Amber Rudd, the former work and pensions secretary who quit Boris Johnson's cabinet over Brexit, is among those who have congratulated Mr Johnson.

Meanwhile, Conservative MP Andrew Murrison, who was reelected to his seat in Wiltshire South West calls Mr Johnson's speech "masterful".

And outside of politics, broadcaster Piers Morgan praises the PM's speech as "unifying".

Former justice secretary David Gauke, who was expelled from the Conservative Parliamentary Party after he voted against Boris Johnson's Brexit deal, stood as an independent in the election but lost his South West Hertfordshire seat to the Tory candidate.

He's asked by the BBC's Emma Barnett if he's going to rejoin the Tory party:

Filmmaker Ken Loach, who backed Labour in the election, says: "I think you're right that Labour didn't get its message across, and it's disastrous because we've now got the biggest existential crisis that humanity's faced with climate change and this is being left to a bunch of free marketeers to sort out."

Asked about Jeremy Corbyn's agenda, and why not all Labour voters voted for it, Mr Loach - who says he would count Mr Corbyn as a friend - says he does not think the party's policies were "divisive".

So if it's not the message, was it the messenger?

"Maybe Labour wasn't clear in presenting it," he says, and adds: "Maybe - and I think this is not whinging - is that the whole press was pro-Tory."

He adds that, although "there will be anti-Semitism in the Labour Party", some socialist Jewish groups said "this anti-Semitism is being weaponised to undermine the Corbyn-led Labour Party".

BBC News Channel

Earlier we heard from the new Father of the House – now we hear from the politician who was previously the longest standing MP, Ken Clarke.

Mr Clarke, 79, a Tory Remainer who was expelled from the Parliamentary Conservative Party after rebelling against Boris Johnson's government over Brexit, did not seek re-election this time round.

He tells the BBC Mr Johnson has achieved a "remarkable victory" and now has "an amazing opportunity".

Mr Clarke says that if he wishes, Mr Johnson is now free from the influence of the "extreme right" of the Tory party, who were his allies just months ago.

His strong majority means he will have little difficulty getting his Brexit deal through Parliament, the former adds.

However, he says the prime minister still faces the challenge of negotiating the UK's future relationship with the EU, as well as getting the economy back on its feet and "difficult decisions" over domestic issues like social care.

"I think that the new theme across much of the developed world, in terms of centre-right and right-wing politics is sort of an authoritarianism in relation to immigration and those sorts of issues," says Labour MP David Lammy.

"And a sort of cut-through, whether it's let's take our country back, or let's get Brexit done.

"And it is true that social democratic and socialist parties have struggled to get a grip on that in heartland areas."

Mr Lammy, who has been the MP for Tottenham since 2000, adds: "What you can't do is triangulate on the big issue of our times, and we were triangulating on Brexit.

"And we have struggled but I don't think it's actually just for this Corbyn period. I think it goes back to Ed Miliband and even before that.

"We've struggled to reconcile our kind of liberal position in places like London and a small seat Conservative view of the world in some of those seats that voted Leave and now voted for Boris Johnson."

He says that is a "big challenge" for the Labour Party and "it's what we've got to wrestle with in the months ahead".

And he says, what he found when Labour were knocking on doors away from the capital, people thought of Mr Johnson that "actually he's only been in power for a few months let's have a look".

BBC News Channel

Key to Boris Johnson's post-Brexit success will be securing a trade deal with the United States.

In a tweet this morning, external, US President Donald Trump congratulated Mr Johnson on his election victory and said the two countries would "now be free to strike a massive new trade deal" after the UK leaves the EU.

Speaking to the BBC after Mr Johnson's statement outside No 10, US ambassador to the UK Woody Johnson says: "As far as this president’s concerned, [the UK] has never been anything but the front of the queue" for a trade deal.

The ambassador says that Mr Trump's tweet reiterated that the president wants a "free, fair and balanced" trade deal and "he wants to get it done quickly".

“I don’t think it’s going to be that complicated," he adds.

BBC Radio 5 Live

BBC Radio 5 Live presenter Anna Foster has gatecrashed a work Christmas party in the village of Heighington, in the Sedgefield constituency.

The Conservatives have taken five key constituencies in north-east England, including Sedgefield which was Tony Blair's former seat.

Isabel said she voted Conservative, but the result locally was still a big shock to her. She said there are high expectations of Boris Johnson: "He's got a chance now and he's got to do it, trying is not good enough."

Tom voted Labour, having been raised in a Labour voting household. "I knew the Conservatives were going to win," he said, "I voted Phil Wilson in the hope Sedgefield would stay Labour. I am not too bothered to be honest, I just hope that nothing too drastic changes."

The Conservatives now have a majority of 80 after Tory MP Derek Thomas held his seat in the constituency of St Ives.

Just moments ago, St Ives became the last constituency to announce its results after stormy weather delayed ballot boxes from being collected from the Isles of Scilly off Cornwall.

BBC journalist Leisha Chi Santorelli travelled to St Ives and the Scilly Isles over the summer and tweeted the following...

BBC News Channel

The previous Father of the House - the MP who has the longest unbroken service - was the Conservative's Ken Clarke, who did not seek re-election this time round.

If Labour had held on to Bolsover in Derbyshire, that title would have passed to the so-called Beast of Bolsover, Dennis Skinner - who last night lost the seat he had held since 1970.

Instead the MP to take over the mantle is Sir Peter Bottomley, who entered the Commons in 1975.

Sir Peter, who has been re-elected as Tory MP for Worthing West, says he believes the mood in Parliament will "calm down", after what some have described as a toxic atmosphere in recent months.

He tells the BBC he thinks the new Commons' speaker, Sir Lindsay Hoyle - who has the role of keeping order in debates - "will have a different approach" to his predecessor, John Bercow.

“There are many good things to say about John Bercow but I hope there will be more good things to say about the present speaker," Sir Peter says.

“I think he will bring humour and strict control – not allow things to drift in the way they did.”

Martin Bashir
BBC religious affairs correspondent

The chief rabbi, Ephraim Mirvis, issues a call to leave hatred and prejudice behind following the general election.

Writing on his Facebook page, he says electors had placed a heavy responsibility on politicians to answer “the profound social and economic challenges that our country that faces”.

But he warns that while the election may be over, “concerns about the resurgence of anti-Semitism very much remain”.

“Islamaphobia, racism and other forms of prejudice continue to afflict our communities and, as has been well publicised, even our political parties,” he writes.

Last month the chief rabbi of the United Hebrew Congregations of the Commonwealth - which is the largest umbrella group of Jewish communities in the country - made an unprecedented intervention during the election campaign claiming that the overwhelming majority of British Jews were “gripped by anxiety” at the prospect of a Labour victory.

In an article in The Times newspaper, he accused the party of failing to address anti-Jewish racism and claimed that “a new poison - sanctioned from the very top - has taken root”.

Following the Conservative victory, the chief rabbi did not refer to any specific party but concluded his Facebook posting by saying: “It is vital that we now bring the country together, ensuring that the voices of people from across our society are heard and respected. We must focus on our shared values and leave all hatred and prejudice far behind us.”

Jo Coburn
Daily Politics presenter

He talked about one nation Toryism, he also said that he has to thank all those heartland Labour voters who took a punt on Boris Johnson to get Brexit done, to use his mantra.

For the first time we heard him reach out to those who didn't vote for him, who didn't want him to be prime minister - those who wanted to Remain in the EU. That will be a very difficult job for him to bridge.

But he's got time to think about this. He can, to some extent, push towards that end of January date to take the UK out of the EU as he pledged, no ifs and no buts.

And then we will see what sort of government he does actually put forward. He'll do a much bigger reshuffle then and he will shape it no doubt in the way he would like to take a domestic agenda forward to.

The only thing I would say is the clock will start ticking again - that famous EU clock - on the trade talks. As soon as the UK leaves the EU they have got to try to get this trade deal. And again, there could be a hard end to that at the end of next year if they have not got that comprehensive deal.

The pressure of the NHS right now, it featured hugely in this election. Labour wanted to make it front of centre, it didn't work for them in the right way and there will be questions asked about whether they spent too much time about selling it off to Donald Trump and not enough about waiting times and the crisis in the NHS as many people see it right now.

Image source, PA Wire

The election has "changed the political landscape in Ireland, in Britain and in Europe," says Sinn Fein President Mary Lou McDonald.

Her party won in seven seats - losing one in Foyle and gaining one in North Belfast following a pro-Remain voting pact - and she says voters "clearly responded" to the anti-Brexit initiative.

She adds that Sinn Fein is ready to work towards an agreement when fresh talks to restore the power-sharing executive at Stormont begin on Monday.

"Sinn Fein wants to see a successful conclusion of the talks established by the two governments and the political institutions restored on a credible and a sustainable basis," she says.

"I and our negotiating team stand ready to re-enter talks with the two governments and the other parties on Monday and we will work towards securing agreement on outstanding issues."

She again calls for for the Irish government to create an "All-Ireland Forum on Irish Unity without delay".

"Totally different tone to Johnson when he moved in," tweets the BBC's political editor Laura Kuenssberg, saying it was a "huge call for unity"

In his victory speech, Mr Johnson pledged to bring all nations of the UK together, adding: "We are going to unite and level up."

Labour's shadow Brexit secretary Sir Keir Starmer has said there is "no hiding" from the "devastating" election results for the Labour Party and the movement.

"They're devastating for our party, devastating for our movement, but most importantly they will cause even more hurt to the millions of people who've suffered so much from the Tory government," he said.

"Obviously we've got to reflect on this, and we've got to reflect on this together as a party and as a movement, and try to properly understand this result."

He admitted it's going to be a "very, very big task" to rebuild the party and the movement.

Sir Keir didn't respond when asked whether he'd like to be the next Labour leader.

Instead he said: "This is the time for reflecting and understanding the result. I don't underestimate the size of the task ahead as we try to rebuild our party and our movement."

Speaking outside Downing Street after securing the Tories' biggest election victory since Margaret Thatcher, Mr Johnson urges everyone "to find closure and let the healing begin".

He goes on to say that the "overwhelming priority is that we focus on the NHS", which he calls a "simple and beautiful idea".

Mr Johnson says "this country deserves a break from wrangling... and a permanent break from talking about Brexit".

He says he wants people to go about their Christmas preparations knowing that the government is planning to make 2020 a prosperous year.

He ends his speech by thanking voters and wishing them a happy Christmas.

As Boris Johnson continues addressing the nation at the podium, his staff are watching from the sidelines.