Norman Smith
Assistant political editor

The scale of Boris Johnson's victory means he basically has a free hand to do whatever he wants.

He has a totally crushed opposition who will presumably go into a period of intense introspection, who knows, maybe even civil war.

He has an absolutely massive majority. He's not beholden to any group in his party any longer and he has a manifesto which actually commits him to remarkably little.

So he has a blank piece of paper and he can do what he wants.

In a way, we are now going to find out who the real Boris Johnson is.

He has travelled politically pretty light throughout his career but now we are going to see what it is he actually believes in..

There are some who hope we will see the reemergence of the sort of Boris Johnson who was mayor of London and who was a much more one nation, centrist sort of Conservative leader. Much more of a socially liberal Conservative leader. Maybe will we see that sort of a prime minister.

What is absolutely true though is that he is going to have to work incredibly hard to keep on board those traditional Labour supporters who abandoned their loyalties of the past generations and decided to back him.

He is going to have to demonstrate to them that they were right to put their trust in him.

"Our country is in the grip of populism, with nationalism resurgent in all its forms," Lib Dem leader Jo Swinson says, speaking at a rally.

"It is easy to despair. But I say, let's foster hope instead," she says.

"There will be a way out of this nationalist surge and we have to work together to find it," she adds.

Ms Swinson, who is stepping down as leader after losing her seat to the SNP, says although she will not be the party's leader, "I will be walking alongside you".

She urges the party to step up, organise and "regroup".

Ms Swinson ends her speech by saying that one day next week is the shortest day, but promises that there "we will see more light in the future" and calls on people to have "hope in our hearts".

"Obviously it hasn't worked, and I like you am devastated but I don't regret trying, trying everything," Ms Swinson says. "Because the prize was to save our future... in Europe."

She adds that the Lib Dems "have been true to ourselves" and "as your leader, I have been true to myself too".

"I did not shirk the debates or the phone-ins," she adds.

Ms Swinson added she was proud the Liberal Democrats had been the "unapologetic voice of Remain" in this election, giving people the chance to stop Brexit."

She says she is devastated by the result, but does not regret trying because "the prize was to save our children's future."

Lib Dem Jo Swinson - who lost her seat to the SNP - earlier announced she will step down as party leader.

She says she is proud the Lib Dems provided a "welcoming home" for those who were "abandoned" by their parties.

She says racism has now become "mainstream", citing allegations of Labour's anti-Semitism and claims of Islamophobia in the Brexit Party.

"The Conservatives are failing on Islamophobia and the prime minister received the endorsement of Tommy Robinson, Britain's biggest racist," she adds.

The World at One
BBC Radio 4

The Labour former cabinet minister, Lord Blunkett, calls for the Labour leadership to apologise for the election defeat.

“It would really help if the clique that runs the Labour Party at the moment just said ‘sorry’," he says.

"They are so lacking in any contrite belief that they made a mistake. I haven’t heard one of them apologise to all those who lost their seats last night.”

He says he feared that the end result would be that Brexit would “lead inexorably” to a united Ireland.

"Wouldn’t that be an interesting outcome for Jeremy Corbyn, who has been in favour of a united Ireland all his life,” he adds.

Image source, Reuters/PA Media

• Liberal Democrat leader Jo Swinson lost her East Dunbartonshire seat to the SNP by just 149 votes. She has stood aside as party leader, with deputy leader Ed Davey MP and Baroness Sal Brinton acting as joint interim leaders.

• Conservative Zac Goldsmith, a former London mayoral candidate, lost his Richmond Park seat to the Liberal Democrats' Sarah Olney, who received 34,559 votes.

• Former Conservative Dominic Grieve lost his Beaconsfield seat to new Tory candidate Joy Morrissey. Mr Grieve, a former attorney general, ran as an independent after being kicked out of the parliamentary party by Boris Johnson when he backed a bill to try to stop a no-deal Brexit.

You can read more about the high-profile political casualties here.

Hywel Griffith
BBC News' Wales Correspondent

Wrexham is a town which has never returned a Conservative MP before but last night this was another brick in that red wall which turned blue. A red wall which has been bulldozed by Boris Johnson.

Brexit was definitely the key issue in many of those Welsh constituencies.

Wales overall voted in favour of Brexit in 2016 but the Welsh Labour Party wanted to Remain.

So in constituencies such as Wrexham, in Delyn, in the Vale of Clwyd, this batch of seats up in north east Wales, people for the first time have put their trust in Boris Johnson - maybe just lending him their vote. What will he do with their support over the next five years?

Labour is still the biggest party in Wales, taking 22 of the 40 seats, but that's its worst return since 1983.

Jeremy Corbyn really didn't go down well with Welsh voters.

But what about the Welsh Labour government, which has been running the NHS here? How much accountability can it take.

Finally Plaid Cymru, a solid, stable night for them. They went in with four, came out with four constituencies.

Read more: Tories claim big scalps in Wales.

After congratulating Boris Johnson on his election victory, European Council President Charles Michel tweeted:

Image source, Reuters

If you're looking for a quick catch-up:

• A super speedy recap of the key points
• Video: The story of the night
• In pictures: The morning after the night before
• Boris Johnson hails 'new dawn' after historic victory - our main story

The best of our analysis:

• Johnson's gamble pays off but challenges lie ahead - by our political editor Laura Kuenssberg
• EU prepares for Brexit hardball - by our Europe editor Katya Adler
• What's behind the Conservative victory? - by our polling expert Prof Sir John Curtice

What happens next?

• What does Boris Johnson do today?
• What happens next with Brexit?

What happened across the UK?

• A constitutional collision course in Scotland - by our Scotland Editor Sarah Smith
• 'Bruising defeats' for DUP and Sinn Féin - by our Northern Ireland political reporter Jayne McCormack
• Tories claim big scalps in Wales

Image source, Jeff Overs/BBC

The BBC received more than 12,000 complaints about Boris Johnson's interview on the Andrew Marr programme on 1 December, with bias against Mr Johnson the main issue raised.

The interview came after Mr Johnson faced criticism over his refusal to commit to an interview with the BBC's Andrew Neil.

The figures were published in the BBC complaints service's fortnightly report, which covers the two-week period up to Sunday 8 December.

The broadcaster also received 1,303 complaints about Andrew Neil's interview with Jeremy Corbyn on 26 November, with bias against the Labour leader the main issue raised.

In the interview, Mr Corbyn declined to apologise to the UK Jewish community after the chief rabbi criticised how the party deals with anti-Semitism claims.

The BBC press office has been approached for a comment.

BBC News Channel

The next Labour leader must be able to bring together "two very different parts of the country", says Lisa Nandy.

When the Wigan MP was asked if she would be in the running to replace Jeremy Corbyn, she said: "I don't know what I am going to do next.”

The former Labour energy and climate change spokeswoman admitted the party had been told it was not listening to people and said it needed some "humility".

BBC Radio 5 Live

BBC Radio 5 Live presenter Anna Foster is in Sedgefield in County Durham - which used to be former Labour PM Tony Blair's constituency. It's been won by the Conservatives, who have taken five key constituencies in north-east England.

Stephen voted Independent.

"When I got to the ballot paper I couldn't make my mind up," he told Anna, "but the one thing I wasn't going to vote for was the Labour Party.

"I've voted Labour all my life and it was because of one man, and that was Jeremy Corbyn, it wasn't because of Brexit.

"I didn't want Corbyn to be in Number 10 and have the SNP with Nicola Sturgeon having a big say... that was just unpalatable to me.

"There wasn't space to write 'none of the above' on the ballot paper."

Have your say: Text 85058 / @BBC5Live, external

Witness the view from the other side of the famous black front door as the prime minister is greeted by staff in Downing Street:

BBC News Channel

Asked about the shape of the new government, former cabinet secretary Lord Gus O'Donnell says leaks have suggested the Department for International Development might be folded into the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, but thinks there will still be two separate cabinet ministers.

He adds that Boris Johnson could use money in ways that aren't normally counted as aid, such as climate change.

"There's possibilities for him, and that's where he needs to sit down and, I'd say, not rush into sorting out a cabinet yet, and think about the machinery of government that will work for what he wants to do," Lord O'Donnell adds.

"I'm hoping he'll wait [to form cabinet] because he's got to sort out, with a bigger majority, the kind of Brexit deal he can do.

"He's got more options open and I would say delivering a softer Brexit helps him with Northern Ireland and Scotland... a no-deal Brexit would be really bad for Northern Ireland and Scotland. Particularly bad for Northern Ireland, and I think he'll be be more aware of that now with these results."

He adds, however, that a no-deal Brexit has become "even less likely" now.

Speaking about his party's handling of anti-Semitism, Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn says: "I inherited a system that didn't work in the Labour Party. On anti-Semitism, I introduced the rule changes necessary to deal with it and they're in operation but I think anti-Semitism is an absolute evil curse within our society and I will always condemn it and also do and always will".

BBC News Channel

Lucy Powell, who has been reelected as an MP for Manchester Central, says she thinks "we need to hear a bit more contrition and humility not just from Jeremy but from across the party as well".

"We all have a responsibility for what is a seismic and formidable defeat that we have suffered," she says.

She adds that she does not think it is "efficient" to blame the defeat on just one issue, adding that it's "a whole range of issues and we need to be really humble in defeat and take our full responsibility for it".

Ms Powell, who resigned from the shadow cabinet under Jeremy Corbyn, adds that she hopes Mr Corbyn "will really reflect on that result".

• Boris Johnson has returned to Downing Street, after meeting the Queen at Buckingham Palace to ask to form a new government. He's expected to make a statement outside No 10 this afternoon.
• With just one seat left to declare, the Tories have a Commons majority of 78. In a speech to party activists earlier, Mr Johnson said he was "humbled" to get the support of people who may never have voted Tory before, after his party secured its biggest majority since the 1980s.
• He vowed to lead a "people's government" and fulfil the "sacred trust" placed in him. Polling expert Sir John Curtice looks at what's behind the Tory victory here.
• It was a disastrous night for Labour, which lost 59 seats - including in traditional industrial heartlands in northern England and the Midlands which the party had held for decades.
• Speaking a short time ago, Jeremy Corbyn said he would stay on as leader until his successor is elected. Earlier he confirmed he would not lead his party into the next election. Mr Corbyn's allies have blamed Brexit for the defeat but critics of the Labour leader say his leadership has also been a huge problem on the doorstep. Read our analysis of how Labour's "red wall" turned blue here.

• In one of the biggest political casualties of the night, Lib Dem leader Jo Swinson lost her seat, as her party failed to make gains. Ms Swinson is no longer the party's leader with Sir Ed Davey and Baroness Sal Brinton appointed interim co-leaders.
• SNP leader Nicola Sturgeon said her party now had a strengthened mandate for another Scottish independence referendum, after gaining 13 seats. In a speech in Edinburgh, she said Mr Johnson - whose party lost seven seats in Scotland - had "no right" to stand in the way and next week she would publish "the detailed democratic case" for the transfer of power to enable a referendum to take place.

• In Wales, the first three female Conservative MPs have been elected as the party claimed six key seats from Labour. Labour remained the biggest party while Plaid Cymru held their four seats and the Liberal Democrats were wiped out
• In Northern Ireland, the DUP suffered a bruising night, losing two MPs - including its Westminster leader Nigel Dodds.

• The Greens retained their only seat with an increased majority but the Brexit Party failed to take any.

The World at One
BBC Radio 4

Speaking on BBC Radio 4's World at One programme, Chancellor Sajid Javid says he believes the election result shows the "verdict of the British people".

He says he hopes the clarity "allows all parliamentarians to put aside some of the differences, to put aside some of the division, and we can begin a healing process for the whole country".

Mr Javid adds: "All our citizens. You know there’ll be Jewish citizens waking up today for the first time able to feel safe in our country, the first time since Jeremy Corbyn became leader of the Labour Party."

BBC Radio 5 Live