A stunned Sky News studio produced the most bizarre reaction when Labour’s predicted victory was dramatically revealed by British broadcasters on Thursday night.
When the stunning exit poll results were announced at 10pm, presenters from Sky, ITV, Channel 4 and the BBC revealed to the nation that Sir Keir Starmer is on course to win 410 of the 650 seats, while the Conservatives will take just 131 seats.
Broadcaster GB News suffered a gaffe early on election night when it ran a graph showing the Tories would win 410 seats to Labour 131. That’s a huge gain in the wrong direction.
But the strangest reaction came from the Sky News studio, who could be heard on audio making some strange noises as the predicted majority of 170 Labour voters appeared on screen.
Viewers were left stunned as presenter Kay Burley and Manchester Labour Mayor Andy Burnham let out a series of strange groans, leaving them completely speechless.
Social media users wondered: ‘What’s going on in the Sky News studio?!’
A replay of their reactions was shown moments later, showing Mr Burnham almost jumping out of his chair and throwing his arms in the air as he sits next to an unimpressed Baroness Ruth Davidson, the leader of the Scottish Conservatives.
Andy Burnham celebrated as he sat next to a less than impressed Baroness Ruth Davidson, the leader of the Scottish Conservatives
Broadcaster GB News suffered a gaffe early on election night when it ran a graph showing the Tories on course to win 410 seats and Labour on course to win 131 – but the other way around
Laura Kuenssberg and Clive Myrie were much more moderate when they revealed the exit poll
Krishnan Guru-Murthy and Emily Maitlis were stunned when the exit polls were released
Tom Bradby – who presented the ITV coverage – was stunned when he revealed: ‘The exit poll is out. It predicts a Labour victory, a Labour majority of 170.’
As expected, the BBC gave a much more controlled update when polls closed at 10pm.
Laura Kuenssberg said: ‘With Big Ben now at 10, the exit poll predicts a landslide for Labour.’
Clive Myrie added calmly: ‘Sir Keir Starmer will become Prime Minister with a majority of about 170 seats.’
Tom Bradby – who presented the ITV coverage – was stunned when he revealed: ‘The exit poll is out. It predicts a Labour victory, a Labour majority of 170. The Conservatives are on 131 seats and Labour on 410. The Lib Dems are predicted to get 61 seats, Reform on 13 and the SNP are predicted to get 10.
‘That’s a stunning result, a record, history-making. The Tories had it, they lost the fewest seats since 1832, I think if you look at that number. That’s an astonishingly low figure.’
And on Channel 4, Krishnan Guru-Murthy said: ‘We can reveal that it is a Labour landslide that the exit poll predicts. The catastrophe for the Conservatives, Sir Keir Starmer will be the Labour Prime Minister in history.
Co-host Emily Maitlis added: “So, a Labour victory. This is your vote. This is our country deciding we’ve had enough. If the exit polls are right, this is a moment of radical generational change. Keir Starmer will be the first person to lead Labour from opposition to government in 27 years.
“And for many viewers tonight, that will be a virtual, perhaps real, life.”
Rishi Sunak’s term as Prime Minister looks set to end in an election disaster, with the Conservatives expected to suffer heavy losses.
Sir Keir Starmer is on course to win 410 of the 650 seats, an exit poll showed on Thursday evening
Rishi Sunak and his wife Akshata Murty arrived to cast their votes at the Kirby Sigston Village Hall in Northallerton, North Yorkshire on Thursday morning
Sir Keir arrived with his wife Victoria to cast their vote at a polling station in their Holborn and St Pancras constituency in north London
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It marks a dramatic turnaround since the 2019 general election, when Boris Johnson gave the Tories a healthy 80-seat majority and Jeremy Corbyn led Labour to its worst result since 1935.
Exit polls show Labour on course for 410 seats, while the Tories have been reduced to 131.
This means that for the first time in 2010, a Labour Prime Minister will sit in Number 10 and the Conservatives will face a potential civil war as the battle over the future direction of the party and the battle for a potential replacement for Sunak heats up.
After 14 years in power, it was already a difficult election for the Conservatives, but the sometimes chaotic campaign – launched at a time chosen by Sunak – contributed to their party’s likely defeat.
From his rain-soaked speech announcing the surprise July 4 election, through the D-Day debacle when he left Normandy early to record a TV interview, to the confusing campaign message about a Labour “supermajority”, Sunak struggled to convince voters he was the right man to lead the country.
It was always a gamble to hold the election in the summer rather than wait until the autumn. And the Prime Minister had no interest in a scandal involving Tory candidates and officials allegedly going to bookmakers with inside information about the date.
Sunak is expected to step down after leading his party to defeat, but many of the candidates seeking to replace him are anxiously awaiting the results in their own constituencies to see if their leadership dreams survive the night.
People like Penny Mordaunt, Grant Shapps, Suella Braverman, Steve Baker and Robert Jenrick must all fight to return to parliament.
Former Home Secretary Suella Braverman and Dame Priti Patel, Security Secretary Tom Tugendhat and Health Secretary Victoria Atkins could survive and contest the leadership.
The exit poll showed Labour would have a majority of 170 seats, the lowest number of Tory MPs ever predicted.
According to the poll, the Liberal Democrats would win 61 seats, Reform UK 13 and the Green Party two.
In Scotland, the SNP is expected to win 10 seats, while Plaid Cymru will win four seats in Wales.
Sir Ed Davey, leader of the Lib Dems, said his party was “on track for the best results in a century, thanks to our positive campaign that put health and care at its heart”.