Naomi Long more than doubles the Alliance vote while Diane Dodds and Martina Anderson retain seats.

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So, with results declared up and down the country, the Brexit Party have started from their official launch six weeks ago, to winning 31% of the vote and 29 seats representing the UK in the European Parliament.

The Lib Dems came second, gaining 15 seats to win 16 overall. They got 20% of the vote.

Labour came third, securing 14% of the vote, and losing 10 of their 20 MEPs from the 2014 Parliament.

The Greens came fourth, receiving 12% of the vote. They were awarded seven MEP seats, up from three last time around.

The Conservatives came sixth, scoring just 9% of the vote, losing 15 MEPs, and ending up with four seats in the European Parliament.

In Scotland, the big story remains the SNP's dominance over other parties - with them winning another MEP seat at this election. In Wales, Plaid Cymru held on to their sole seat.

UKIP and Change UK failed to win any seats.

Counting continues in Northern Ireland, where the DUP's Diane Dodds is the first to be elected to one of its three European seats. Sinn Fein and the Alliance Party look set to win the other two.

Naomi Long, who looks set to secure one of Northern Ireland's three European Parliament seats, says she is overwhelmed by the result.

Jeremy Corbyn has written to Labour MPs to say the party is "ready to support a public vote on any deal", according to a New Statesman political correspondent.

He urged them to "stay united", although he acknowledged they were "understandably concerned" at the outcome of the EU elections.

"In Parliament our responsibility is to ensure that a Tory civil war does not push us into a no-deal Brexit," says the letter, posted on Twitter by Patrick Maguire.

"But it is also clear that the deadlock can now only be broken by the issue going back to the people through a general election or a public vote. We are ready to support a public vote on any deal."

Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn has tweeted his TV interview today, repeating his call for a general election - and a public vote on a deal with the EU.

Image source, Gett

Conservative MPs are throwing their hats into the ring to become the next Tory leader and prime minister, after Theresa May announced she would be stepping down on 7 June.

Home Secretary Sajid Javid has become the latest MP to enter the race - joining Michael Gove, Dominic Raab, Matt Hancock, Jeremy Hunt, Boris Johnson, Esther McVey, Andrea Leadsom and Rory Stewart.

Read the full list of confirmed contenders and some who are believed to be seriously considering entering the contest.

Sajid Javid has announced he is running - here's what happens next...

The deadline for nominations is the week starting 10 June.

Candidates each need two proposers. If there are more than three candidates, Tory MPs carry out a series of votes until two remain.

Conservative Party Chairman Brandon Lewis said he hoped the process to determine the final choice to put to members would be concluded by the end of June.

There will then be a series of hustings around the UK followed by a postal ballot of Conservative Party members, with the result announced before Parliament rises for the summer.

Michelle O'Neill says that voters have come out to reject Brexit again.

The Sinn Féin vice president says that all the parties which polled well stood on a platform to "protect the withdrawal agreement".

The Brexit Party's Nigel Farage says that MEPs are "doing this because we believe in it".

He says that his party winning will put "pressure on the Conservative Party leadership contest".

He adds that if the UK doesn't leave by 31 October, then the Conservatives and Labour will lose votes to his party at the next general election.

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Liberal Democrat leader Sir Vince Cable says the party's "next big task" is to work with others to prevent the UK from "crashing out of the European Union by accident".

He says it is "very clear" that there is a "clear majority in the country who want to stop Brexit".

"We've had a brilliant result, we've got a lot now to build on," he adds.

He says he was "pleasantly surprised" at the results overnight, although it was "clear that we had momentum".

"The only way now to resolve the issue is to go back to the public," he says. Sir Vince adds that "Jeremy Corbyn's position is now very weak" and Labour's results were "almost humiliating".

He says he would be surprised if both Labour and the Conservatives "survive intact" during the next general election.

Turning to the upcoming Liberal Democrat leadership race, he says he does not have a preference for who takes over.

It's won the largest share of the vote and the most seats in the UK's European elections and it's very clear the Brexit Party wants to leave the EU as soon as possible.

But with many of its policies unknown and no manifesto, it's not clear exactly what a Brexit Party Brexit would look like.

The party's leader Nigel Farage says he wants a "clean-break" Brexit, abandoning Theresa May's withdrawal agreement, but he avoids using the term "no-deal" Brexit.

He wants its newly elected MEPs to play a "major role" in the Brexit negotiations but, as the Brexit Party is not in government and has no MPs in the House of Commons, that is unlikely.

While the party is offering simple solutions, the Brexit process is a lot more complex.

Read more on this here.

Image source, PA

Tory leadership candidate Rory Stewart has been out and about in east London, following his party's hammering in the Euro elections.

Mr Stewart tweeted a call for people to come along and talk to him about issues "beyond Brexit".

He added later: "Everyone I am meeting today is talking about how they want to get beyond Brexit - let’s get this done, unify the country and transform Britain."

Alliance leader Naomi Long enters the count centre saying: "I'm speechless for once."

She says that a vote for her was "a vote to remain and to have a people's vote".

"We want to remain in the EU and let us have the final say," she says.

Image source, PA

Scotland's First Minister, Nicola Sturgeon, has said the second half of next year would be the right time to hold another independence referendum.

Ms Sturgeon has previously said there should be a second vote before the next Scottish elections in 2021.

Speaking at an event in Dublin, she also said independence would strengthen ties between the Irish Republic and Scotland.

UK government ministers have said they will not allow another referendum, after a majority of voters rejected independence in 2014.