Live coverage from the 18 counts around Essex
All 18 seats have now been declared, all for the Conservatives
Home Secretary Priti Patel and Conservative Party chairman James Cleverly retained their seats
Essex also returned 18 Conservative MPs in the 2017 general election
We're closing our live election coverage for the county.
The Conservative landslide is the national story - and it's reflected in Essex where the party retained its 18 seats.
For more election coverage, visit the BBC's election pages.
The Daily Gazette, external reports how Conservative Will Quince "stormed to victory" in Colchester securing the backing of more than half of the town’s voters.
"I want to say a huge thank you to everyone who has put their trust and faith in me," he said.
It also reports, external how home secretary Priti Patel "issued a rallying cry" after holding onto her Witham seat.
"It is clear the British people have spoken and they have shown and wanted Boris Johnson and the Conservative Party to break the gridlock we have seen in British politics in the last three years, to get Brexit done and to unleash the potential of our great, great country again," she told the paper.
Former Culture Secretary John Whittingdale has been re-elected as the MP for Maldon, with an increased majority.
The Conservative candidate beat Labour's Stephen Capper by 30,041 votes, 6,611 more votes than the majority at the 2017 election.
Colin Baldy of the Liberal Democrats came third and the Green Party's Janet Band came fourth.
Voter turnout was down by 0.8 percentage points since the last general election.
More than 50,000 people, 69.4% of those eligible to vote, went to polling stations across the area on Thursday, in the first December general election since 1923.
One of the four candidates, Janet Band (Green) lost her £500 deposit after failing to win 5% of the vote.
This story was created using some automation.
Here are the final turnout figures for the Essex constituencies:
Basildon and Billericay 63.1% (65% in 2017)
Braintree 67.1% (69.5% in 2017)
Brentwood and Ongar 70.4% (70.5% in 2017)
Castle Point 63.6% (64.4% in 2017)
Chelmsford 71% (70.2% in 2017)
Clacton 61.3% (64.4% in 2017)
Colchester 64.4% (66.9% in 2017)
Epping Forest 68% (68% in 2017)
Harlow 63.7% (66.2% in 2017)
Harwich and North Essex 70.5% (71.1% in 2017)
Maldon 69.4% (70.2% in 2017)
Rayleigh and Wickford 69.5% (70.4% in 2017)
Rochford and Southend East 61.25% (64.3% in 2017)
Saffron Walden 72.5% (73.3% in 2017)
South Basildon and Thurrock East 60.8% (64.1% in 2017)
Southend West 67.8% (64.4% in 2017)
Thurrock 59.6% (64.4% in 2017)
Witham 70.1% (71.2% in 2017)
Chelmsford and Colchester, two seats the Liberal Democrats targeted, saw Tory majorities increase.
Read MoreAnalysis from Andrew Sinclair, BBC political correspondent for the East of England.
As the results of the 2019 general election sink in, we want to know what you've made of events overnight.
What do you think of the result? Have you got any questions that we might be able to answer? What are your hopes for the future?
You can contact us via: look.east@bbc.co.uk
Simon Dedman
BBC Essex political reporter
The non-surprise, surprise.
Every seat in Essex has stayed Conservative.
Their vote is up across the county.
Thurrock, one of the marginalist of marginal seats in the country, has gone from a majority of 345 to 11,500.
The Tories got more than half the vote in Colchester, with the Lib Dems a distant third.
Their chances of winning this seat back seems as distant as the next general election is now with Boris Johnson on course for the biggest Tory majority since Margaret Thatcher.
The Liberal Democrats more than doubled their share of the vote to 25% in Chelmsford, off the back of strong local election results.
They also took second-place in Saffron Walden but Labour finished second in every other Essex seat.
Labour were some 9,423 votes behind Will Quince in Colchester, which had been viewed as a possible swing seat ahead of the election.
With John Whittingdale's return in Maldon, that means all 18 Essex constituencies remain blue.
Jackie Doyle-Price in Thurrock and Will Quince in Colchester were among the bigger winners, solidifying their majorities.
In Ms Doyle-Price's case, she has increased her majority from 345 to 11,482.
John Whittingdale retains the seat with a majority of more than 30,000, in the final Essex constituency to declare.
Giles Watling has been re-elected as the MP for Clacton, with an increased majority.
The Conservative candidate beat Labour's Kevin Bonavia by 24,702 votes, 8,874 more votes than the majority at the 2017 election.
Callum Robertson of the Liberal Democrats came third and the Green Party's Chris Southall came fourth.
Voter turnout was down by 3 percentage points since the last general election.
Nearly 44,000 people, 61.3% of those eligible to vote, went to polling stations across the area on Thursday, in the first December general election since 1923.
Four of the seven candidates, Chris Southall (Green), Andy Morgan (independent), Colin Bennett (independent) and Just-John Sexton (Monster Raving Loony Party) lost their £500 deposits after failing to win 5% of the vote.
This story was created using some automation.
Rebecca Harris has been re-elected as the MP for Castle Point, with an increased majority.
The Conservative candidate beat Labour's Katie Curtis by 26,634 votes, 7,762 more votes than the majority at the 2017 election.
John Howson of the Liberal Democrats came third.
Voter turnout was down by 0.8 percentage points since the last general election.
More than 44,000 people, 63.6% of those eligible to vote, went to polling stations across the area on Thursday, in the first December general election since 1923.
All three candidates keep their deposits, after receiving more than 5% of the votes.
This story was created using some automation.
Conservative Party chairman James Cleverly has been re-elected as the MP for Braintree, with an increased majority.
The Conservative candidate beat Labour's Joshua Garfield by 24,673 votes, 6,251 more votes than the majority at the 2017 election.
Dominic Graham of the Liberal Democrats came third and independent candidate Jo Beavis came fourth.
Voter turnout was down by 2.3 percentage points since the last general election.
More than 50,000 people, roughly two-thirds of those eligible to vote, went to polling stations across the area on Thursday, in the first December general election since 1923.
Three of the six candidates, Jo Beavis (independent), David Mansell (independent) and Alan Dorkins (independent) lost their £500 deposits after failing to win 5% of the vote.
This story was created using some automation.
Home Secretary Priti Patel has been re-elected as the MP for Witham, with an increased majority.
The Conservative candidate beat Labour's Martin Edobor by 24,082 votes, 5,436 more votes than the majority at the 2017 election.
Sam North of the Liberal Democrats came third and the Green Party's James Abbott came fourth.
Voter turnout was down by 1.1 percentage points since the last general election.
More than 49,000 people, 70.1% of those eligible to vote, went to polling stations across the area on Thursday, in the first December general election since 1923.
All four candidates keep their deposits, after receiving more than 5% of the votes.
This story was created using some automation.
Home Secretary Priti Patel retains her seat.
Alex Burghart has been re-elected as the MP for Brentwood & Ongar, with an increased majority.
The Conservative candidate beat Labour's Oliver Durose by 29,065 votes, 5,063 more votes than the majority at the 2017 election.
David Kendall of the Liberal Democrats came third and the Green Party's Paul Jeater came fourth.
Voter turnout was down by 0.1 percentage points since the last general election.
Nearly 53,000 people, 70.4% of those eligible to vote, went to polling stations across the area on Thursday, in the first December general election since 1923.
Two of the five candidates, Paul Jeater (Green) and Robin Tilbrook (English Democrats) lost their £500 deposits after failing to win 5% of the vote.
This story was created using some automation.
Rebecca Harris increases her majority to 26,634.
Giles Watling retains his seat with 31,438 votes and a majority of around 25,000.
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