UK Exit Poll: Labour, in a Rout

The Labour Party is on track to win 410 parliamentary seats, a major exit poll showed late Thursday, making leader Keir Starmer the UK's next prime minister. That would nearly provide Labour its best election result ever, CNN reports. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's Conservative Party was running a distant second with 131 seats, a decisive rejection by voters after 14 years in power, per the AP. The No. 3 party would remain the Liberal Democrats, with 61 seats. Votes are to be counted throughout the night, and Starmer probably will become prime minister on Friday.

The exit poll, conducted across the country by Ipsos, historically has reflected the final results, per CNN. At this rate, Conservatives would suffer their greatest loss in their almost 200-year history, per the New York Times. Starmer thanked voters and campaigners in a post on X but couldn't comment on the outcome yet. Tony Blair won even more seats in his 1997 landslide—the last time Labour ousted the Conservatives. (More British elections stories.)