Summary

  • Conservatives have Commons majority of 12

  • David Cameron promises his party will 'govern as a party of one nation'

  • Ed Miliband quits as Labour leader. Ed Balls loses seat

  • Labour crushed in Scotland, with SNP winning 56 of 59 seats

  • Lib Dems routed, big names ousted - Clegg holds seat but resigns as leader

  • UKIP gets 13% of vote but Nigel Farage quits as leader after missing out on seat

Live Reporting

Sam Francis, Angela Harrison and Georgina Pattinson

  1. UKIP leader NIgel Farage casts his vote

    Nigel Farage casts his voteReuters

    Nigel Farage has voted in the Thanet South constituency. BBC political correspondent Robin Brant says he was wearing a big red rose on his lapel and made a few jokey comments to reporters on his way in. And there was a thumbs up for the photographers too. He was at the polling station for a few minutes. There are 11 candidates standing in Thanet South. You can find the full list here.

  2. The battle for 650 seats

    Palace of Westminster

    Who you vote for in the general election today will help decide who gets a seat in the House of Commons. Voting is taking place in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland for the 650 seats up for grabs. About 50 million people are eligible to vote.

  3. Good morning!

    Hello and welcome to our live coverage of election day. Voting got underway at 7am and will continue until 10pm tonight. During that period there'll be no coverage of the election campaign issues on the BBC. But we'll be bringing you the best pictures of the day - including the party leaders voting. And we'll give you some facts and figures about voting and a look at the logistical exercise involved in ensuring that the voting process goes smoothly. It'll be a big day for the BBC too as it prepares to broadcast the results. We'll be telling you about how to follow the outcome of today's voting on the BBC tonight. Today's events will be brought to you by Kristiina Cooper and Emma Griffiths.