General Election 2024: Live updates from Derbyshire - as Derbyshire turns completely red

Polls have predicted tight races in North East Derbyshire and Amber Valley – while Chesterfield and Derbyshire Dales are forecast to be won comfortably.

https://www.derbyshiretimes.co.uk/news/politics/general-election-polls-predict-tight-races-in-north-east-derbyshire-and-amber-valley-with-comfortable-wins-forecast-in-chesterfield-and-derbyshire-dales-4691581

Ben Page, the CEO of pollster Ipsos, is speaking at the KCL event I’m at. He said: “The exit poll has turned out to be pretty good over the last few years, particularly on the lead for major parties. There were some more challenges in terms of changing constituency boundaries, it’s in line with what we saw before the election.” Page said the striking thing was the scale of the Tory defeat. He told the audience: “Broadly, the thing that strikes me here, the COnservative Party the lean, mean, winning machine. It’s got fewer MPs if this is remotely correct than their worst result in 1906. “It will only take a few of them to trigger another leadership campaign, so they’ll have plenty to keep them busy. “It’s a smaller majority than Blair achieved in 1997. The large Labour majority that we were expecting has happened.” Exit poll predicts Labour landslide Keir Starmer is expected to win by a landslide. The BBC’s exit poll predicts Labour will win 410 seats, with the Tories left on just 131. The Lib Dems are predicted to win 61 seats, with Reform UK the fourth largest party with 13.

As we are waiting for the count to start our Local Democracy reporter Jon Cooper is reporting from Dronfield.

NE Derbyshire General Election candidate Wesley Massumbukolt has arrived at Dronfield Sports Centre just ahead of the count and together with other candidates he is expecting a long wait before the result is expected to be declared around 4.30am.

Other candidates for the NE Derbyshire constituency include Conservative Lee Rowley, who has represented the area as its MP since 2017, Labour's Louise Jones, Liberal Democrat Ross Shipman, the Green Party's Frank Adlington-Stringer, and Reform UK's Andy Egginton.

Mr Massumbukolt said: "It's a great experience. People have been very supportive. They have been nice.

"I have been to a few hustings. It's a great way for me to get the message out to support local independent parties. "Dronfield has a problem with empty units that could be filled with small businesses.

"Activities are needed for teenagers because people have been complaining that there is nothing to do."

The General Election's verification and counting of ballot papers for the North East Derbyshire Constituency is set to take place in the Main Sports Hall, at Dronfield Sports Centre, after polling closed at 10pm, on July 4.  An estimated time for the declaration of the results is expected between 4.30am and 5am.

While Jon is reporting from Dronfield, I am at the Queen’s Park Sports Centre tonight, where count has just started. The results are expected around 3 am.

Nationally Labour’s shadow education secretary Bridget Phillipson has won Houghton and Sunderland South, the first constituency to report a result in the General Election. Second result in and it's another Labour win - Ian Lavery is now the first ever MP for new constituency Blyth and Ashington in Northumberland.

Latest update from Dronfield

https://www.derbyshiretimes.co.uk/news/people/ne-derbyshire-candidates-prepare-for-the-count-as-polling-closes-for-the-general-election-4691607

While volunteers are working meticulously, Chesterfield MP candidates are present at the Queen’s Park Sports Centre as well. Here labour candidate and former Chesterfield MP Toby Perkins can be seen ahead of completion of verification.

NE Derbyshire General Election candidate Frank Adlington-Stringer, of the Green Party, has arrived at Dronfield Sports Centre as the polling boxes have been coming in and are being verified prior to the count.

Other candidates who will be keeping a close eye on proceedings at the NE Derbyshire constituency count, at Dronfield Sports Centre, include the area's last MP, Conservative Lee Rowley, Labour's Louise Jones, Liberal Democrat Ross Shipman, Reform UK's Andy Egginton, and Freedom Alliance's Wesley Massumbukolt.

Mr Adlington-Stringer said he thinks Prime Minister Rishi Sunak was thinking about his holiday time when he announced the General Election. The Green Party candidate, who is a NE Derbyshire District Councillor, added that he was buoyed after finishing third in the East Midlands Combined County Authority mayoral election in May and he has enjoyed being on the campaign trail leading to the General Election.

Mr Adlington-Stringer added: "It's my second election campaign. It's a different feel this time around and it is getting our message out, which is difficult, but people want change.

"We will definitely see a stronger Green vote and across the UK people demand better than Rishi Sunak's Government." 

The count is expected to get underway at Dronfield for the NE Derbyshire constituency by 2am, on July 5, and the results are expected to be declared by 5am, on July 5.

The verification has just been completed in Chesterfield. In total 41690 valid votes have been casted - including 27 731 at the polling stations and 13 959 postal votes. Turnout in Chesterfield was 58.19%

The North East Derbyshire constituency's Turnout Report has been confirmed, at about 1.30am, on July 5, and has revealed that 45,986 people out of an electorate of 73,234 have voted in the area during the 2024 General Election giving an overall percentage turnout for the region of 62.79 %

Labour candidate and former Chesterfield MP Toby Perkins said it’s too early to speculate about the Chesterfield results as count continues.

However Mr Perkins commented on the turnout in Chesterfield and Labour’s success nationally - as 41 out 44 results announced so far were Labour wins. The remaining three seats have been taken by the Conservatives.

Mr Perkins said: “Turnout is 5% down from last election. We always would want the highest turnout possible. It is too early to know what the end result will be but it is clear on the national level that Labour is doing really well and this reflects that people are hungry for change.”

My colleague Jon Cooper who is reporting from Dronfield Sports Centre has confirmed that the estimated time for the declaration of the result for North East Derbyshire is between 4.30am and 5am.

After 19 years Conservatives have lost their seat in Erewash where Labour candidate Adam Thompson took the first spot with 17,224 votes. It was a comfortable win over Conservatives’ Maggie Throup who had 11,365 votes.

I spoke to David Wadsworth, the Green party candidate for Chesterfield.

Mr Wadsworth said: "I'm very excited, we've had a great campaign as the Green and I'm thrilled to be back representing Chesterfield again for the second time after 2017 and we are expecting much better result this time."

Speaking on the Chesterfield turnout of 58.17% Mr Wadsworth added: "I wasn't entirely surprised. The campaign by the two big parties have been very negative this time around.

“Tories were mainly threatening people with Labour and Labour were just saying that they are not Tories. I think that's probably suppressed many people from voting as they had less enthusiasm and positivity - and that's what tends people to get to the polls in a hope to get better.”

After a comfortable win in Erewash, Labour gains Bolsover as well - as Natalie Fleet wins the seat with 17,197 votes. She defeats former Bolsover MP Mark Fletcher who received  10,874 votes.

As we are getting first Derbyshire results here is another update from Jon Cooper, who is in Dronfield.

NE Derbyshire Parliamentary Conservative candidate Lee Rowley, who has represented the area as its MP since 2017, has been watching the roll out of General Election results on the TV from across the country at Dronfield Sports Centre.

Nationally, Labour is currently set to win the General Election after an exit poll for the BBC, ITV and Sky has predicted a landslide victory for the party.

NE Derbyshire's Labour candidate Louise Jones who has also been anticipating the NE Derbyshire declaration of results at Dronfield Sports Centre's count has also been watching the national picture very closely with fellow Labour party supporters. The NE Derbyshire results are expected to be declared about 5am.

High Peak, Amber Valley and South Derbyshire could all be returned in the coming moments, we understand.

Chesterfield results are expected very soon as well as final votes are being counted at the Queen’s Park Sports Centre.