All The Bizarre Moments You May Have Missed As Election Results Rolled In

For the most part, election night went exactly as the polls expected – Labour stormed to victory and the Tories took a brutal beating.

But there were some surprising moments in the wall-to-wall coverage which may have slipped under your radar, from the chaotic broadcasts to the largest electoral shocks.

So here’s a breakdown at some of the most eye-catching events which unfolded overnight.

1. Andy Burnham’s jubilant celebration at the exit poll

The Labour mayor of Greater Manchester could not hide his excitement even when he was live on Sky News this evening when the exit poll came in.

When he saw his party was on track for a landslide of 410 seats, Burnham stood up, put his hands together in a praying motion, then put his arms up in the air, before rubbing his face in disbelief.

He was sat next to a rather glum-looking Ruth Davidson, the leader of the Scottish Tory party until 2021, at the time.

2. BBC predicts humiliating defeat for Tory candidate, in front of Tory candidate

Steve Baker, the former Northern Ireland minister, was sitting on a BBC panel when the exit poll came in at 10pm and predicted a brutal night for the Conservatives.

But they expected the worst results to come in for Baker himself, predicting that he had less than 1% chance of staying as an MP – even as the camera panned to the rather awkward-looking Tory.

3. Wes Streeting goes for the longest “ship” metaphor of the night

The shadow health secretary seemed to get lost in his own analogy on the BBC.

Discussing the exit poll, he said: “And yes, the implosion of the Conservatives and the SNP has put wind in Labour’s sails, but the only reason we’ve got sails on the ship and the ship is ship-shape, is because Keir Starmer took the vessel from the shipwreck of 2019, rebuilt it and it made it ship-shape and seaworthy again.”

Streeting later responded to TV critic Scott Bryan’s clip of his performance on X, writing: “Sailing close to the wind.”

4. Nadine Dorries accuses Alastair Campbell of sexism

The former culture secretary and Boris Johnson loyalist Nadine Dorries clashed with Tony Blair’s one-time spin doctor Alastair Campbell on Channel 4.

“Honestly Nadine, you’ve got to get over Boris Johnson,” Campbell said to laughter around the room.

“Actually, I find that quite a sexist comment, Alastair, thank you,” Dorries cut in.

Campbell insisted it was not, and said: “You still seem to think Boris Johnson is an electoral asset.

“Rishi Sunak wheeling him out the eve of the election was one of the many mistakes he made. Liz Truss and Boris Johnson are politically toast.”

Dorries also claimed she had been texted by Boris Johnson on election night, but she refused to say what he said.

Meanwhile, Channel 4′s host for the night – Emily Maitlis – was seen actively looking away from Dorries when she was talking.

5. Farage forgets his party’s representatives are actually on TV and slams broadcasters

Reform leader Nigel Farage posted a video on social media praising his party’s successes early on in the night, even before they won any seats.

He pointed out that his party had come second in the two constituencies which had already been called – and suggested they were on track to do very well.

He then claimed: “To watch the TV coverage, it’s almost comical, there’s not a single representative on there from Reform UK.”

Actually, the party’s co-deputy leader, Dr David Bull, had already been on the BBC’s panel repeatedly by the point, while Reform candidate Ann Widdecombe had also been on Channel 4.

6. Ousted Conservative Robert Buckland lashes out at Tories

The former Tory MP – who lost his seat in Swindon South this evening to Labour after 14 years – did not hold back when the result came in.

Shortly after he urged the Conservatives to change their behaviour in his defeat speech, he told the BBC: “I’m fed up of performance arts politics.

“I’ve watched colleagues in the Conservative Party strike poses, write inflammatory op-eds and say stupid things they have no evidence for, instead of concentrating on doing the job they were elected to do.”

He said there was “astonishing ill-discipline” on display over the last six weeks of campaign, and said he expected senior members of the party to “get a grip on their brief” – although he made a point of excluding Rishi Sunak, saying he understands the detail.

“I’m fed up of personal agendas and jockeying for position,” he said, claiming now the Tories face political Armageddon now be like “a group of bald men arguing over a comb”.

His comments come days after former home secretary Suella Braverman penned an op-ed before the election saying it was already “over” for the Tories.

7. Lib Dems mock the SNP losses

Former SNP leader Nicola Sturgeon famously celebrated on screen when then-Lib Dem leader Jo Swinson lost her seat in 2019.

And it appears the Lib Dems have not forgotten that moment, and chose to  mock the predictions that the SNP are going to face heavy losses in the election at the start of the night.

According to The Sunday Times’ Tim Shipman, those with the party have been sharing a common meme format of “how it started” compared to “how it’s going”, and have put photos of Sturgeon celebrating in 2019 next to an image of Sturgeon looking sad tonight.

8. Traditional outfit steals the show

The High Sheriff of Northumberland announced the election results in both Blyth and Northumberland wearing quite the elaborate get-up.

Lucia Bridgeman, who currently holds the 12-month honorary position, was seen wearing a large blue hat with white feathers coming out of the rim and a matching overcoat.

The role is the oldest Royal appointment in the UK – and Bridgeman certainly won over the internet by wearing the traditional outfit when she took to the stage this evening.

9. Presenters caught eating on air

The BBC’s politics editor Chris Mason was seen trying to quickly eat a banana while sitting on the broadcaster’s panel.

The hosts of Channel 4′s election coverage, Emily Maitlis and Krishnan Guru-Murthy, were also rendered speechless when the camera panned to them when their mouths were full of sweets. 

10. Lee Anderson flips the bird after winning re-election

Anderson became the first MP to elected on a Reform UK ticket this evening.

Originally elected as a Tory for Ashfield in 2019 – and previously a Labour councillor – Ashfield became the only parliamentary representative of the far-right party earlier this year when he defected to Reform.

He celebrated his return to parliament by posting a photo of himself putting his finger up at the camera, pointing to his invitation to return to parliament.

11. George Galloway fails to turn up to his own count

The British Workers’ Party leader was unexpectedly elected in the Rochdale by-election earlier this year after Labour withdrew support from their candidate.

However, the divisive MP did not even turn up to the count in his constituency overnight when he lost to Labour’s new candidate Paul Waugh.

12. Richard Holden looks miserable as he waits for recount

The Tory party chair parachuted himself into a supposed safe Conservative seat in Basildon and Billericay in Essex, having spent the last five years being the MP to North West Durham, 300 miles away.

Expected to be one of the first constituencies to declare their results, Holden and his opponents ended up hanging around for hours waiting to find out his political fate.

The results were subjected to a recount when it was clearly going to be a very close decision.

Holden was broadcast repeatedly looking rather glum for hours on end, even though he was victorious in the end, taking the seat by just 20 votes.

13. A record number of ministers lost their seats

Eleven cabinet ministers were kicked out of parliament in a flurry of bad news for the Conservatives.

Education secretary Gillian Keegan, defence secretary Grant Shapps, justice secretary Alex Chalk, transport secretary Mark Harper, culture secretary Lucy Frazer, veterans minister Johnny Mercer, leader of the Commons Penny Mordaunt, chief whip Simon Hart, science secretary Michelle Donelan, Welsh secretary David Davies and attorney general Victoria Prentis have all lost their seats.

They all join the very short list of serving ministers who have been kicked out of parliament while holding office.

Between 1900 and 2024, this phenomenon has happened to just 35 ministers – this election takes that total up to 44.

14. Nigel Farage becomes an MP after seven failed attempts

The Reform UK leader won 21,225 votes, ousting Clacton’s former MP, the  Conservatives’ Giles Watling, who secured 12,820 votes.

Farage could not hide his excitement when the news was announced.

Reform ended up taking four seats overall.

15. Even re-elected Tories lose substantial support

Holden was just one of many Tories who found themselves hanging onto their seats by a thread.

For instance, deputy PM to Rishi Sunak, Oliver Dowden, was elected on a 40.8% majority in 2019 (equating to 21,313 more votes) – this dropped to a majority of 7,992 last night.

This decline of support came hours after the exit poll predicted that the party was on track to face their worst defeat in modern history.

16. Two Labour frontbenchers lose their seats

Jonathan Ashworth, who was the shadow paymaster general and at the forefront of the party’s campaign, lost his seat to a pro-Gaza independent in Leicester South, Shockat Adam.

One of the few notable Labour losses of the night, it meant Ashworth will not be in the next government – or even in parliament.

Ashworth was not the only Labour candidate who faced a surprising battle to win their seat, either.

Shadow health secretary Wes Streeting was also re-elected on a very narrow majority of just 500 votes. 

Thangam Debbonaire was kicked out of her seat in Bristol Central as the Green Party’s co-leader Carla Denyer was elected.

17. Keegan walks off stage as her opponent starts speaking

The former education secretary’s seat went to the Lib Dem’s Jess Brown-Fuller, by 25,540 votes, compared to Keegan’s 13,368.

She was one of several cabinet ministers to lose their seats overnight – and it seems she did not take it very well.

When Brown-Fuller took to the podium to make her acceptance speech, Keegan walked off the stage behind the new MP.

18. Sunak mocked even as he concedes defeat

The prime minister – who managed to hold onto his own seat but with a much smaller majority  – used his constituency victory speech to admit Labour had won.

He said: “I’ve called Sir Keir Starmer to congratulate him on his victory.

“Today, power will change hands in a peaceful and orderly manner, with goodwill on all sides. That is something that should give us all confidence in our country’s stability and future. “The British people have delivered a sobering verdict tonight, there is much to learn... and I take responsibility for the loss. 

“To the many good, hard-working Conservative candidates who lost tonight, despite their tireless efforts, their local records and delivery, and their dedication to their communities. I am sorry.” 

Unfortunately for the outgoing prime minister, a YouTuber held a sign saying “L” behind him while he spoke.

19. SNP MP can’t hide his disappointment

Stephen Flynn, the Westminster leader for the SNP, was seen looking utterly defeated on the BBC after his party took a beating at the election.

Although not all the results were in at the time of his interview seven hours after the polls closed, his party had taken just four seats – a very poor result considering the nationalists secured 43 seats in the 2019 election.

He was seen puffing out his cheeks and exhaling when the BBC panned to him in the early morning.

Flynn kept hold of his own seat in Aberdeen South with 15,213 votes but admitted the SNP is “going to be beat in Scotland and we are going to be beat well”.

20. The rise of pro-Gaza independents

As of 5.30am, four pro-Gaza independent candidates had also been elected.

That includes former Labour leader, Jeremy Corbyn, Shockat Adam Blackburn, who ousted ex-shadow cabinet member Jonathan Ashworth, Adnan Hussain and Iqbal Mohammed.

That puts them on par with newly elected Reform MPs.

Four candidates for the populist Reform Party – leader Nigel Farage, chairman Richard Tice, Tory defector Lee Anderson and Rupert Lowe – all secured seats in parliament.