Flash: DUP suffer heavy losses

The story of the Westminster election in the north of Ireland is one of upheaval within unionism amid the strong retention of all nationalist seats, leaving the abstentionist Sinn Féin by some distance the largest Irish party at Westminster.

The Alliance Party’s Sorcha Eastwood (pictured, right) has gained a seat in Lagan Valley, the seat of former DUP leader Jeffrey Donaldson, while another former DUP leader, Paul Girvan, lost his seat in South Antrim to Robin Swann of the Ulster Unionist Party.

Alliance’s Stephen Farry has lost his seat in north Down to independent unionisst Alex Easton, while the DUP are also in trouble in east Derry, where Sinn Féin are some two hundred votes shy of a major upset, and in north Antrim, where Ian Paisley Jr is facing the end of the Paisley dynasty as his seat looks set to be won by the TUV leader Jim Allister (pictured, left).

As of 7am, Sinn Féin have 7 seats, DUP 4, SDLP 2, Ulster Unionist 1, Alliance 1, and Independent Unionist 1, with recounts underway in both north Antrim and east Derry.

In Britain, Labout have won a huge majority with more than 400 seats as the Tory vote collapsed in a historic defeat. The far-right Reform Party has polled an impressive 15%, with party leader Nigel Farage winning a seat for the first time, while in Scotland, the SNP have lost most of their seats in Scotland to the Labour surge.

Labour leader Keir Starmer declared “we did it” in the early hours after his party reached the key threshold of 326 seats that it needs to secure a majority in parliament.

He is the first Labour leader since Tony Blair in 2005 to win a general election, and will head to Buckingham Palace later on Friday to meet the King and then to Downing Street.

At around 5am, he addressed supporters shortly after Tory leader Rishi Sunak conceded defeat.

“We did it! You campaigned for it, you fought for it, you voted for it, and now it has arrived. Change begins now.”

He added: “Across our country, people will be waking up to the news, relieved that a weight has been lifted, a burden finally removed from the shoulders of this great nation.”

He said that the country will “get its future back” after 14 years of Conservative rule.

Tory leader Rishi Sunak narrowly held his seat amid huge losses.

I am sorry,” Sunak said. “The Labour Party has won this general election. The British people have delivered a sobering verdict tonight. There is much to learn and reflect on, and I take responsibility for the loss,” he said.

Sinn Féin First Minister Michelle O’Neill has said people in the north of Ireland had voted to ensure the restored institutions work for people in the north, and that they hoped the change of government would help effect change for people here.

Speaking about the results in both Britain and the Six Counties, Michelle O’Neill said: “Well obviously it’s been a Labour landslide as the early poll tells us. I think for us here it was about the politics at home, making the Assembly and the Executive work.

“We’re feeling very positive, very good about how the vote has turned out.”

Ms O’Neill said a priority now would be to engage with Labour, find out what the new government in Number 10 means for people here, and work towards establishing a ‘good positive relationship’ between Starmer’s party and the Six County Executive.

She said the Conservative Party has “not been any friend to the people here, not been any friend to public services’ and that the number one priority now for the Executive would be to hold talks on a better funding model for public services here.

Sinn Féin party leader Mary Lou McDonald said Labour’s victory presented a major opportunity to improve relations between Dublin and London.

“There is a moment now for a reset in terms of relationships between Ireland and Britain, Dublin and London. We very much hope there will be a step change and I very much look forward to that,”Ms. McDonald

“There are big issues on the direct horizon. I am thinking of the Legacy legislation, I’m thinking about our wider relationships, charting a course for the future, our collective relationships with the European Union. These are big questions and I hope the new government under the Labour leadership of Keir Starmer will come and be constructive He has a huge, huge mandate.”

Urgent Appeal