There was one number that resounded across all the front pages of the early editions of the newspapers – 316, the number of Tory MPs that were predicted by the BBC’s shock exit poll on election night.
“Poll shocker for Labour,” said the Guardian. “Tories out in front,” said the Times, while the Sun went for “swinging the blues” as it reported the prediction that the Tories would have 316 MPs, Labour 239, SNP 58, the Lib Dems 10 and two for Ukip.
But most striking front page image went to the Daily Mirror, one of only two national papers – along with the Guardian – to support Labour.
An almost entirely blacked out front page, it is dominated by a single four-word headline: “Five more damned years?”. Inside, it says the nation is facing “five more years of Tory misery” under the headline, “Ed’s exit wound”.
“Keep Cam and carry on,” was the Sun’s inside headline, although its leader, like the political leaders, could scarcely bring itself to trust the poll’s unexpected findings.
It may be the TV poll has overestimated what could only be described as an extraordinary vindication of David Cameron’s policies. We could hardly believe it ourselves.
If last night’s astonishing exit poll is to be believed, Britain has backed the Tories’ economic competence and overwhelmingly rejected Labour’s plan to reimpose socialism on the nation.
The Daily Mail said “Red Ed faces disaster with ‘worst result for 30 years’.”
David Cameron appears to be heading back to No 10 today after ‘shy Tories’ delivered an extraordinary late surge for his party.
Labour leader Ed Miliband’s career – and that of deputy prime minister Nick Clegg – appeared to have been brought to a crashing end as both of their parties were smashed.
Inside, it was more concerned by whether Miliband had been on the sunbed after he “looked fresh from a weekend in Barbados” when he voted on Thursday.
Papers’ early editions are traditionally a tough call for editors trying to reflect an election when the result of the poll is still unknown.
Last night’s shock prediction, confounding all previous expectations that it would be too close to call, made the task slightly easier.
If the numbers are right, bring on the inquests, said the Guardian’s Jonathan Freedland.
“It’s fair to say that no one was expecting that. Not the political parties, not the punditocracy and - least of all - the pollsters … At Tory mission control, the joy would have been unconfined.”
The Independent said the BBC poll raised hopes of a “late break” for the Tories after weeks of poll deadlock. In the event, the number of Tory MPs looks likely even to exceed last night’s prediction.
The Daily Express, whose owner Richard Desmond has given £1.3m to Ukip, turned its attention already to Europe, its front-page headline declaring: “Now give us a vote on EU” while the Daily Star reported people had been “bullied at the ballot box”.
“The pressure for an EU referendum became irresistible last night after voters delivered a resounding general election plea for a change in the way Britain is run,” said the Express.
In the Daily Telegraph, Michael Deacon’s TV review was struck by the BBC’s on-screen box of tricks overseen by Jeremy Vine, including a “computer generated House of Commons surrounded by disturbingly zombie-like 3D caricatures of real MPs.
The caricature Ed Miliband looked as if he was barely able to breathe. Which, to be fair, was probably how he was looking in real life.
