedgefield.

A majority of 28 would be the Conservatives’ best result since Margaret Thatcher’s third election victory in 1987.

However, there are signs that Labour is ‘patching the cracks’ in its so-called ‘red wall’ of seats across the North and the Midlands.

Conservative strategists fear that an ugly row over the NHS on Monday has damaged their campaign and candidates say the election is now ‘on a knife edge’.

The Tories’ shrinking lead means that Labour are now on course to retain Tory target seats such as Tom Watson’s former constituency of West Bromwich East.

Labour are also favoured to win Workington, home of the ‘Workington Man’ target voter highlighted by a think tank.

In addition, Labour are set to repeat their shock victories in Kensington and Canterbury, the poll suggests.

Two senior Tories – Dominic Raab and Iain Duncan Smith – face close races in their constituencies. Mr Raab leads the Lib Dems by only two points in his Surrey constituency, according to the model.

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