Dozens of seats are considered “too close to call” by the exit poll which forecast Boris Johnson to win a landslide Conservative majority of 86 in the House of Commons.
The survey of voters at polling stations across the UK suggests the Tories will win around 368 seats to Labour’s 191, with Liberal Democrats on 13 and the Scottish National Party on 55.
If confirmed when the votes are counted, this would deliver the largest Tory majority since 1987 and clear the way for Mr Johnson to take the UK out of the European Union on 31 January.
But, according to poll aggregator Britain Elects, as many as 65 seats are classified as “too close to call” ahead of the first official results, which are expected before midnight.
The shock projected result would represent a disaster for Jeremy Corbyn, who would be under intense pressure to resign, while providing Mr Johnson a free hand to implement his programme over a term of at least four-and-a-half years in Downing Street.
High-profile MPs projected to lose their seats include Liberal Democrat leader Jo Swinson in East Dunbartonshire, as well as former Tory mayoral candidate Zac Goldsmith in Richmond Park.
The pound spiked on news of the exit poll, as markets responded to the prospect of a stable majority government after years of uncertainty.
