Good morning round-up

Morning everyone!  After a few hours' sleep here's a review of the big picture:

• If last night's results were repeated across the country in a General Election the Conservatives would have a majority of 138.  That's the BBC's projection so it must be true.  Speaking to Sky, David Cameron described the results as a "big moment" for the Conservatives.
• The Tories may gain more than 250 seats - real champagne territory according to the PoliticsHome insiders' poll.
• Not a good night for Nick Clegg.  On projected share of national vote he did less well than Ming.
• Not a good night for the BBC either.  Jeremy Vine's graphics were childish.  We can only agree with Iain Dale: "A big black mark has to go to much of the Jeremy Vine sections of the progamme. The reaction from all sides has been extremely negative. I thought the Stalin/Mr Bean thing was appalling and if I were a Labour spin doctor I would be hopping mad. Luckily I am not!"  One senior Tory shouted at the TV last night: "This is treating the audience like fools... It's not public service broadcasting."
• At 9.59pm we called London for Boris.  It was a big call but others have steadily come to agree with us.  This is Nick Robinson at 4.50am: "If - as insiders on both sides now expect - Boris Johnson is elected mayor of London later today David Cameron will be able to herald his party's most successful night since John Major's general election victory in 1992."  PoliticalBetting reports that when pressed on the Mayoral race Harriet Harman said that she “did not expect the London result to be any different to the rest of the country.”
• If you didn't see our behind-the-scenes photographs of last night at CCHQ, please click here. CCHQ's fast results email service was recognised as extremely efficient. Ben Brogan, Peter Hoskin and The Times' Sam Coates have all paid tribute to the Tory operation.
• And, for a little fun, watch Geoff Hoon encounter hearing problems as David Dimbleby presses him on the scale of Labour's trouncing.

Comments

[Daniel Furr]

We should be getting some results at about 10:30, GLA is an eletronic count and this means no results till about late afternoon

[Hendon insider]

Conservatives have won by-election in Hale Ward (Hendon Constituency) London borough of Barnet, with an increased majority (about 300 - 1000) over Labour (roughly doubled) in what was pre-2006 a Labour ward.

Announcement due at 10.

[Richard]

Clegg really is absurd. I know party leaders have to try and put a positive spin on things but he said something along the lines of "The LibDems are the only realistic opposition".

And as for Vine's cowboy impression...

[EML]

Some excellent results over night - and we've still got one third to go right?

No good news for Labour really, apart from the odd gain against the trend, which always happens in local elections anyway.

The Lib Dems managed to lose Liverpool for the first time in 10 years and any gains on their part seem to have been cancelled out by the Conservatives.

The likes of Southampton and Bury are excellent gains for us, and I think we have our first councillor in Cambridge for a while!

I've got a random question: as Durham is one of those new huge unitary authorities that has replaced eight or so other elected bodies, do the 67 Labour seats class as "gains" or do you think the people at the BBC have worked out how many and which colour seats they have replaced?

[David Belchamber]

To be fair, Nick Clegg is justified in his delight at beating Labour.
I join others in cringing at Jeremy Vine's antics and hope he will not be asked to perform at the GE - which I hope will be this Octopber!

[Cleethorpes Rock]

Any word on the swing in Hale, Hendon Insider? I know we were quite keen to beat 4% to show progress towards dumping Andrew Dismal Dismore at the General.

[Richard Weider]

Cleethorpes Rock - I am not an expert on swing but the majority seemed to trebble in Hale, so I presume it was a good swing.

Turnout in the conserative wards in Hendon were close to general election levels.

[Oliver Munn]

The full Hale result in now on the Barnet Council website here.

[Paul Bristow]

A huge victory for the Conservatives in the Sands End by-election in Hammersmith & Fulham. A majority of 1100 - an increase of over 400 on two years ago:

Ali De Lisle - Conservative - 2257

Brendan Bird - Labour - 1147

Dugald MacInnes - Lib Dem - 518

[Paul Bristow]

see more here - www.thebristowblog.typepad.com

[Graeme Archer]

*Huge* congratulations to our friends in Hammersmith and Hendon. Let's hope this is indicative of later results today!

Turnout in the conserative wards in Hendon were close to general election levels.

Posted by: Richard Weider

Any news on turnout in the non-Tory wards Richard?

[chrisblore]

Iain Dale is now reporting that we have control of North Tyneside. Fantastic news if true!

[Richard Weider]

Graeme - I don't know but Labour were not working the areas they just gave up.

[Will Stobart]

Confirmation on BBC that we have North Tyneside.