Good evening and welcome to the FT’s live coverage of the UK general election. We hope that, like us, you have some slow-release carbohydrates ready because it promises to be quite a night.
This election is both the easiest and the most difficult to call for decades. Easiest, because all the opinion polls suggest that Labour is heading for a comfortable win. Most difficult, because the scale of Labour’s victory and of the Conservatives’ defeat hangs in the balance.
Jonathan Vincent, the FT’s political data scientist, reckons there are 120 knife-edge seats that could tip the Tories from defeat to total wipeout, with many formerly super-safe Tory constituencies now three-way marginals.
The shape of the next parliament will emerge over the next nine or 10 hours. We’ll keep you abreast of the results as they are declared, with a focus on key seats and regions. And the FT’s political commentators will bring you their instant insights.
So, settle in and enjoy the ride.