Sammy Wilson on Farage 'beer buddies' rumourpublished at 01:46 British Summer Time 5 July
The DUP's Sammy Wilson says he is not one of Nigel Farage's 'beer buddies'
Summary
Ian Paisley has lost North Antrim to the TUV's Jim Allister
The DUP has also lost Lagan Valley to Alliance but held Upper Bann, Strangford, East Antrim, Belfast East and East Londonderry
Alliance loses North Down to independent unionist candidate Alex Easton
The UUP's Robin Swann wins South Antrim from the DUP
Sinn Féin has held all seven of its seats and becomes Northern Ireland's biggest party at Westminster
The SDLP has retained its two seats in Foyle and Belfast South and Mid Down
Labour has won a landslide
Sammy Wilson on Farage 'beer buddies' rumourpublished at 01:46 British Summer Time 5 July
Media caption, First candidate selfie from the count centrepublished at 01:41 British Summer Time 5 July
The Ulster Unionist Party's Stangford candidate, councillor Richard Smart (far left), has shared a selfie of his team at the count centre.
This is the first candidate selfie we've seen tonight but I'm sure we'll get a lot more over the next few hours.
Image source, Richard SmartGerry Carroll arrives at count feeling optimisticpublished at 01:36 British Summer Time 5 July
Therese Hyland
BBC News NIA positive Gerry Carroll has arrived at the Titanic count centre.
He is running for People Before Profit in Belfast West and has said that he is, "feeling positive" and that, "it looks like we are going to get a decent vote".
Still all to play for in Fermanagh and South Tyronepublished at 01:30 British Summer Time 5 July
Seats don't come closer in Northern Ireland than Fermanagh and South Tyrone.
In 2019, Sinn Féin's Michelle Gildernew took the seat with just 57 votes.
Yet again, it seems like it will be a razor thin result says BBC NI's south west reporter Julian Fowler.
This time, Sinn Féin's candidate and former nursing union chief Pat Cullen and UUP councillor Diana Armstrong are vying for the seat and early tallies show they are neck and neck.
It seems this time turnout will be crucial in clinching the seat, and early indications show a historic low in the constituency.
Robin Swann could win by 'large margin'published at 01:25 British Summer Time 5 July
Jayne McCormack
BBC News NI political correspondentUUP sources on the ground are saying they expect Robin Swann to win South Antrim by a “large margin”.
Sources are also telling me the party has polled well in East Antrim, but expects to finish third there. That race between DUP and Alliance could be close.
Jim Allister arrives at count smilingpublished at 01:24 British Summer Time 5 July
Elaine Mitchell
BBC News NI
A smiling Jim Allister has arrived at the Magherafelt count.He is running for the TUV in North Antrim.When asked by BBC News NI if he’d heard any gossip from the count he said he “didn’t listen to gossip”.Sian Mulholland of the Alliance Party says things are “too close to call” for the North Antrim seat.Derek Douglas - Ian Paisley’s election agent wouldn’t be drawn on how close things could get.“It’s too soon to tell. We are only halfway through and it depends on which boxes are opened first”.Ian Paisley took more than 47% of the vote in 2019, more than 12,000 votes ahead of the UUP.
Sammy Wilson: 'I am not Nigel Farage's beer buddy'published at 01:19 British Summer Time 5 July
The DUP's East Antrim candidate Sammy Wilson says he is not "beer buddies" with Nigel Farage, saying that he doesn't even drink beer.
Reform UK leader Farage earlier in the campaign said he was personally endorsing two DUP candidates in this election - despite his party's alliance with DUP rival the Traditional Unionist Voice.
The co-deputy leader of Reform, Ben Habib, then explained that the reason Farage was endorsing Wilson and Ian Paisley was because they were "old beer buddies".
Wilson says he has been for a few meals with Farage when they were out campaigning, but says the term "beer buddies didn't strike any chord with me".
'Too close to call' in Fermanagh and South Tyronepublished at 01:13 British Summer Time 5 July
Julian Fowler
BBC News NI
Image source, PAIt's too close to call once again in the most marginal constituency in the UK, Fermanagh and South Tyrone.
A tally of votes of one ballot box in Dungannon has Pat Cullen and Diana Armstrong “neck and neck”.
Turnout however is predicted to be “a historic low” according to one observer.
'Belfast East is tight'published at 01:08 British Summer Time 5 July
Gareth Gordon
BBC News NI Political CorrespondentWhile some people have started to call seats elsewhere, there is no chance of anyone sticking their neck on the line right now to say that Naomi Long of Alliance or Gavin Robinson of the DUP has won this one.
Nobody, and I mean nobody is calling Belfast East too early.
This is every bit as tight as we all knew it was going to be.
UUP's Jay Basra: 'don't let haters put you off'published at 01:04 British Summer Time 5 July
Niall McCracken
BBC News NIThe UUP's Mid Ulster candidate Jay Basra reflects on his campaign at the count centre in Magherafelt.
"It's my first outing. I'm not expecting very much but we did our best on the doors, so we'll see how it goes," he said. "But I genuinely hope people saw my campaign and want to get involved in politics. We need to get our voices heard."You might get a few haters, but don't let that put you off, as I always saw all publicity is good publicity."
SDLP's Cara Hunter ready for "long night" aheadpublished at 00:57 British Summer Time 5 July
Keiron Tourish
BBC News NI north west correspondentEast Londonderry candidate for the SDLP Cara Hunter says her canvass "has gone well" and she's "prepared for a long night" at Meadowbank in Magherafelt.
Jumping the gun?published at 00:56 British Summer Time 5 July
Election expert and Irish News columnist David McCann says on X: "I have never seen so many declarations of victory and concessions with so little information in."
Lagan Valley 'too close to call'published at 00:51 British Summer Time 5 July
Richard Morgan
BBC News NIDUP and UUP sources have indicated Lagan Valley is too close to call between Jonathan Buckley and Alliance’s Sorcha Eastwood as they fight it out to top the poll.
The UUP’s Robbie Butler is said to be polling well, building on his vote from previous years.
The DUP’s Paul Givan and Emma Little-Pengelly are watching the count closely.
All the boxes have arrived. Time will tell.
Sinn Féin's Mid Ulster candidate confidentpublished at 00:43 British Summer Time 5 July
Niall McCracken
BBC News NICathal Mallaghan, Sinn Féin's Mid Ulster candidate says he is still confident despite a potential lower turnout."It looks like the turnout is maybe down a little bit but I think that's because of the time of year with people away on holidays," he says."But we're still confident , we covered the constituency from top to bottom, left to right, and tried to knock every single door we could".
Collins concedes in battle for North Downpublished at 00:38 British Summer Time 5 July
Brendan Hughes
BBC News NI political reporterIn the fight for the North Down constituency, it seems retired Army officer Tim Collins has walked off the battlefield.
The Ulster Unionist Party (UUP) candidate says his vote "hasn't held strongly at all" and he is expecting to finish in third place.
He tipped unionist rival Alex Easton for the win over the incumbent, Alliance Party deputy leader Stephen Farry.
Best known for his role in the Iraq War in 2003, Collins was a high-profile addition to the contest.
But some of his remarks in press interviews on issues including immigration came into conflict with his party.
His campaign suffered another setback when UUP leader Doug Beattie acknowledged on live radio that Farry was the "better qualified candidate".
It was a bold move for the UUP to choose Collins, but it doesn't appear to have paid off.
Former chairman of NI Affairs committee loses seatpublished at 00:34 British Summer Time 5 July
Image source, ReutersThe former chair of the Northern Ireland Affairs Committee Sir Robert Buckland has lost his Swindon South seat.
The senior Conservative Party member - who held several cabinet posts down the years - has lost out to Labour's Heidi Alexander.
Foyle candidate Anne McCloskey arrives at count centrepublished at 00:29 British Summer Time 5 July
Independent candidate for the Foyle constituency, Anne McCloskey, has arrived at the count centre.
Ms McCloskey was jailed during the campaign for not paying a fine that was imposed in 2022 for a breach of Covid regulations
She was released shortly after the fine was paid.
Ms McCloskey arrived at the count wearing a "defund the BBC" t-shirt.
WATCH: Tim Collins ‘People in North Down are interested in potholes and hedges’published at 00:23 British Summer Time 5 July
Media caption, Tim Collins says people in North Down don't want someone who does not live in NI
Alex Easton 'quietly optimistic'published at 00:14 British Summer Time 5 July
Independent unionist Alex Easton says he is "quietly optimistic" about winning North Down on his third time running for the seat, but he says they are only a third of the way through the counting and there is a long way to go.
He says he was surprised to hear the UUP's Tim Collins had conceded so early, but is hopeful he has done enough to beat Alliance deputy leader Stephen Farry.
UUP hopeful in South Antrimpublished at 00:09 British Summer Time 5 July
Jayne McCormack
BBC News NI political correspondentI'm hearing that the UUP's Robin Swann is outpolling the DUP's Paul Girvan two and three to one in some areas.
It's early still in the race but the UUP say they're "very hopeful".
Mr Girvan has won the seat in the past two elections.