Henry Zeffman
Chief political correspondent

Image source, Reuters

A little after midday, as scores of sleep-deprived Labour activists and campaign staff thronged into Downing Street to welcome their new prime minister, I saw one of them literally pinch himself.

That’s - almost - all you need to know about the mood in the Labour Party right now: jubilation blended with disbelief.

When Rachel Burden read out the exit poll in our radio studio, Wes Streeting’s eyes welled with tears.

With a light sprinkling of exceptions, this is a generation of Labour politicians, activists and officials who have known only defeat. The simple fact is that the Labour Party loses more elections than it wins.

Image source, Reuters

To have voted for a Labour election winner other than Tony Blair, until last night you had to be at least 68 years old.

That is the scale of Sir Keir Starmer’s achievement and why the Labour Party is jubilant today. It went beyond mere victory.

Labour have a vast majority in Parliament and they will govern essentially as they please. That is the most important development of the election.

It affects how we will live our lives as well as what this country is going to be like and become over the next four or five years.

• You can read more here

BBC Monitoring

The big question for some in the international media is whether the "bland, even boring" Keir Starmer can clean up the UK's "mess".

Labour's landslide victory is being digested by commentators all over the world, many dissecting what the results mean for relations with the UK - as well as for the future of the Conservative Party of Winston Churchill and Margaret Thatcher.

The rise of Reform UK also generates many international column inches of coverage, especially in Europe where it didn't go unnoticed that its leader, the arch-Brexiteer Nigel Farage, became an MP for the first time.

You can read our full round up of international media coverage here.

Image source, Reuters

The president of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, says he has spoken to the UK's newly-appointed prime minister on the phone and congratulated him.

"I am grateful to Prime Minister Starmer for reaffirming the UK's principled and unwavering support for Ukraine," Zelensky has said in a post on X, external.

Like US President Joe Biden, Zelensky says he looks forward to next week's Nato summit in Washington - where the leaders are due to meet.

The Ukrainian president says he and Starmer have also discussed ways to "strengthen" their partnership, including the "preparation of an unprecedented 100-year partnership agreement" between the two nations.

In his round of calls this evening, the new PM has also spoken to the first ministers of Scotland and Wales, and the first minister and deputy first minister of Northern Ireland.

"We are resetting our relationship, working together to unite our country," his office said on X, external.

We've got some comments from Downing Street now following Keir Starmer's call with US President Joe Biden earlier.

Biden congratulated Starmer, according to a No 10 spokesperson, who says the pair “looked forward” to seeing each other at a Nato summit in Washington next week.

The leaders “reiterated their steadfast commitment to Ukraine”, with Starmer saying the UK's support for the country is “unwavering”, they add.

The leaders also reflected on their shared commitment to "protecting the gains" of the Good Friday Agreement in Northern Ireland, the spokesperson adds.

Eleanor Shearwood
Newsbeat reporter in Belfast

Ethan is a student in Belfast and stops to talk to us about the election outcome.

The 22-year-old voted for the Alliance Party - which won one seat - and says the important thing for him is “the direction Northern Ireland is going in”.

“The future, bringing jobs in. That should be at the forefront.”

Looking ahead, he wants to see less division in the country between unionists and nationalists.

“There’s no need for that. I’m moving away from Belfast and that’s part of it.”

Jared Evitts
Newsbeat reporter in Wrexham

In Wales, all Conservative seats have been wiped out, and Seren Williams tells Newsbeat she’s “glad”.

“They’ve lost trust in the public I feel. They deserve it, I think.”

Seren, 18, shares she voted for the Liberal Democrats, and looking ahead she wants to “see more focus on young people”.

“I feel like we’re neglected as a whole.”

Adam Wilkinson, 29, voted for the first time yesterday and says he went for Labour.

“I just wanted a bit of change to get the Conservatives out.

“I’ve never voted before. But I thought actual change needed to happen and I can’t sit back and complain about things if I don’t make my vote count.”

For the past six weeks, we’ve followed the twists and turns of the campaign in the Election Essential newsletter. And it doesn’t stop here.

Stay up to speed with all the big moments as a new government is formed – as well as top political analysis and insight from around the UK, delivered straight to your inbox.

Sign up to get the newsletter every weekday at 17:30 – as well as special weekend coverage – here.

Image source, No 10 Downing Street

Timpson chief executive, James Timpson, has been appointed minister of state for prisons, parole and probation within the ministry of justice.

The businessman's group of retail firms have a long-standing policy of employing ex-offenders and he has been chairman of the Prison Reform Trust charity since 2016.

The businessman will also receive a life peerage to allow him to sit in the House of Lords and attend cabinet.

Image source, PA Media

Former chief scientific adviser Sir Patrick Vallance has been appointed science minister in the department for science, innovation and technology.

Tom Bateman
State department correspondent

Keir Starmer’s first appearance on the world stage will come almost immediately - a trip here to Washington for next week’s Nato summit, hosted by Biden.

The visit will throw a spotlight onto Labour’s foreign policy positions and the US-UK relationship in the midst of several international crises.

I’ve been chatting to Claire Ainsley from the Progressive Policy Institute, who is Starmer’s former director of policy. She says the first thing he will tell Biden next week is that “the UK wants to be an active partner in securing peace and prosperity around the world”.

In other words, Starmer wants Biden to know the UK under Labour remains a rock solid defence and security ally of the US. This matches his campaign strategy and his attempts to distance Labour foreign policy from the era of his predecessor Jeremy Corbyn.

But these positions will be tested very quickly - both on Ukraine and the Middle East. On Gaza in particular - having lost Labour seats overnight in constituencies with high proportions of Muslim voters angered at Labour’s policies on Israel and the Gaza war - Starmer could be faced with significant policy decisions that have the potential to destabilise his party.

Ainsley believes repairing the relationship with parts of the Muslim community who feel that they have not been heard “will be a political priority”.

And if some of Biden’s campaign wonks had an eye on those losses in the UK overnight it might add to their concerns. Biden is also facing a wave of ballot box protest in November’s election in areas with large Arab and Muslim populations, including the crucial swing state of Michigan.

The SNP candidate in Inverness, Skye and West Ross-shire, the last seat in the UK still to announce its result, has conceded defeat.

It seems likely the constituency will go to the Liberal Democrats - although the result is not expected to be officially announced until after a second recount which will begin at 10:30 on Saturday.

The returning officer said the delay was due to a discrepancy between the verified votes total and the provisional number of counted votes.

SNP candidate Drew Hendry said he would be unable to attend the recount due to an "unmovable prior commitment", adding it had "an absolute joy" to serve his constituents for the last nine years.

It is now expected that the seat will be won by Angus MacDonald of the Scottish Liberal Democrats.

Harry Farley
Political correspondent

A bit more from Health Secretary Wes Streeting.

Talking to reporters earlier, he said one of his first calls had been to the British Medical Association (BMA) and that talks to end the junior doctors’ strikes would begin next week.

“I am sure we can find a way through,” Streeting said. “That’s going to take some goodwill and give and take on both sides."

A BMA spokesperson said it was looking forward to talks happening soon.

Harry Farley
Political correspondent

The new health secretary has said his department’s policy “from today” was that “the NHS is broken”.

“That is the experience of patients who are not receiving the care they deserve and of the staff working in the NHS who can see that despite giving their best, this is not good enough,” Wes Streeting told broadcasters from inside the Department of Health.

“When I was diagnosed with kidney cancer the NHS saved my life. Today I can begin to repay that debt by saving our NHS,” he added.

He added it would “take time” and the NHS could not be “fixed overnight”.

You might already know which member of the cabinet had a father who was a toolmaker, but do you know which one likes to sing show tunes?

You can find concise biographies of Sir Keir Starmer and members of his new cabinet in our handy interactive guide here.

Marita Moloney
Live page editor

Image source, Downing St

With many of Keir Starmer's cabinet appointments announced and all but one seat to be declared, now seems like a good time to take stock of what's been a frenetic 24 hours.

After the exit poll last night, the results came in thick and fast overnight - culminating in where things stand now: a Labour landslide and a historic defeat for the Tories.

Today's transfer of power saw Rishi Sunak make a speech outside Downing Street announcing his intention to step down as Tory party leader, before he tended his resignation as PM to King Charles.

Starmer then visited the King to receive an invitation to form a new government, before making his own speech outside No 10.

"I invite you to join this government of service," Starmer said. He's now finalising his cabinet and settling his family into their new home, before his first full day as PM tomorrow.

Meanwhile, we're still waiting for the result in Inverness, Skye and West Ross-shire, which is expected in the morning.

For those of you who have stayed with us throughout it all, thanks for staying the course.

As the parties take stock of their election results, we've got plenty of analysis, explainers and reaction to help you do the same into this evening and throughout the weekend.

Image source, X/@10DowningStreet

Barrister Richard Hermer KC has been appointed attorney general.

He will also receive a life peerage to allow him to sit in the House of Lords and attend cabinet.

Image source, Reuters

Darren Jones has just been appointed Chief Secretary to the Treasury.

The minister, who work as second-in-command under Chancellor Rachel Reeves, will attend cabinet.

Image source, Reuters

Alan Campbell has been appointed to the position of Chief Whip, responsible for making sure Labour MPs vote the way Labour's leadership want them to.

More on that call between the US and British leaders - White House spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre says the president was keen to work with Starmer.

"This is a special relationship between our countries and the president conveyed that he looks forward to working closely with the prime minister on the full range of critical issues that the United States and the United Kingdom are engaged on," she said.