LIVE: The polls are open in the UK General Election
Photo by Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images
Welcome to our live blog coverage of the 2015 general election! Voting opened at 7 a.m. and will continue until 10 a.m. Follow below for the latest updates in Britain's most uncertain race in a generation. Note: All times are in GMT.
SEE THE HIGHLIGHTS BELOW:
- The party leaders cast their votes this morning
- A massive registration failure has been reported by voters in Hackney, according to The Telegraph
- Lord Ashcroft tweeted his final poll this morning, with Conservatives and Labour both at 33%
- The last Ipos Mori poll has Conservatives with a one percentage point lead over Labour
- A guide to the key seats you need to watch
- The best pictures from the campaign trail
- Exit polls will be released at 9 p.m.
Around 50 million voters have registered to elect Britain's 650 MPs. Of them, almost 15% are postal votes, while the rest will be heading to polling stations around the country in town halls, community centres, churches, and even the odd laundrette.
Unlike previous elections, there is no clear favourite heading into election day. The Conservatives and Labour are neck-and-neck in the polls, with no party expected to win a majority.
Pollsters are predicting a second consecutive hung parliament, the first time that's happened since 1910.
APPARENTLY LABOUR IS SLIGHTLY IN THE LEAD
The latest ICM poll, which was commissioned by left leaning newspaper The Guardian newspaper, puts Labour in the lead by one point.
On Wednesday, ICM pegged Labour and the Conservatives to be deadlocked on 35% each, but the poll of 2,000 people via telephone interviews, puts Labour at 35% and Conservatives at 34%.
Other stats from the poll show:
- Ukip: 11%
- Lib Dems: 9%
- SNP: 5%
- Greens: 4%
LATEST POLL SHOWS TORIES AND LABOUR ARE STILL NECK AND NECK:
COULD NICK CLEGG'S WIFE BE HINTING AT ANOTHER TORY AND LIB DEM COALITION WITH HER OUTFIT?
We're joking of course. Kind of.
THE FINAL POLLS FROM LORD ASHCROFT AND IPSOS MORI ARE OUT:
HACKNEY POLLING STATIONS ARE A DISASTER: The Telegraph reports that many voters in Hackney are complaining of registration problems.
THE GUARDIAN CATCHES UP WITH STEPHEN KINNOCK: Kinnock is standing in Averavon. He is married to Danish prime minister Helle Thorning-Schmidt.
THE PARTY LEADERS HAVE ALREADY CAST THEIR VOTES: Prime minister David Cameron, UKIP leader Nigel Farage, Labour leader Ed Miliband, SNP leader Nicola Sturgeon, and Greens leader Natalie Bennett were up early to cast their votes.
THE KEY SEATS TO WATCH:
- Key Conservative seats that could fall to Labour
- First signs that the Liberal Democrats are in trouble
- The SNP surge
- UKIP seats to watch
Key Conservative seats that could fall to Labour: Look out for results that go against the odds
REUTERS/Toby MelvilleBritain's Prime Minister David Cameron pauses as he speaks at an election rally in Hendon in north London, Britain May 5, 2015. Britain will go to the polls in a national election on May 7 1:00 a.m.
Nuneaton - Election Forecast probability: Conservatives 28%; Labour 72%
2:00 a.m.
Northampton North - Election Forecast probability: Conservatives 50%; Labour 50%
Cleethorpes - Election Forecast probability: Conservatives 73%; Labour 23%
2:30 a.m.
City of Chester - Election Forecast probability: Conservatives 4%; Labour 96%
3:00 a.m.
Bedford - Election Forecast probability: Conservatives 23%; Labour 77%
Croydon Central - Election Forecast probability: Conservatives 75%; Labour 25%
Amber Valley - Election Forecast probability: Conservatives 13%; Labour 87%
High Peak - Election Forecast probability: Conservatives 82%; Labour 18%
Swindon South - Election Forecast probability: Conservatives 77%; Labour 23%
Bury North - Election Forecast probability: Conservatives 31%; Labour 69%
Carlisle - Election Forecast probability: Conservatives 19%; Labour 81%
Erewash - Election Forecast probability: Conservatives 23%; Labour 77%
Hastings & Rye - Election Forecast probability: Conservatives 33%; Labour 67%
3:30 a.m.
Enfield North - Election Forecast probability: Conservatives 31%; Labour 69%
4:00 a.m.
Cannock Chase - Election Forecast probability: Conservatives 34%; Labour 66%
Broxstowe - Election Forecast probability: Conservatives 28%; Labour 72%
Ipswich - Election Forecast probability: Conservatives 46%; Labour 54%
Harrow East - Election Forecast probability: Conservatives 45%; Labour 55%
4:30 a.m.
Norwich North - Election Forecast probability: Conservatives 54%; Labour 46%
Pudsey - Election Forecast probability: Conservatives 61%; Labour 39%
Corby - Election Forecast probability: Conservatives 8%; Labour 92%
Dewsbury - Election Forecast probability: Conservatives 12%; Labour 88%
5:00 a.m.
Keighley - Election Forecast probability: Conservatives 27%; Labour 73%
Warrington South - Election Forecast probability: Conservatives 44%; Labour 56%
Wirral West - Election Forecast probability: Conservatives 15%; Labour 85%
Rossendale & Darwen - Election Forecast probability: Conservatives 63%; Labour 37%
Halesowen & Rowley Regis - Election Forecast probability: Conservatives 55%; Labour 45%
Ealing Central & Acton - Election Forecast probability: Conservatives 52%; Labour 48%
Finchley & Golders Green - Election Forecast probability: Conservatives 49%; Labour 51%
Hove - Election Forecast probability: Conservatives 16%; Labour 84%
6:00 a.m.
Cardiff North - Election Forecast probability: Conservatives 17%; Labour 83%
Lancaster & Fleetwood - Election Forecast probability: Conservatives 8%; Labour 92%
The first signs the Liberal Democrats: If they lose any of these seats, the party looks set to have a bad night
2:00 a.m.
Eastleigh - Election Forecast probability: Conservatives 1%; Lib Dems 99%
2:30 a.m.
Yeovil - Election Forecast probability: Conservatives 15%; Lib Dems 85%
3:00 a.m.
Bermondsey and Old Southwark - Election Forecast probability: Labour 8%; Lib Dems 92%
The SNP surge: The big names that could fall in Scotland and one that needs to win
3:00 a.m.
Paisley & Renfrewshire South (Douglas Alexander/Labour) - Election Forecast probability: Labour 1%; SNP 99%
East Renfrewshire (Jim Murphy/Labour) - Election Forecast probability: Labour 14%; SNP 86%
4:00 a.m.
Dumfriesshire, Clydesdale & Tweeddale (David Mundell/Conservative) - Election Forecast probability: Conservatives 38%; SNP 62%
4:30 a.m.
Gordon (Alex Salmond/SNP) - Election Forecast probability: Lib Dems 1%; SNP 99%
5:00 a.m.
Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch & Strathspey (Danny Alexander/Lib Dems) - Election Forecast probability: Lib Dems 0%; SNP 100%
UKIP: Here are the seats to watch
3:00 a.m.
Thurrock - Election Forecast probability: Conservatives 43%; Labour 20%; UKIP 37%
4:30 a.m.
Clacton - Election Forecast probability: Conservatives 28%; UKIP 72%
5:00 a.m.
Rochester & Strood - Election Forecast probability: Conservatives 98%; UKIP 1%
6:00 a.m.
South Thanet (Nigel Farage/UKIP) - Election Forecast probability: Conservatives 95%; UKIP 5%