Sir Keir Starmer’s historic victory has been warmly welcomed by Dublin after a tense time between the UK and Ireland during protracted Brexit negotiations.

Tánaiste (Irish deputy prime minister) Micheál Martin congratulated Sir Keir on his party's "emphatic victory" and said it presents an opportunity to "reset British-Irish relationships".

Mr Martin said the previous Conservative government did not "embrace the spirit of the Good Friday Agreement" in which both states are supposed to be “co-guarantors”.

Image source, PA Media

"It was okay terms of engagement and so forth, but not at the level that I would have previously experienced in different governments in terms of that sense of two governments co-anchoring the Good Friday Agreement and having a very strong relationship," he said.

"That wasn't the case over the last four years, it was quite inconsistent and I think Brexit had a particular impact on Northern Ireland and the British-Irish relationship in terms of trying to resolve the impact of Brexit on the Good Friday Agreement.

"It created tensions and strains which are still playing out in the election in Northern Ireland today."

As we've been hearing, half a century of the Paisley dynasty in North Antrim is over after Ian Paisley lost his seat to the TUV's Jim Allister.

He was followed by reporters and camera crews, all eager to get a word with the man who had lost the seat he personally held for 14 years.

His reaction? He blew a kiss to the media scrum.

Image source, PA Media

Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald says it is time to “prepare for a new future together on this island”.

“The voters have now spoken, and I am delighted that Sinn Féin’s seven MPs have been returned for another term,” Ms McDonald says, in a statement issued this morning.

Ms McDonald says that “no matter what background or community people come from, Sinn Féin MPs will work hard every day to deliver on the things that matter to workers, families and businesses in every community”. “From day one, we will be knocking on the door of the British government to demand that they stop their disgraceful underfunding of our public services and of the executive here,” Ms McDonald says. “It is now time to move forward to a new and better future.”

If you want a closer look at the Northern Ireland Election results - from party wins to vote shares - have a look here.

See the winners and losers in the 2024 election - and view our interactive map of the constituencies.

Image source, Reuters

Reaction has started to come in from Dublin.

Taoiseach (Irish prime minister) Simon Harris says he will work to make the Taoiseach-Prime Minister relationship “not only what it should be, but what it could be”.

Speaking outside Government Buildings in Dublin this morning, external, Mr Harris says the relationship between Ireland and the UK is “deeply consequential for all people across these islands".

“The relationship between a Taoiseach and a Prime Minister is vital,” he adds.

“Keir Starmer and I share a desire for it to go from strength to strength. It is time for a great reset.”

Mr Harris says he wants to send a message to London that he will match Mr Starmer’s “commitment and energy to our peace process and our future potential in so many other areas”.

“Ireland and the UK are not only neighbours, we are independent nations that are intertwined in history and in culture. In many, many instances, we are family,” Mr Harris said.

“We have never forgotten that, not for one moment, no matter what challenges came our way.”

Julian Fowler
BBC News NI

Sinn Féin’s gamble of replacing Michelle Gildernew with Pat Cullen paid off.

A majority of 4,571 is the largest since Michelle Gildernew’s victory in 2005 when the DUP and UUP each fielded candidates.

Sinn Féin was boosted by changes to the boundary.

Unionists saw this as their last chance to win the seat.

Given the margin of victory, they concede it will be nearly impossible to overturn in the future.

The Ulster Unionist Party can console themselves that they will have a local representative going to Westminster.

Tom Elliott’s appointment as a life peer in the dissolution honours means he will be sitting on the red benches of the House of Lords.

The Ulster Unionist Party (UUP) leader Doug Beattie reflects this morning on the decision to move former health minister Robin Swann from North Antrim to South Antrim.

“It wasn’t a gamble, this was a strategic think-through,” Mr Beattie tells BBC News NI’s The Nolan Show.

“We looked at what was a seat to target, we saw South Antrim, we then looked at who was the best person to go in to take that and I identified Robin Swann,” he says.

“Yes, people will say it was a gamble but actually, it wasn’t, it was strategic planning and we planned well,” Mr Beattie adds.

“It has been successful.”

The UUP leader says if it hadn’t been successful, he would have taken the responsibility for it.

Mr Swann secured a total of 16,311 votes in South Antrim, followed by the DUP's Paul Girvan with 8,799 votes.

Enda McClafferty
BBC News NI political editor

Heading into the election, North Antrim and East Londonderry appeared to be two of the safest seats for the DUP.

These two were the ones we were waiting for at the end. The DUP lost one of them - North Antrim.

These constituencies weren’t even on the radar when it came to deciding where the tight battles were going to be. It caught us all by surprise.

In North Down - where Independent Unionist Alex Easton won the seat - we thought there’s a surprise, Alliance have lost an MP.

Then, that was topped in Lagan Valley - where Alliance's Sorcha Eastwood won the seat.

We thought that was it, no more surprises and then low and behold Ian Paisley lost his seat and broke that 54-year record his family has held.

It was a night of drama in North Antrim.

Before Ian Paisley lost the seat that’s been in his family for more than 50 years, reporter Elaine McGee found him unwilling to talk to her.

As Paisley entered the count centre, Elaine McGee questioned him: "Mr Paisley, BBC News, would you give us a word, Mr Paisley?"

Not responding to her questions, he continued to walk through the count centre, as BBC News followed.

Mr Paisley was asked how he was feeling and if he was confident of keeping his seat. He did not respond.

Speaking after Sinn Féin became the largest party at Westminster, Conor Murphy says the party is very pleased.

"We fought a positive campaign and we focused on the issues that matter to people - protecting public services, securing finances for the executive - we are very pleased to retain our seven seats."

He says the results confirm "the degree of change here".

"We want an honest dialogue on what the future holds so that everyone's rights are protected - but we can't not recognise the change that is happening.

If you are just joining us on the live page, it has been a eventful evening. So where do we stand currently?

Sinn Féin is now Northern Ireland's biggest party at Westminster and has held onto all of its seven seats.

Órfhlaith Begley retained her seat in West Tyrone, as did Chris Hazzard in South Down, John Finucane in Belfast North and Paul Maskey in Belfast West. Dáire Hughes also won for Sinn Féin in Newry and Armagh, replacing Mickey Brady.

It has been a tough night for the DUP who won five seats - it had eight in 2019.

The big shock of the night was the defeat for Ian Paisley in North Antrim, a seat that the Paisley family has held since 1970.

TUV leader Jim Allister won that seat - giving his party one seat on the green benches.

The DUP also lost Lagan Valley, previously held by former party leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson, to Alliance's Sorcha Eastwood.

Another blow for the party came in South Antrim, with a win for former health minister Robin Swann of the Ulster Unionist Party.

Despite a gain for Alliance, they also experienced a loss in North Down, with the party's Deputy Leader Stephen Farry losing his seat to independent unionist Alex Easton.

And the SDLP retained their two seats with wins for both Claire Hanna in Belfast South and Mid Down and party leader Colum Eastwood in Foyle.

Ulster Unionist Party (UUP) leader Doug Beattie tells Good Morning Ulster that the party had a goal and that was “to get back onto the green benches in Westminster”.

“We’ve achieved that,” he says, adding the UUP has “put up a good campaign”.

Noting the success of Robin Swann in South Antrim, Mr Beattie says “there are other places where I wish we had done better”.

Image source, PA Media

Re-elected DUP MP for East Londonderry Gregory Campbell tells Good Morning Ulster what went wrong for the DUP.

"There are lessons to be learned - the DUP is the largest unionist party in Westminster - we have a responsibility to act and to bring people together.

"Just as others have a responsibility and people will ask are they going to win their seats back? That's going to be the clarion call from unionists - will we (DUP) win them back?"

Reacting to his win in East Londonderry, Gregory Campbell says "there's no disguising that there is still massive political differences between all of us on the platform and out there in the country".

He says, however, that "we must build a better future for our people", both "those we agree with and those we disagree with".

"As we build that better future, there cannot be any re-writing of the past. Those here in Northern Ireland advocating massive change of a political nature are doomed to failure," Mr Campbell says.

The result is finally in for the last of Northern Ireland's 18 constituencies.

The DUP’s Gregory Campbell has been elected with 11,506 votes, closely followed by Kathleen McGurk, a Sinn Féin councillor, who got 11,327 votes.

The announcement was made shortly before 08:00 BST on Friday after a full recount.

Peter Coulter
BBC News NI

We're just waiting on one result before we get the final make up of MPs from Northern Ireland.

There have been a few big shocks so far with the DUP losing Lagan Valley, North Antrim and South Antrim.

The UUP and the TUV will be heading to Westminster.

Stephen Farry has lost his North Down seat to independent unionist Alex Easton.

We're going to handover to our day team who will continue to bring you updates throughout the day.

Thank you for staying with the BBC News NI digital team.

Newly-elected MP for Lagan Valley Sorcha Eastwood says it’s been a long campaign.

“This was the result of not just five weeks but five years of campaigning – we obviously had a very close run contest five years ago," she says.

“It’s not about me personally, it’s about the people of Lagan Valley who’ve wanted change, who knew and believed in what we were saying – of what was a positive progressive campaign.”

“There’s a saying that goes the harder I work the luckier I get – we don’t take anything for granted, what people wanted was someone who would do the job.

"People knew that now was the time for change – this hasn’t been a surprise we’ve increased our numbers in lagan valley over a number of years.

“We went out with a heart and a half and we brought it home.”

Jim Allister says the media has been proven wrong by his victory in North Antrim.

"Had I have followed the advice and the promptings of the BBC I wouldn’t be the unionist leader of North Antrim because you would have kept me out of the election as you kept me out of all the [TV] debates," he says.

"The egg is on the BBC’s and others' face who decided they knew the will of the electorate – you’re looking pretty foolish this morning.”