Night of vote counting in NI begins as polls close

Vote counting in Northern Ireland's 18 parliamentary constituencies is set to begin after the polls closed in the general election.

The first Northern Ireland results are expected at about 02:00 BST.

Most of the results should be known by about 05:30 but that depends on how tight the race is in some constituencies.

Results from Great Britain could begin to come in from 23:00.

An exit poll for the BBC, ITV and Sky, showed Labour is set to win a general election landslide with a majority of 170.

However that poll does not apply to Northern Ireland.

Exit polls have never been carried out in Northern Ireland, unlike the rest of the UK where they are a regular fixture of election night.

In total, 136 candidates stood in Northern Ireland in the first general election since 2019.

It operates as first past the post, which means voters put an X in the box beside one candidate who they want to be elected to the House of Commons.

The number of registered voters in Northern Ireland was the largest it has ever been for a general election - 1,363,961.

Last time out in 2019, the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) won the most seats in Northern Ireland - eight - while Sinn Féin won seven.

The Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP) got two and the Alliance Party won one.

Some of the major battlegrounds to look out for as the votes come in include:

• Belfast East: DUP leader Gavin Robinson hopes to retain his seat from Alliance leader Naomi Long
• Lagan Valley: The constituency of former DUP leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson, who stepped down after being charged with historical sex offences, will have a new MP - most likely the DUP's Jonathan Buckley or Alliance's Sorcha Eastwood, with Ulster Unonist Party (UUP) candidate Robbie Butler also hoping to perform strongly
• South Antrim: DUP's Paul Girvan could come under pressure from former Northern Ireland Health Minister Robin Swann of the UUP
• Fermanagh and South Tyrone: The UK's most marginal seat in 2019 will also have a new MP after Sinn Féin's Michelle Gildernew opted not to run again - most likely either former nursing union chief Pat Cullen, for Sinn Féin, or Diane Armstrong of the UUP
• North Down: Alliance's Stephen Farry is being challenged by independent unionist Alex Easton and famed Iraq War soldier Colonel Tim Collins, representing the UUP

Sinn Féin, which has hopes of becoming Northern Ireland's largest Westminster party, is aiming to regain Foyle from SDLP leader Colum Eastwood.

The SDLP, meanwhile, is seeking to retain both its seat in Foyle as well as Belfast South and Mid Down

The Traditional Unionist Voice (TUV), which has aligned itself with the Nigel Farage-led Reform UK, could be a significant factor in close races featuring the DUP, as it has been highly critical of that party's return to power sharing in Northern Ireland.

People Before Profit, the Green Party of Northern Ireland and Aontú are also hoping to increase their vote shares as they build towards assembly and council elections in the coming years.

You can keep up to the date with the very latest across Northern Ireland via live coverage on the BBC News NI website, which began at 20:00. LINK

The live Northern Ireland results programme hosted by Mark Carruthers is being streamed on the website and also being broadcast on BBC One NI and the iPlayer.

The UK-wide results programme hosted by Laura Kuenssberg and Clive Myrie began at the same time on BBC Two and the BBC News Channel. ADD LINK

An extended edition of Good Morning Ulster will begin at 06:00 and will also be streamed on the BBC News NI Website, where live coverage will continue throughout Friday with analysis of and reaction to the full picture of results across Northern Ireland and the rest of the UK.