Exit poll predicts anti-immigration party winning 13 seats and early declarations in north-east England show them outperforming Tories

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Nigel Farage has hailed Reform UK’s “almost unbelievable” early performances in former leave-voting seats, predicting the party will win “many many seats right across the country” as the election unfolds.

The hard-right party was projected to win as many as 13 seats in the general election, according to the 10pm exit poll. Declarations in the north-east of England showed them outpolling the Conservatives to come second to Labour.

Nigel Farage is the party’s best hope of winning a seat but it could win up to 18, including for chair Richard Tice

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A crop of Reform UK candidates led by Nigel Farage could be on course to enter parliament if the populist party’s strong polling translates into seats.

Farage, who is standing in Clacton, remains the party’s best hope of winning a seat. Clacton, in Essex, is the only UK constituency to have returned a Ukip MP in a general election, when it was won by Douglas Carswell in 2015.

Georgie David, who was Reform’s candidate for West Ham and Beckton, accuses party of failing to tackle problems

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A second Reform UK candidate has quit the hard-right party, alleging that the vast majority of those standing for it in the general election are “racist, misogynistic and bigoted”.

Georgie David, who had been Reform’s candidate for West Ham and Beckton, issued a statement through the Conservatives, the party she is now backing.

Conservatives push out ‘final warnings’ amid backlash over targeting of Labour leader’s Friday night ‘protected time’

Keir Starmer has accused the Conservatives of desperate tactics amid claims that Tory criticism of his defence of family time was insensitive and had antisemitic undertones.

With Rishi Sunak embarking on a marathon day of campaigning, beginning with a pre-dawn visit to a distribution centre and closing with a late-night rally, Tory ministers and aides sought to contrast these efforts with what they termed Starmer’s “part-time” approach.