Angela Rayner lavishes praise on Keir Starmer and Lord Mandelson gloats 'election meteor has struck' as they lead Labour joy at bombshell exit poll that predicts huge 170 majority - while big beast Tories most at risk of losing their seats are revealed Follow all the twists and turns on general election night on MailOnline's live blog By James Tapsfield, Political Editor For Mailonline Published: 00:12, 5 July 2024 | Updated: 00:29, 5 July 2024 e-mail 31 View comments Jubilant Labour gloated that an 'electoral meteor' has hit today after Keir Starmer was projected to get a huge majority. Moments after ballot stations closed at 10pm, the dramatic exit poll was released - showing Sir Keir winning 410 of the 650 seats. That would be a majority of 170 - just short of the 179 achieved by Tony Blair .
The Tories are expected to be slashed from the 365 secured less than five years ago to just 131 - their worst performance in modern political history. A host of big beasts, from Jeremy Hunt to Grant Shapps and Penny Mordaunt could fall victim to the purge. In the first tangible evidence of the hammering, Labour's Heidi Alexander took ex-Cabinet minister Robert Buckland 's Swindon South seat with a 9,000 majority.
Meanwhile, the Lib Dems could get 61 MPs - and Nigel Farage 's Reform insurgents are predicted to have 13 after effectively leeching millions of votes from the Conservatives . That could include Mr Farage himself taking Clacton, while Conservative sources in Great Yarmouth co.
