Part Two

:00:00. > :00:00.have a full negotiation mandate to speak for the entire country. David,

:00:00. > :00:16.thank you very much. David Ford, joining me there. Joining me from

:00:17. > :00:26.South Antrim. I promised you, Kluwer, but I would come back to

:00:27. > :00:33.you. Brexit has slammed the constitutional question back into

:00:34. > :00:38.our argument. Parties that say you can't have a view on that you are

:00:39. > :00:43.sectarian, these are no issues we are dealing with, but what I hear in

:00:44. > :00:49.the conversation is not any meeting of minds, it is dominance, division,

:00:50. > :00:51.and nothing about the practicalities, and the

:00:52. > :00:56.practicalities of how a united Ireland would look. The work hasn't

:00:57. > :00:58.been done on that, but it is also distracting from the practicalities

:00:59. > :01:07.of how we work this place in the here now. If the tallies are bearing

:01:08. > :01:12.out like this, the seat tally would show the is only those two hardened

:01:13. > :01:13.views, but it shows this -- unsuitability of first past the

:01:14. > :01:41.post. That is what is sad, the

:01:42. > :01:51.conversations do not get into the practicalities.

:01:52. > :02:07.Nations in the next ten minutes in Bangor. We'll keep an eye on that.

:02:08. > :02:11.Good evening, thank you for joining us. What are you hearing? Strong

:02:12. > :02:17.suggestions Doug Beattie were not managed to win the seat. David

:02:18. > :02:25.Simpson. Is that what you are picking up? The tallies need to be

:02:26. > :02:29.looked at. The tallies are going to computer programmes, to see what the

:02:30. > :02:34.electorate have decided. We will have a clue in the next few hours as

:02:35. > :02:40.one who will be the next MP. What about your vote? We will have to

:02:41. > :02:48.wait until the final tallies come in. Adding our vote held up. The

:02:49. > :02:58.response around the area has been quite good. The tallies I have seen

:02:59. > :03:04.marks that. I can understand everyone wants news from the

:03:05. > :03:09.centres, but sometimes hard to tell you what the electorate as you say.

:03:10. > :03:12.What about South Down, never the constituencies too began to where

:03:13. > :03:21.you want. A tight race between Margaret Ritchie, and your party. Do

:03:22. > :03:27.you think Mr Hazard can do it? I think he's in with a great call. A

:03:28. > :03:32.lot of buzz around the South Down count. I hear it will be tight.

:03:33. > :03:40.Coming down to a few hundred votes. A Latin interest, and a lot of

:03:41. > :03:46.interesting counts. It would take perhaps 24, 36 hours to absorb the

:03:47. > :03:53.message that the public as sent out, and what we have to go forward to.

:03:54. > :03:57.Starting the negotiations and the talks to restore the power-sharing

:03:58. > :04:01.executive. Thank you for now. We will catch up with you later some of

:04:02. > :04:12.the numbers begin to firm up. John O Dowd, the Sinn Fein

:04:13. > :04:19.candidate in Upper Bann. Let's hear from Mark Davenport and Nicholas in

:04:20. > :04:23.our elections up. No results yet. We're getting official turnout

:04:24. > :04:34.figures. The picture, Nicholas, seems to be up everywhere in

:04:35. > :04:39.relation to 2015 elections. It is up from 2015, 2010, 2005. The highest

:04:40. > :04:45.turnout since 2001 in a Westminster election. Even in seats that are

:04:46. > :04:49.considered safe, people would turn out big numbers, Belfast West, 65.4

:04:50. > :04:59.one. Almost ten points on the last time. The most striking one is North

:05:00. > :05:04.Down. Except the assembly election in March. In every case we have

:05:05. > :05:10.looked out the turnout and a Westminster election has been the

:05:11. > :05:18.same as the assembly election. We had the leader debates, they've had

:05:19. > :05:23.low viewing figures. We have the teeming rain. We could come up with

:05:24. > :05:27.reasons for a diminished turnout. Instead the same again as March? All

:05:28. > :05:33.I can say is that is what I predicted before ten o'clock this

:05:34. > :05:37.evening. What is driving that? A step change to the way people are

:05:38. > :05:41.viewing politics. The new voters have got the taste for it. They are

:05:42. > :05:45.voting against them devoting the same way that they voted in March.

:05:46. > :05:51.We were hearing a short time ago, quite significant in South Antrim,

:05:52. > :05:57.his own constituency, predicting a DUP win. He is, like yourself, not

:05:58. > :06:02.wishing to be too personal, and election nerd. We have discussions

:06:03. > :06:07.from time to time in a friendly basis, perfectly true. If this is

:06:08. > :06:10.what David is getting from his tallies. That is probably correct.

:06:11. > :06:16.Also in line with the assembly election outcome. The DUP

:06:17. > :06:20.potentially gaining, the Ulster Unionist Party at that time down in

:06:21. > :06:25.South Tyrone. Although early days. In time before we get that one

:06:26. > :06:28.through. We expect it to be the very last one. Even now, pretty clear it

:06:29. > :06:36.will be a very tough night for the Ulster Unionist Party I noticed

:06:37. > :06:41.sources from one of our reporters saying will be a long night in east

:06:42. > :06:45.Belfast. I was sceptical, given the fact the Ulster Unionist Party not

:06:46. > :06:49.stand last time. Some of their votes will have gone to Naomi Long. Both

:06:50. > :06:56.sides had to keep their coalition voters together. Easier when you are

:06:57. > :07:01.the incumbent. Overall potentially a good night for the two big parties.

:07:02. > :07:11.The voters coming out like back in March. Thank you, Mark. Back to my

:07:12. > :07:23.panel which has been refreshed. We have an empty seat. All seats,

:07:24. > :07:28.invitations have been extended. You know how it works. Not up to us who

:07:29. > :07:33.people send. Very nice to have you back again. I don't know if anything

:07:34. > :07:38.has struck you while you have been away? Have you been chatting? I wish

:07:39. > :07:44.I could hear more about the election in Britain. You have not heard much.

:07:45. > :07:50.I can give you a scoreboard. What I can tell you, at the moment Labour

:07:51. > :08:00.had ten the Conservatives fives, and that is it. Also my computer here

:08:01. > :08:05.and the bottom of the screen first Darlington? Hartlepool? Darlington

:08:06. > :08:13.has gone to labour about ten minutes ago. Sam Shields to labour.

:08:14. > :08:16.Workington to labour. Basildon and Billericay to the Conservatives.

:08:17. > :08:23.Middlesbrough Labour. A couple for the Conservatives. Broxbourne,

:08:24. > :08:28.Nuneaton Kettering. A hard-fought lady Sylvia Hermon. Life pictures.

:08:29. > :08:40.That is Alex Easton, the DUP candidate. Giving her an embrace.

:08:41. > :08:46.Looks like a conciliatory hard from somebody. That is good and done, the

:08:47. > :08:55.DUP MLA. The cancers have just been told the ropes -- the counters have

:08:56. > :09:01.told them the votes. They have been told. That is Alan Chambers, the

:09:02. > :09:07.Ulster Unionist Party melee. He was to be the candidate. That is her

:09:08. > :09:13.son. The young chap with the beard. Andrew Muir of the Alliance party.

:09:14. > :09:26.With the short grey hair. Looking at some paperwork is grey hair. The

:09:27. > :09:31.surprise may well be, I am mindful of the official secrets act,

:09:32. > :09:36.declaring before the presiding officer, we should be looking out

:09:37. > :09:42.for a sizeable reduction in the majority. That ties in with what I

:09:43. > :09:50.said earlier. I worked in North Down for some time, I know that

:09:51. > :10:00.constituency. The aim was to try and close some ground on Sylvia Hermon.

:10:01. > :10:04.She had a majority of close to 9000. If Alex has close that to any

:10:05. > :10:13.significant degree, it is reflective of the fact, that he works very hard

:10:14. > :10:17.on the ground. I also think it is an encouraging sign for Alex in the

:10:18. > :10:21.future. In terms of the North Down constituency. I don't think that was

:10:22. > :10:29.truthfully and expectation we would unseat Sylvia Hermon. The majority

:10:30. > :10:35.was around 9000. A majority of 9000 over Alex Easton. If that has been

:10:36. > :10:40.reduced significantly, that is a good sign for future growth for the

:10:41. > :10:43.DUP. As you said earlier the programme, you would never catch. I

:10:44. > :10:48.could not envisage a circumstance where she would lose that C. Looking

:10:49. > :10:53.at Sir Jeffrey Donaldson with some of his party colleagues. We gather

:10:54. > :10:56.the declaration could be made there soon. We will bring you the

:10:57. > :11:00.declarations as they happen. With any luck they will not all happened

:11:01. > :11:08.at the same time of course. If they do, we will just bring it to you as

:11:09. > :11:14.soon as we can after. North Down coming through. Talk to me, while we

:11:15. > :11:34.look at the pictures. This is North Down. Let's listen. 14,000 940.

:11:35. > :11:55.Sylvia Hermon, Independent. 16100 and 48. Tres McCourty. Sinn Fein,

:11:56. > :12:09.531. Stephen McNeil, SDLP, 400. Andrew Muir, Alliance party, 3000

:12:10. > :12:18.6049. Frank Shivers Conservatives, 941.

:12:19. > :12:42.The votes polled were 39,000 268. Valid votes worth 31985. I declare

:12:43. > :12:46.Sylvia Hermon is declared for parliament from the South Down

:12:47. > :12:51.constituency. There you are, Sylvia Hermon home and dry with a massively

:12:52. > :12:56.reduced majority. A reduction from 9000, down to about 1200. Thank you

:12:57. > :13:01.very much, especially to the people of North Down. Those, who despite

:13:02. > :13:06.the appalling weather, came out and voted, and voted in large numbers. I

:13:07. > :13:11.am enormously grateful, does not matter who you voted for, the fact

:13:12. > :13:18.he did not let the weather puts you off holding out, and exercising your

:13:19. > :13:22.franchise. Well done to all of you. To the DUP candidate, Alex Easton,

:13:23. > :13:33.you have done terrifically well, but I won! I am enormously lucky in

:13:34. > :13:39.North Down, with the candidates who run against me. They are a really

:13:40. > :13:45.nice set of people. Very difficulty for lack of any of them. I will not

:13:46. > :13:48.be falling out with Alex. To the Ulster Unionist Party, Alan

:13:49. > :13:53.Chambers, graciously pulled out of the race. Thank you indeed Allen.

:13:54. > :13:56.When I declared as a candidate, the Ulster Unionist Party pulled that.

:13:57. > :14:00.Thank you for being so gracious. Thank you. Some of the other

:14:01. > :14:05.candidates, I did not actually meet along the way, but I believe them to

:14:06. > :14:11.be really nice candidates as well. It has been a long day for those

:14:12. > :14:15.staff in the polling stations, 22 polling stations across North Down.

:14:16. > :14:20.They were very welcoming, very helpful to all the voters who came.

:14:21. > :14:28.That is the line of the night so far. To Alex Easton of the DUP, you

:14:29. > :14:34.have done terrifically well, but I won! She won, but what a reduction

:14:35. > :14:39.in the majority. 9000, and a couple of hundred, down to 1200. She

:14:40. > :14:46.thanked Alan Chambers, for kindly stepping aside. The reality is, had

:14:47. > :14:51.Alan Chambers not stepped aside, she could have potentially lost the

:14:52. > :14:56.seat. Alan Chambers definitely merited the little round of applause

:14:57. > :15:00.from Lady Hermon. At the end of the day, we did not anticipate we would

:15:01. > :15:06.unseat her. Do you take back the earlier assertion you will not

:15:07. > :15:11.capture? It is hers as long as she wants it. You are smiling, if there

:15:12. > :15:15.is a snap election within a year, you would fancy your chances. I

:15:16. > :15:20.certainly think the result is beyond the expectations I would have had.

:15:21. > :15:26.Everyone had just assumed that she was as solid as a rock. It is very

:15:27. > :15:31.clear, through sheer hard graft, and I know Alex very well, I know that

:15:32. > :15:37.constituency quite well, through hard graft, he has managed to close

:15:38. > :15:42.a gap of 9000 votes into a gap of 1200. That must be a very positive

:15:43. > :15:49.sign for the future, in terms of Alex Easton, and that constituency.

:15:50. > :16:00.Stephen, what do you read into that? Are you surprised by those numbers?

:16:01. > :16:06.It reflects to meet a higher turnout. We are seeing a

:16:07. > :16:10.mobilisation of Unionist votes as a result of what happened in March. It

:16:11. > :16:18.also may well be an issue in terms of Brexit, North Down is still a

:16:19. > :16:26.remain constituency but there is still a sizeable leave vote. Sylvia

:16:27. > :16:35.had to come out in terms of being a remain. I want you to comment on

:16:36. > :16:43.these figures, and I can give you the share. Sylvia had 16,148, a

:16:44. > :16:58.share of 41.2%. Alex Easton had 14,940, a share of 39.1%. Steven

:16:59. > :17:05.Agnew, 2549, with 6.5%. But her majority reduced to 1200. You have

:17:06. > :17:12.to wonder if the endorsement of the loyalist can and it is conglomerate

:17:13. > :17:17.might have played a part. I don't doubt Alex Easton work enormously

:17:18. > :17:21.hard, and that Sylvia Hermon has had a charmed life and it couldn't go on

:17:22. > :17:27.forever. She would be very wise now I would have thought to decide to

:17:28. > :17:31.retire fairly soon. Especially if there is another election on the

:17:32. > :17:38.horizon. She is indubitably a very nice person, and her accolades from

:17:39. > :17:43.everybody else's niceness is a measure of that. That is not

:17:44. > :17:51.necessarily a bad thing in politics. No, but it has its limits. And I

:17:52. > :17:57.think this may have reached them. You really think so? I would think

:17:58. > :18:04.that is the kind of trajectory that doesn't turn around. She has been a

:18:05. > :18:09.very, very good MP, I know this from people in the constituency. She is

:18:10. > :18:17.inexhaustible in attending to all kinds of functions and she knows

:18:18. > :18:23.people inside out. But if there is a stronger, harsher strain of unionism

:18:24. > :18:32.on the rounds, as there is, to match the harsher, as Christopher has been

:18:33. > :18:41.saying, Sinn Fein town, then these are harsh -- these are harsh

:18:42. > :18:46.parties. They are no representing two communities who see each other

:18:47. > :18:49.in strong contention, and Brexit has sharpened that up. There is not much

:18:50. > :18:56.room in that for somebody who is nice and independent. We saw there's

:18:57. > :19:00.a Jeffrey Donaldson who seemed to be getting patted on the back and

:19:01. > :19:07.embraced by people who would suggest that he had won the seat, but

:19:08. > :19:11.perhaps the candidates were being given the numbers there before the

:19:12. > :19:15.declaration is made. I want to bring Danny in. A prudent decision, would

:19:16. > :19:23.you say, on the part of your candidate, to withdraw? I think in

:19:24. > :19:28.the circumstances. Did you think it would be that tight? I didn't, but I

:19:29. > :19:32.think the increased turnout is significant. North Down has a

:19:33. > :19:38.percentage increase which seems to have favoured the DUP. As in other

:19:39. > :19:57.constituencies. As to Sylvia's quip in her speech about ice cold in

:19:58. > :20:00.Alex. The sort of analysis -- the idea that North Down is somewhere

:20:01. > :20:12.where there is a more strident form of unionism... Let me finish. You

:20:13. > :20:17.had your space. Contesting against nationalism. There is no nationalism

:20:18. > :20:27.in North Down, virtually none. So the idea this is some sort of rise

:20:28. > :20:32.of a form of unionism... I just think, give the man the credit he is

:20:33. > :20:36.due. Stephen shares the constituency with him, he knows the man. The man

:20:37. > :20:40.got the result on the bark of the fact that in the course of the last

:20:41. > :20:44.12 years he has established a good reputation for just working for his

:20:45. > :20:52.constituents. A similar reputation to the one lady Hermon has. But when

:20:53. > :20:58.you go into a polling station and cast your ballot, you cast it for

:20:59. > :21:03.the individual, and you cast it for the complexion of party that you

:21:04. > :21:08.wish to represent you, so there will be people, yes, Alex Easton's a hard

:21:09. > :21:14.worker, but he represents a more traditional kind of unionism to

:21:15. > :21:19.Sylvia's. The nature of North Down is one where independent candidates

:21:20. > :21:23.have also got -- always done very well, and personality is a much

:21:24. > :21:29.bigger factor than almost anywhere else. Danny, do you think that Ian

:21:30. > :21:34.Adamson, the former Ulster Unionist, signed Alex Easton's nomination

:21:35. > :21:39.papers, might have helped him do so well, the fact that somebody within

:21:40. > :21:45.the UUP is gravitating towards the DUP candidate? I'm not sure it

:21:46. > :21:51.amounts to a very significant intervention. I also have -- would

:21:52. > :21:58.challenge the assertion that because Sylvia's majority is now reduced to

:21:59. > :22:03.about 1300 or wherever, that she should think of retirement. I think

:22:04. > :22:07.the context of this election, on the back of the Assembly election, with

:22:08. > :22:12.increased turnout, has led to a better result for the DUP, than

:22:13. > :22:16.might have been normally expected particularly in North Down. I want

:22:17. > :22:21.to go over to Tara as the Titanic exhibition centre. She is joined by

:22:22. > :22:30.the former DUP leader and First Minister, Peter Robinson.

:22:31. > :22:33.Peter Robinson is here, thanks for joining us. What are your

:22:34. > :22:38.predictions for how things are going to go for the DUP tonight? I'm not

:22:39. > :22:42.going to get any precise predictions, but I think I've seen

:22:43. > :22:46.enough in the centre here to be able to indicate that the DUP's share of

:22:47. > :22:53.the vote is increasing, certainly in South Belfast. We've had a good

:22:54. > :22:57.election, the sounds coming from my colleagues in East Belfast are good

:22:58. > :23:01.as well, and there are good noises coming from other parts of the

:23:02. > :23:09.country. So I think you will see a very strong DUP team return to

:23:10. > :23:13.Westminster. In terms of the exit poll, what position do you think the

:23:14. > :23:19.DUP will be in potentially a hung parliament? Winger I think they will

:23:20. > :23:23.have a strong team at Westminster, they will use their position in that

:23:24. > :23:29.parliament to the best effect for Northern Ireland and for the union,

:23:30. > :23:33.and they have some experience, and I am looking forward to Nigel being

:23:34. > :23:37.returned and leading that team there.

:23:38. > :23:41.But there is no sense you all soft and the Brexit position, you are

:23:42. > :23:47.happy with the Tories' hardbacks of? The DUP position has consistent --

:23:48. > :23:55.consistently been that we want the best deal for Northern Ireland. Why

:23:56. > :23:58.wouldn't we want that. If we have some added advantages for Northern

:23:59. > :24:03.Ireland business, why would we not try and get it? So with Brussels,

:24:04. > :24:09.London and Dublin wanting to help Northern Ireland, were pushing at an

:24:10. > :24:15.open door. Is there not a kind of contradiction in that you have been

:24:16. > :24:19.fighting for no special status? We will have an enhanced position, I

:24:20. > :24:24.don't like the terms special status because it separates us from the

:24:25. > :24:29.rest of the UK. Northern Ireland has particular issues, it has a large --

:24:30. > :24:34.land border with a part of the EU, so there are special circumstances

:24:35. > :24:44.that have to be dealt with. When it comes to the selection then, what

:24:45. > :24:49.did you make of the UDA statements? We are encouraged when people say

:24:50. > :24:55.they endorse that -- our candidates. I just can't understand the media.

:24:56. > :24:58.We have been plagued for years by the media saying, we haven't been

:24:59. > :25:02.paying enough attention to loyalist, hard to reach areas. We should be

:25:03. > :25:07.encouraged by the fact that there are people who are wanting to make

:25:08. > :25:10.that transition away from paramilitary backgrounds into normal

:25:11. > :25:16.society. Of course we don't want anything to do with people who are

:25:17. > :25:21.killing, who are involved in criminality. But those who are

:25:22. > :25:25.wanting to move towards a stable Northern Ireland, and play a proper

:25:26. > :25:30.role in the new era accommodation be encouraged. That has been the policy

:25:31. > :25:33.not just of the DUP but of other political parties. Until it came to

:25:34. > :25:40.the selection when they thought they could use it to harm the DUP. It

:25:41. > :25:47.hasn't worked. Peter Robinson, thank you for joining us.

:25:48. > :25:53.Interesting to hear from Peter Robinson, thank you for staying with

:25:54. > :25:56.us. The time is 25 minutes past one. We are waiting for declarations from

:25:57. > :26:03.Strangford, and this is Lagan Valley.

:26:04. > :26:08.He was up at the microphone, and has disappeared again. So it is imminent

:26:09. > :26:14.in Lagan Valley and in Strangford. We have been looking at pictures of

:26:15. > :26:21.candidates, and their supporters... This is Bangor. This is the

:26:22. > :26:35.Strangford declaration. The votes were 30,700 49. 38749. The

:26:36. > :26:40.invalid votes for 77. -- they were 77. As deputy returning officer for

:26:41. > :26:46.the Strangford constituency, I hereby declare that at the election,

:26:47. > :27:08.the number of votes was as follows. Kellie Armstrong, Alliance. 5693.

:27:09. > :27:23.Ricky Bamford, Green Party. 607. Joe Boyle, SDLP. 2404. Claire Hiscott,

:27:24. > :27:43.Conservatives. 507. Carole Murphy, Sinn Fein. 1083. Mike Nesbitt,

:27:44. > :27:44.Ulster Unionist Party. For 419. -- 4000 419. Jim Shannon, Democratic

:27:45. > :28:01.Unionist party. 24036. I declare that Jim Shannon is

:28:02. > :28:06.returned to serve in Parliament for the Strangford constituency. Thank

:28:07. > :28:10.you. No wonder we saw pictures of Jim

:28:11. > :28:18.Shannon smiling, his vote, just to let you know, in 2015, was 15,000,

:28:19. > :28:25.he is now 20 4000. A majority up by 9000. It's always a privilege to

:28:26. > :28:30.fight elections, but also a privilege to be chosen by the people

:28:31. > :28:35.that you run for, and Strangford for me is a constituency where I've been

:28:36. > :28:39.a representative for 30 plus years. To all those good people of

:28:40. > :28:44.Strangford, all the people, thank you for voting for me and giving me

:28:45. > :28:50.the opportunity to be their MP again. I also want to thank again,

:28:51. > :28:55.everybody will know I am of strong Christian belief, I thank my Lord

:28:56. > :29:04.and saviour for the victory. As they say "You are my elect, and I have

:29:05. > :29:13.chosen you." I thank my long-suffering wife, we had our 30th

:29:14. > :29:18.anniversary on the 6th of June, I haven't forgotten about it...

:29:19. > :29:25.Jim Shannon making his acceptance speech. A moment ago, the result was

:29:26. > :29:29.declared for Lagan Valley. Lesley White, as the deputy

:29:30. > :29:34.returning officer, for the Lagan Valley constituency, I hereby

:29:35. > :29:41.declare that at the election, the number of votes for each candidate

:29:42. > :30:04.was as follows: Robbie Butler, Unionist -- Ulster Unionist.

:30:05. > :30:05.7533. Pat Catney, SDLP. 3384. Jeffrey Donaldson, Democratic

:30:06. > :31:13.Unionist party. 26762. Aaron McIntyre, Alliance.

:31:14. > :31:27.4996. Ian Nickels, Conservatives. 462. Jonny Orr, Independent. Two to

:31:28. > :31:37.two. -- to those -- 200 22. Jacqui Russell, Sinn Fein. 1567. I declare

:31:38. > :31:39.that Jeffrey Donaldson is returned to serve in parliament for the Lagan

:31:40. > :31:53.Valley constituency. Jeffrey Donaldson, very comfortably

:31:54. > :32:03.returned as the MP for Lagan Valley. Here's those going up from 19,000

:32:04. > :32:12.and 55 two years ago. Let's hear what he had to save his acceptance

:32:13. > :32:17.speech. Deputy returning officer, staff of the electoral office,

:32:18. > :32:23.fellow candidates in this constituency, could I first thank

:32:24. > :32:30.the deputy returning officer, and Mrs Morgan, a la local area officer

:32:31. > :32:35.for all the hard work they have done, in conducting the election

:32:36. > :32:43.here, and the excellent away they convective account here to do. Thank

:32:44. > :33:00.you for that work, and for all that you do all year round. Could I also

:33:01. > :33:06.thank my election agent? And team DUP in Lagan Valley for the

:33:07. > :33:12.excellent work they have put in. Believe me every one of those 26,700

:33:13. > :33:20.votes was fought for, argued for, debated for, and won either team.

:33:21. > :33:32.Did I thank my daughters, Claire and Laura. And my wife. For all the

:33:33. > :33:38.sacrifices they have made in the past 20 years, while I have served

:33:39. > :33:45.the wonderful constituency of Lagan Valley, in the House of Commons. And

:33:46. > :33:50.I do count it a great honour to be returned as the member of Parliament

:33:51. > :33:59.for Lagan Valley. To be returned with my largest ever vote, and my

:34:00. > :34:02.largest ever majority. As a Democratic Unionist member of

:34:03. > :34:08.Parliament, for me it is a humbling experience. And I give the credit

:34:09. > :34:15.fully to the people who have elected me, and I commit to work on behalf

:34:16. > :34:24.of everyone in my constituency all of the people who live there as a

:34:25. > :34:27.member of Parliament. Jeffrey Donaldson making his acceptance

:34:28. > :34:42.speech. Lagan Valley. His majority has gone up 7767. Almost 12%. His

:34:43. > :34:48.share of the vote almost 60%. 59.6% in fact. Let's hear from Ian

:34:49. > :34:52.Paisley, joining me from his camp centre in Ballymena. North Antrim

:34:53. > :35:04.candidate for the DUP. Good morning to you. 134 in the morning. Feeling

:35:05. > :35:11.confident? Can I say, as we look at the results coming in, all across

:35:12. > :35:14.Ulster this evening, Unionism has awakened, they have awakened

:35:15. > :35:21.themselves to a positive message. We want devolution, not going to be on

:35:22. > :35:27.your terms or my terms, it will be on our terms. That means hours

:35:28. > :35:32.together. We want to make sure that Brexit is properly introduced. We

:35:33. > :35:36.will be very effective and indeed possibly only sell those in

:35:37. > :35:41.Parliament from Northern Ireland on Brexit. We would make sure they get

:35:42. > :35:46.the best deal for all the people of Northern Ireland. I think the

:35:47. > :35:52.resounding victory is we are seeing all across Ulster this evening, from

:35:53. > :35:55.unionist constituencies, and the Democratic Unionist Party in

:35:56. > :36:01.particular it shows that the people have swung behind the Democratic

:36:02. > :36:06.Unionist Party. I'm very humbled by that, very impressed by that. Sends

:36:07. > :36:10.a very strong and positive message to Unionists, we have got our act

:36:11. > :36:17.together. Now let's get something out of this. Could you put the

:36:18. > :36:23.numbers in on the situation in North Antrim? Jim Shannon's majority has

:36:24. > :36:28.gone up 9000. Jeffrey Donaldson up 8000 in Lagan Valley. Alex Easton

:36:29. > :36:35.closing Sylvia Hermon's majority from 9000, two 1200. You would need

:36:36. > :36:39.to stick five, $6,000 to keep up with the of them. If the gauntlet

:36:40. > :36:44.thrown down, I will have to wait for the returning officer to make the

:36:45. > :36:48.declaration. It would be wrong for me to lick any figures for the BBC

:36:49. > :36:54.live on air. As you can see, they are counting on the votes of the

:36:55. > :37:01.present time and I am prepared for them to do as long as they need. If

:37:02. > :37:05.the people speak with a clear voice, I'm content to wait. What does this

:37:06. > :37:12.mean for the leadership? The fact they are still counting my vote says

:37:13. > :37:17.something. A point well made. You will not make any predictions? Not

:37:18. > :37:22.any predictions at this stage. I think if anyone says he speaks for

:37:23. > :37:25.North Antrim, it is pretty clear who is speaking for North Antrim for the

:37:26. > :37:29.next five years as in the British Parliament. What does this do, to

:37:30. > :37:34.pick up on the point about devolution. You want to see

:37:35. > :37:40.government restored, not in anyone else's terms, on your terms has to

:37:41. > :37:45.be done in a way not everybody's happy. As far as Arlene Foster is

:37:46. > :37:49.concerned, the figures return across the board as far as the DUP is

:37:50. > :37:55.concerned, if you pick up another seat or two, is she absolutely safe

:37:56. > :38:02.in her position as leader of the DUP? I think all the party leaders

:38:03. > :38:05.across the United Kingdom tonight, Arlene Foster can be the one who is

:38:06. > :38:12.the happiest, given that her party is performing so well. Not only

:38:13. > :38:22.increasing the share of the vote, in safe seats, and in a dramatic way in

:38:23. > :38:24.many instances. Eating into other Unionists' seats. I predict will do

:38:25. > :38:34.very well another catchy Antrim seat. Ian Paisley, thanks very much

:38:35. > :38:37.indeed. Arlene Foster is in Newton Ali at the Valley Leisure Centre at

:38:38. > :38:40.the camps taking place there. She has been listening to that list of

:38:41. > :38:45.good evening, thank you very much for joining us. Just a quick word

:38:46. > :38:50.about what you are picking up about the count taking place behind you.

:38:51. > :38:59.Can you shed any light on how things are going? Well, it has been a

:39:00. > :39:03.really good night, not just for the DUP, but Unionism in general. That

:39:04. > :39:08.will be the case in East Antrim, and South Antrim. That is of course a

:39:09. > :39:14.very positive thing. We thought the campaign positively, on the value of

:39:15. > :39:18.the union. People responded to that positive case for the union, we will

:39:19. > :39:22.see that in East Antrim and South Antrim. Can I say how proud I am of

:39:23. > :39:29.Alex Easton for the way he fought the baton chilly battle in North

:39:30. > :39:34.Down, very nearly taking the seat. Very proud of Alex, he should be

:39:35. > :39:37.proud of himself. What do you put this down to? Not the easiest

:39:38. > :39:43.campaign probably be DUP has ever fought. All kinds of issues,

:39:44. > :39:48.questions about your leadership. People predicting you may not have a

:39:49. > :39:52.good day at the office. It looks, and that is at an early stage, you

:39:53. > :39:56.have made the qualification yourself, at an early stage in

:39:57. > :40:01.proceedings, if you do as well as the early numbers are suggesting,

:40:02. > :40:05.why has that happened? Think it has happened because Unionists were

:40:06. > :40:10.alarmed at the assembly election result. It was a real wake-up call

:40:11. > :40:14.for Unionists. They wanted to come out and save the union was very

:40:15. > :40:17.important to them. They have done that by voting for the Democratic

:40:18. > :40:24.Unionist Party right across Northern Ireland. You can see that with the

:40:25. > :40:28.victory is a Jim Shannon Jeffrey Donaldson. That will be replicated

:40:29. > :40:33.in other seats. People responded positively to the campaign, I'm very

:40:34. > :40:38.pleased about that. What do you do about that? If you pick up seats in

:40:39. > :40:42.Westminster, that is part of a wider discussion. We will come onto that

:40:43. > :40:47.in a second or two. What does this result mean in terms of is happening

:40:48. > :40:52.or not happening in Northern Ireland as far as Stormont is concerned?

:40:53. > :41:00.Does is increase your mandate to go into those discussions next week?

:41:01. > :41:04.Well, we said this election was about three issues. About support

:41:05. > :41:08.for the union, making sure Northern Ireland have a strong team of MPs to

:41:09. > :41:13.speak up for Northern Ireland in Westminster, and I think we will see

:41:14. > :41:17.the strong team going back. Also about strengthening my hand to give

:41:18. > :41:20.active negotiations around the restoration of devolution. Obviously

:41:21. > :41:26.we want to see devolution back as soon as possible. We made that

:41:27. > :41:29.clear. They should not fallen in the first place. We believe Northern

:41:30. > :41:33.Ireland need to have a strong voice and get the best deal in the

:41:34. > :41:38.European Union except negotiations. Those three elements were the core

:41:39. > :41:41.elements now standing strong manifesto of the standing strong for

:41:42. > :41:48.Northern Ireland on those three key issues. Do you go back in keen to

:41:49. > :41:51.compromise with Sinn Fein? Likely to be the biggest party on the

:41:52. > :41:55.Nationalists side of the fence. If you are going to do some sort of

:41:56. > :42:00.deal, you will have to compromise, Sinn Fein will have to compromise.

:42:01. > :42:05.Do you go in there thinking maybe we got the latest vote after the

:42:06. > :42:09.loyalist communities Council, my hands are tied, and I cannot be as

:42:10. > :42:14.flexible as I might otherwise have wanted to be? Well, I think we are

:42:15. > :42:19.jumping well ahead of ourselves. What we need to do tonight is to see

:42:20. > :42:32.where the lie of the land is in respect of our national parliament.

:42:33. > :42:36.If we are, we have to have serious discussions amongst ourselves about

:42:37. > :42:39.how to move forward. We should not jump ahead of ourselves, we should

:42:40. > :42:43.wait and see what the actual picture is tomorrow morning, in respect of

:42:44. > :42:46.our national parliament, and what part we are going to play. For me,

:42:47. > :42:50.this election has been a real endorsement of Northern Ireland's

:42:51. > :42:55.place in the union, wanting to make sure we have a strong team speaking

:42:56. > :42:58.up for Northern Ireland within Westminster. That is what we are

:42:59. > :43:03.going to see tonight. Briefly, looks like you may have had a good day at

:43:04. > :43:11.the office. What do you think about Theresa May, who it seems may have a

:43:12. > :43:17.pretty bad that the office? As I said, we don't know what the actual

:43:18. > :43:21.results are going to prove, in respect of Theresa May, wrong to

:43:22. > :43:28.judge what is going to happen until all the results come back in. You

:43:29. > :43:31.asked me and interview not very long ago about my leadership, that

:43:32. > :43:36.everything that happened over the past six months, I said it was all

:43:37. > :43:41.about events. We had to move on, here in Northern Ireland, with what

:43:42. > :43:45.has happened as a result of this election, and make sure we use that

:43:46. > :43:48.to get a strong voice in Westminster for the Northern Ireland people.

:43:49. > :43:53.That is what I'm focused on, and I hope everyone else will focus on. I

:43:54. > :43:58.remember the exchange very well. We believe that there. Thank you for

:43:59. > :44:05.joining us. The DUP leader Arlene Foster, from the Valley Leisure

:44:06. > :44:09.Centre just outside North Belfast. We're looking at pictures, or about

:44:10. > :44:16.to look at them of Nigel Dodds, the DUP's candidate for North Belfast.

:44:17. > :44:23.Lost in the melee. He will be hoping, his wife Diane Dodds, MEP

:44:24. > :44:27.for the party, the IP has as good a result of some of his colleagues

:44:28. > :44:32.have had elsewhere. Can see the media scrum. Talking to Gavin

:44:33. > :44:36.Robinson from a third-party's candidate in east Belfast fighting

:44:37. > :44:41.to hold his seat against in particular the Alliance party

:44:42. > :44:48.leader, Naomi Long. I see my colleague, Tara Mills, at to talk to

:44:49. > :45:12.them, I think. She was speak to them in a moment or two. Michelle

:45:13. > :45:19.O'Neill, in Foyle a tight battle. Lisa McCallion looking very pleased,

:45:20. > :45:23.not to sake static. This is the get any intelligence on what is

:45:24. > :45:30.happening in Foyle we will bring it to you. Let's go to the Titanic

:45:31. > :45:33.Exhibition Centre and join Tara. With me now Nigel Dodds and Gavin

:45:34. > :45:38.Robinson. They from the DUP obviously. Nigel, Festival have do

:45:39. > :45:39.you feel about the overall picture? Everybody from the DUP looks

:45:40. > :45:51.confident tonight. Nigel -- Nigel Dodds, what do you

:45:52. > :45:55.think? I think it is a significant picture emerging, we will have to

:45:56. > :46:00.wait and see what the overall outcome's going to be. But I think

:46:01. > :46:05.the Unionists in Northern Ireland have rallied to the call to protect

:46:06. > :46:09.the union, the most important, that with the rest of the UK, and we are

:46:10. > :46:17.looking forward to a very good night. Do you think the DUP learned

:46:18. > :46:21.lessons from a negative campaign in the Assembly election? I think we

:46:22. > :46:26.run a positive campaign, and it just turned out that it has been Sinn

:46:27. > :46:32.Fein that stopped that get -- getting up and running. We fought a

:46:33. > :46:35.positive campaign in terms of getting the big deal -- best deal

:46:36. > :46:39.for Northern Ireland, reinforcing the union with the rest of the UK,

:46:40. > :46:43.and getting the Assembly and Executive up and running. I think

:46:44. > :46:51.people have responded to that positive message. How is it looking

:46:52. > :46:56.in East Belfast for you? I am trying to see what is lying on the tables

:46:57. > :47:02.stand her? We're getting some positive music, so I am not going to

:47:03. > :47:08.call yet but we will see it soon enough. Nigel, are you confident you

:47:09. > :47:14.will get through again and have a majority similar to the last one? We

:47:15. > :47:21.always have a tight fight in North Belfast, in 2010 it was down to just

:47:22. > :47:25.over 2000. Unionists have turned up in good numbers, and I think it is

:47:26. > :47:29.important that in this next parliament we have a voice in

:47:30. > :47:35.Parliament representing people rather than abstention is, I think

:47:36. > :47:42.that is a very negative message to send across Westminster and the

:47:43. > :47:46.wider electorate. Talk of a hung parliament at Westminster, the DUP

:47:47. > :47:51.have been accused of playing up your importance in that situation in the

:47:52. > :47:55.past, and in terms of holding up a Tory majority. Do you think this

:47:56. > :47:59.time you will be in a better position? I am not going to talk it

:48:00. > :48:04.up, if you put it like that, we will have to wait and see. In the past we

:48:05. > :48:06.were very clear we would await the overall picture, and that is what we

:48:07. > :48:31.will do in this case as well. But even a small

:48:32. > :48:32.Conservative majority will still be Northern Ireland is very

:48:33. > :48:35.significant. The Conservatives had a majority in the last Parliament, and

:48:36. > :48:38.the DUP still had a significant role to play. So even with a small

:48:39. > :48:41.majority, the DUP will be important. Could you get a seat in the Cabinet?

:48:42. > :48:43.I am not looking for that. But I think the people of Northern Ireland

:48:44. > :48:46.will have a strong voice at the table. But what are you going to do

:48:47. > :48:49.with that voice? You don't want special status for Northern Ireland,

:48:50. > :48:52.you are not in favour of a soft Brexit. What can you bring? It is

:48:53. > :48:56.wrong to say we are not in favour of a soft Brexit. We want to see a

:48:57. > :48:59.situation where the best deal is arranged for Northern Ireland. Of

:49:00. > :49:02.course we don't want special status within the EU, it would create more

:49:03. > :49:08.barriers between Northern Ireland and the rest of the UK. Why would

:49:09. > :49:12.you exchange the situation we currently have to create barriers

:49:13. > :49:17.with your most important market? Not even the Republic want to do that.

:49:18. > :49:23.So we will go to Westminster, fight our corner, and I think we will have

:49:24. > :49:30.a significant role to play. Nigel, Gavin, thanks very much indeed.

:49:31. > :49:34.Mark, back to you. We saw pictures before we went over

:49:35. > :49:45.to Tara there from foil, our colleagues up there. -- Foyle.

:49:46. > :49:49.Elisha McCallion being embraced by Michelle O'Neill, there they are

:49:50. > :49:56.again. That to me looks like a warm embrace, two ladies who are very

:49:57. > :50:00.happy. What we are hearing is that there is a possibility that Mark

:50:01. > :50:04.Durkan has lost the seat, certainly those pictures would suggest that is

:50:05. > :50:09.the case. We are hearing it was very tight indeed, could have been less

:50:10. > :50:14.than 200 votes, and we are also hearing the SDLP is asking for,

:50:15. > :50:23.don't know if this is happening or not, but is asking for a recount.

:50:24. > :50:28.That is now confirmed. My colleagues confirming that. A recount in Foyle,

:50:29. > :50:37.we think it was under 200 votes, but it was in Sinn Fein's favour.

:50:38. > :50:43.Dolores Kelly, SDLP MLA, has taken up a seat here. You haven't even

:50:44. > :50:50.caught your breath, but can you shed any light on the situation? I

:50:51. > :50:56.understand that it is very close, too tight to call, and I think most

:50:57. > :51:06.people are wise to wait and see the final shakedown envelope -- of the

:51:07. > :51:12.vote. I do think... But you don't disagree with anything I have said.

:51:13. > :51:16.Can you shed any light on South and South Belfast? I understand it is a

:51:17. > :51:23.similar situation, they are too tight to call. Peter Robinson saying

:51:24. > :51:28.on the radio much the same as me, until the final count's delivered,

:51:29. > :51:34.it is too tight to call in South Belfast. If your party lost those

:51:35. > :51:40.three seats, and we are not saying that has happened, but that is a

:51:41. > :51:44.possible outcome of tonight's events, how catastrophic would that

:51:45. > :51:49.be for the SDLP, and for nationalism in Northern Ireland? Because if that

:51:50. > :51:55.were to happen, there would be no Irish nationalist voice in

:51:56. > :51:58.Westminster. It is something our party cautioned about as a possible

:51:59. > :52:07.outcome unless the vote didn't turn out. We are very interested to see

:52:08. > :52:12.how it is shaping up in Westminster. The Labour Party have done much

:52:13. > :52:19.better, it could be -- much better than anticipated, it could be a hung

:52:20. > :52:24.parliament. But you know, the greater catastrophe is for Northern

:52:25. > :52:29.Ireland, and for society in general, where we have seen increasingly

:52:30. > :52:34.polarised voting patterns and outcomes of elections over the last

:52:35. > :52:37.number of months, almost 20 years after the Good Friday Agreement when

:52:38. > :52:41.we should have been building the common ground and the centre ground,

:52:42. > :52:48.and moving Northern Ireland forward for everyone, not just for a green

:52:49. > :52:53.and orange headcount. Unfortunately it still seems to me that too many

:52:54. > :52:58.of our elections are coming down to that very much green and orange

:52:59. > :53:03.headcount. Thanks very much, we've got Michelle O'Neill, Sinn Fein's

:53:04. > :53:11.leader at Stormont, who joins me now from the Foyle arena in Derry. We

:53:12. > :53:14.saw you hugging Elisha McCallion, your candidate in Foyle. Can you

:53:15. > :53:22.tell us the situation, we were hearing there is a recount. Yes,

:53:23. > :53:27.there is a recount, obviously over 18,000 people in Foyle has selected

:53:28. > :53:32.Elisha McCallion as their MP. She has fought a positive campaign, as

:53:33. > :53:37.had -- as has all of our Sinn Fein candidates. There are 160 votes of

:53:38. > :53:41.difference, so Mark Durkan has asked for that recount. But clearly the

:53:42. > :53:47.people here want Elisha McCallion to represent them in the time ahead. We

:53:48. > :53:52.are delighted, she is a first-class candidate, a woman who will work

:53:53. > :53:59.hard for the people of Derry. As all accounts get underway, it is great

:54:00. > :54:09.to be the first -- the first result that we returned a woman. Not

:54:10. > :54:14.confirmed yet, and we have to give Mark Durkan his position, he has

:54:15. > :54:18.been given a recount. So until we have confirmation that Elisha

:54:19. > :54:21.McCallion has won the seat, we cannot say she has. The recount

:54:22. > :54:28.could turn up a different set of figures. But she has obviously

:54:29. > :54:35.performed extremely well, and it is busy very, tight. Over 80,000 people

:54:36. > :54:42.have voted for Elisha McCallion, there will be a recount. -- 18,000.

:54:43. > :54:48.I think what is clear is that the people of Foyle have chosen her, but

:54:49. > :54:58.we will go through the next hour, hour and a half, Mark Durkan's

:54:59. > :55:03.entitled to the recount. Sorry, I've got some interference. I could hear

:55:04. > :55:08.a loud speaker, but we can manage if you can manage. I was talking to

:55:09. > :55:16.Dolores Kelly, what about those two key battles between Sinn Fein and

:55:17. > :55:24.the SDLP, South Down is one, and South Belfast is an interesting one,

:55:25. > :55:28.we think that Mairtin O'Muilleoir is in play, the incumbent is Alistair

:55:29. > :55:32.MacDonald. Have you any sense of how the candidates have done in those

:55:33. > :55:38.two seats? It has been a positive outcome, are voters have voted for

:55:39. > :55:45.the strong Sinn Fein team. It is close in South Down, I think you

:55:46. > :55:49.will see a result very shortly. But certainly the people have supported

:55:50. > :55:52.the Sinn Fein message, got on board with the campaign, they understood

:55:53. > :55:57.and respected the fact that we needed to stand strong against

:55:58. > :56:01.Brexit, that only Sinn Fein could take the fight to where it needs to

:56:02. > :56:07.go, whether that be in London, Dublin, Brussels or Belfast. It is

:56:08. > :56:16.early days, I look forward to the rest of the counts, but we are off

:56:17. > :56:20.to a great start here in Foyle. Over 18,000 have voted for Elisha

:56:21. > :56:26.McCallion. What is your understanding of what you will do

:56:27. > :56:30.with his mandate? You are not going to take your seats, even though the

:56:31. > :56:33.mathematics in Westminster might be very tired, and you could have an

:56:34. > :56:37.opportunity to shape things over there in a way could have done in

:56:38. > :56:42.the last parliament. That is absolutely your position, no debate

:56:43. > :56:47.even internally about changing their position? None whatsoever, we fought

:56:48. > :56:51.the election on that basis, people gave us a mandate on that basis. We

:56:52. > :56:56.had consistently said this is about taking the fight to where it

:56:57. > :57:00.matters, providing representation where it counts. Sinn Fein are the

:57:01. > :57:04.only party that can provide that representation. Look how successful

:57:05. > :57:10.we have been in terms of taking our fight to the European Parliament,

:57:11. > :57:14.and the fight -- so Sinn Fein can make a difference, we have already

:57:15. > :57:19.shown we can. But this election was also about people's writes, the

:57:20. > :57:24.quality and integrity. Clearly the numbers of people that voted in the

:57:25. > :57:30.Assembly election, they've come out and done so again. Shame -- so I

:57:31. > :57:34.think what the people have said is that they want good Government,

:57:35. > :57:38.people who will stand up for public services. They want people who have

:57:39. > :57:42.integrity at their core, so we thank people once again for the man that

:57:43. > :57:47.they have given us. We will make sure we go back into established a

:57:48. > :57:51.power-sharing Executive, and that can be done easily if we have

:57:52. > :57:55.implementation of previous agreements. What we are asking for

:57:56. > :58:02.is very, very reasonable, we are not asking for anything new. We are

:58:03. > :58:09.looking at pictures of Margaret Ritchie, the incumbent for South

:58:10. > :58:15.Down, arriving at her account. -- her hand. Seems she is in a tight

:58:16. > :58:23.fight. I have been speaking to Arlene Foster, she is cock-a-hoop.

:58:24. > :58:27.You are cock-a-hoop at the way things are shaping up for Sinn Fein.

:58:28. > :58:32.What are the two of you need to do over the next three weeks as far as

:58:33. > :58:36.the talks are concerned? U-boat have had your hand strengthened, but you

:58:37. > :58:40.don't seem to agree on much. What do you say to people watching tonight

:58:41. > :58:44.who think this pushes agreement further away? Can you give them any

:58:45. > :58:47.reason to believe that is not the case, and that she and you will be

:58:48. > :58:54.able to compromise to sort things out? I told you on your programme

:58:55. > :58:59.before that what we are asking for is very stable, and people what the

:59:00. > :59:03.Executive to work. I want to lead my strong team into the Executive...

:59:04. > :59:10.But you've still got those red lines she objects to. If those are

:59:11. > :59:14.equality, respect and integrity, those are red lines. Whenever Martin

:59:15. > :59:21.McGuinness resigned, he did that because of the RHI scandal. People

:59:22. > :59:25.deserve answers on that, because that rocked public confidence in the

:59:26. > :59:29.institutions. I want to work everyday to restore that, I want to

:59:30. > :59:32.lead my team back into the Executive. Nobody worked harder than

:59:33. > :59:39.Martin McGuinness to the institutions work. We believe that's

:59:40. > :59:42.where we need to be. But we can do that easily because what we are

:59:43. > :59:46.asking for is in fermentation of what has been previously agreed,

:59:47. > :59:54.there is nothing new on the table. -- implementation. I will work with

:59:55. > :59:57.the DUP, but also with the other parties because I want to get back

:59:58. > :00:02.to the principles of the Good Friday Agreement, the principles of

:00:03. > :00:07.power-sharing and equality and respect around that table is vital.

:00:08. > :00:12.If we are going to have a sustainable Executive that serves

:00:13. > :00:17.the people well. Get yourself a glass of water, you have been doing

:00:18. > :00:22.a lot of talking. We appreciate you taking the time to talk to us at

:00:23. > :00:27.this stage, it is exactly two o'clock. Only three seats declared,

:00:28. > :00:33.good to speak to you, and maybe in an hour or two we will catch up

:00:34. > :00:37.again. I will come to my panel shortly, but first let's hear more

:00:38. > :00:43.from Tara at the Titanic exhibition centre.

:00:44. > :00:49.With me is the Alliance leader Naomi Long. How is it looking for you? I

:00:50. > :00:53.don't think it is good to be our night tonight, we reckon that our

:00:54. > :00:57.vote has held up pretty well, certainly better than it was in

:00:58. > :01:01.2010, we picked up a few thousand votes since the Assembly election.

:01:02. > :01:07.So we are probably just shy of where we were in the last Westminster

:01:08. > :01:11.election. But the Unionist vote has increased significantly and

:01:12. > :01:17.completely consolidated, so I don't think it will be possible for us to

:01:18. > :01:23.catch them. What do you think that is down to? It has been a divisive

:01:24. > :01:26.election campaign, and I think people felt that the union was under

:01:27. > :01:31.threat particularly after Sinn Fein came so close in the last Assembly

:01:32. > :01:36.elections, and I think there has been an enhanced unionist turnout.

:01:37. > :01:40.We have seen the impact in places like North Down, where Sylvia

:01:41. > :01:41.Hermon's majority was hugely reduced, and also other

:01:42. > :01:52.constituencies. We are pleased about is the Alliance

:01:53. > :01:57.has consolidated its vote rather than being squashed. In a number of

:01:58. > :02:02.constituencies we have improved our position significantly. Kellie

:02:03. > :02:06.Armstrong overtaken the Ulster Unionist Party we have seen a

:02:07. > :02:11.realignment of politics into two clocks. Sinn Fein versus the DUP.

:02:12. > :02:16.That does not bode well for the talks in terms of re-establishing

:02:17. > :02:21.the assembly. Very difficult to see how two parties emboldened by the

:02:22. > :02:26.results this evening will be anymore considering three when it comes to

:02:27. > :02:30.resolving the devolved institutions. The DUP, depending on the final

:02:31. > :02:35.outcome in the UK, they may feel they may have influence with the

:02:36. > :02:38.Conservatives if they are shy of an overall majority. If they are

:02:39. > :02:42.therefore confidence and supply, they may see that as a better way to

:02:43. > :02:46.influence politics than the devolved settlement at all. It leaves

:02:47. > :02:51.Northern Ireland politics in a precarious situation. From our

:02:52. > :02:53.perspective, very clear the only alternative holding ground in that

:02:54. > :03:00.situation is the Alliance party. We need to get the message out. This is

:03:01. > :03:06.seen to be going as they seem to be going for the Ulster Unionist Party

:03:07. > :03:09.and the Alliance? The often unionists are fighting for their

:03:10. > :03:10.seat in South Antrim. It will be incredibly close. If they lose both

:03:11. > :03:21.of the Westminster seats, and take a hit across Belfast, that is

:03:22. > :03:26.difficult for them as a party building to that point, to see that

:03:27. > :03:30.for the weight rapidly. The SDLP have built a lot of standing and

:03:31. > :03:34.credibility on the fact they had three MPs in Westminster who took

:03:35. > :03:37.their seats. In many ways, nationalism in general, in Northern

:03:38. > :03:44.Ireland will be left voiceless. There will be neighbour sensation if

:03:45. > :03:47.we have only Sinn Fein MPs elected. It is a hugely difficult moment for

:03:48. > :03:52.Northern Ireland politics, no question about that. We need to try

:03:53. > :03:58.and find a way through to get devolution restored. If we are

:03:59. > :04:08.relying on DUP Illonen to voice the wider concerns in Westminster, I

:04:09. > :04:13.don't think he might be any choice people have in the situation where

:04:14. > :04:19.decisions are taken. Devolution is critical to the vast majority of

:04:20. > :04:24.people. I hope the two parties rather than feel emboldened, take

:04:25. > :04:27.responsibility for the mandates, in terms of devolution, seeking to

:04:28. > :04:32.restore it. It is too important to throw away. You will be there on the

:04:33. > :04:37.talks on Monday? Will be there on the talks on Monday. Thank you very

:04:38. > :04:43.much. We will speak to members are my panel in a moment. Before we do

:04:44. > :04:55.that, let's hear from Mark Sampson, giving us an update of the overall

:04:56. > :05:00.picture, as it stands. It is a busy half-hour. Let's take a look quite

:05:01. > :05:06.literally the big picture. The new political map evolving in front of

:05:07. > :05:09.our very eyes. More than 60 seats, 60 constituencies you can see. We

:05:10. > :05:15.will come back to Northern Ireland in a moment. Let's look at a UK wide

:05:16. > :05:19.situation. Labour are ahead at the moment. According to the exit poll,

:05:20. > :05:24.the Tories will overtake them before the end of the night. Not enough for

:05:25. > :05:31.an overall majority. Could be a hung parliament. Interesting the DUP are

:05:32. > :05:35.featuring on the UK wide board. They could be big players. Kingmakers as

:05:36. > :05:41.such if it is a hung parliament. What is that, about 70 out of 650,

:05:42. > :05:46.not even at half-time. Lets go a bit closer to home. Let's look at the

:05:47. > :05:51.Northern Ireland situation. The only thing we can say at the moment, the

:05:52. > :06:01.East are way ahead of the West. Let's have a little look at the

:06:02. > :06:06.scoreboard. Good night so far, but early days, but a good night so far

:06:07. > :06:12.for the DUP. Let's take a closer look at one of those seats. North

:06:13. > :06:18.Down. The outgoing MP Lady Sylvia Hermon is backing. A significantly

:06:19. > :06:26.reduced majority. Two years ago Lady Sylvia Hermon majority of 9000 and

:06:27. > :06:30.202. Now just over 1000. A good result for the DUP Runner Runner,

:06:31. > :06:34.Alex Easton. Let's take a look at the other seats. His party

:06:35. > :06:43.colleagues in Strangford, Jim Shannon. A thumping majority, nearly

:06:44. > :06:46.20,000. That is the situation in two of the seats at the moment. Plenty

:06:47. > :06:53.more to come, please don't go to sleep. Thank you very much indeed.

:06:54. > :06:58.Good job. That gives you a very good update of the overall picture. There

:06:59. > :07:11.may be some activity as far as the East Londonderry count is concerned.

:07:12. > :07:15.Let's hear it. For 43. Liz Claire, Conservatives 330. I declare Gregory

:07:16. > :07:23.Campbell is returned to serve in parliament for the East Londonderry

:07:24. > :07:35.constituency. We did not catch the figures. 19700 and 23. Up by almost

:07:36. > :07:38.6%. Let's hear what he had to say. Can I thank the deputy returning

:07:39. > :07:45.officer, for the magnificent job she has done, both herself and her

:07:46. > :07:50.staff, given that this was her first election in such a capacity. The

:07:51. > :07:54.work was tremendous. The work done yesterday by all of the staff was

:07:55. > :08:00.very good given the bad weather conditions mean George towards the

:08:01. > :08:07.latter part of the day. Can I also thank my election agent? And my

:08:08. > :08:12.election team. Each and every election in my team work for me. We

:08:13. > :08:17.have an election team in East Londonderry like no other team in

:08:18. > :08:23.any other constituency. In the last 12 months, we have knocked on their

:08:24. > :08:29.first 12,000 doors in this constituency. The benefit is there

:08:30. > :08:35.for all to see. In the past couple of years there have been those in

:08:36. > :08:42.the nationalist and republican community who have singled me out

:08:43. > :08:49.for attack. Forlan busting. For criticism beyond any fair and

:08:50. > :08:57.equitable statement in politics. Gerry Adams two years ago, said we

:08:58. > :09:10.had to break them, but we're not broken tonight, Gerry. There are

:09:11. > :09:15.19,723 reasons. Why we are not broken tonight. At the start of this

:09:16. > :09:22.campaign, at the closing nominations, Michelle O'Neill on the

:09:23. > :09:27.television interview targeted me, and the next day on a radio

:09:28. > :09:34.interview, Colum Eastwood targeted me. On each occasion I had no right

:09:35. > :09:43.of reply. Tonight I need no right to reply. Because 19,000 723 people

:09:44. > :09:48.have given the right of reply. Everyone else needs to make

:09:49. > :09:53.progress. We have said repeatedly we're prepared to go into government

:09:54. > :10:00.and build for the future for everyone in this country. This month

:10:01. > :10:06.they must be the test of that progress. We have difficult, hard

:10:07. > :10:10.decisions to make. We have issues we want to see resolved. We're not

:10:11. > :10:18.prepared to hold the people of Northern to ransom, to get those

:10:19. > :10:23.issues resolved. Sinn Fein have been. The question is on Monday, are

:10:24. > :10:31.they prepared to move on, or prepare to continue to hold the communities

:10:32. > :10:35.here to ransom? I hope we can all learn from the past and move on to a

:10:36. > :10:38.brighter and better future. This party will rise to the challenge.

:10:39. > :10:46.This party has had a magnificent result. A result beyond our wildest,

:10:47. > :10:50.wildest expectations. This constituency, we went up from a

:10:51. > :10:58.majority of around 6000, to almost 10,000. Unprecedented victory. The

:10:59. > :11:04.largest majority we ever have was two years ago, we exceeded it again

:11:05. > :11:07.tonight. Hopefully people will learn lessons from these results, and move

:11:08. > :11:14.forward to a brighter, better future. For us all, for all of our

:11:15. > :11:20.communities. Within the United Kingdom, building a better future

:11:21. > :11:40.for everybody. Thank you. Gregory Campbell there. With his thoughts.

:11:41. > :11:49.His majority up from 14 663, going up 5660. 5.8% increase. Dermot

:11:50. > :11:56.Nicholl in second place, his vote up almost 7%. The SDLP down 1.5%, and

:11:57. > :12:04.Richard Helms for the Ulster Unionist Party down 7.7%. Compared

:12:05. > :12:17.to the last Westminster election in 2015. 100 seats filled, only four

:12:18. > :12:21.them from Northern Ireland. In North Down Sylvia Hermon home with a

:12:22. > :12:38.dramatically reduced majority. Cut from 9000, two years ago, two 1200

:12:39. > :12:44.this time round. Now Alex Kane and it looks like Michelle O'Neill is

:12:45. > :12:48.confident in other constituencies things looking tight for the SDLP.

:12:49. > :12:55.We have two very strong parties, apparently doing very well. Where

:12:56. > :12:59.does that leave us? We won't know for a while yet, whether the

:13:00. > :13:04.nationalist vote has risen by anything like the amount the

:13:05. > :13:10.unionist vote has risen, at least the vote for the DUP. Looks like a

:13:11. > :13:15.very bad night for the SDLP. An awful night for the Ulster Unionist

:13:16. > :13:23.Party where that leaves us, back to square one. With very little

:13:24. > :13:29.prospect, I would imagine that a rapid restoration of Stormont. We

:13:30. > :13:36.could be looking at a situation where we have the main 17 seats

:13:37. > :13:38.divided between the DUP and Sinn Fein. We could have no

:13:39. > :13:42.representation for the Ulster Unionist Party SDLP. Where that

:13:43. > :13:51.leaves me unsighted, what that actually means in terms of

:13:52. > :13:58.representation of nationalism. I have not heard for a long time and

:13:59. > :14:05.nationalist yearning to be referenced in Westminster. Hefty cut

:14:06. > :14:12.across you. Pictures of Arlene Foster arriving at the Titanic

:14:13. > :14:21.Exhibition Centre. We spoke to her short time ago. Warmly embraced by

:14:22. > :14:33.several candidates. There is a candidate for South Belfast.

:14:34. > :14:40.By the sound of it that is where it is heading. Is her leadership

:14:41. > :14:44.secure? I would imagine absolutely. If the vote have been down, she was

:14:45. > :14:48.definitely on the way out, I would imagine. We were getting a sense

:14:49. > :15:01.during the campaign of unhappiness inside the DUP, and Arlene being

:15:02. > :15:04.kept off the scene. I imagine because they thought she would not

:15:05. > :15:15.give them. It become apparent the party has done very well, very much

:15:16. > :15:21.like if Jeremy Corbyn had not done well, but the party had done them,

:15:22. > :15:28.if he had not been thought he'd done well, but the Labour voter,, the

:15:29. > :15:35.party is bound to rally around Arlene, no matter how they thought

:15:36. > :15:37.she handled things early on. Looking at those figures, hard to see any of

:15:38. > :15:39.reading of the situation. Gregory Campbell, Jeffrey Donaldson, Jim

:15:40. > :15:43.Shannon's majorities up pretty dramatically. Good performance from

:15:44. > :15:49.Alex Easton in North Down. Alex, how do you read the situation we're in

:15:50. > :15:52.at the moment? We were looking at the exit poll, seeing if it turns

:15:53. > :15:56.out to be accurate in due course. Would you have predicted figures

:15:57. > :15:57.like that, as far as the DUP's performance was concerned? And what

:15:58. > :16:07.we are beginning I thought the DUP would hold at

:16:08. > :16:12.least seven of those seats. But right the way through this campaign,

:16:13. > :16:16.I've served on the back of what happened in the Assembly election,

:16:17. > :16:22.that this was going to be all about numbers. It was going to be a battle

:16:23. > :16:28.between and Sinn Fein. The SPL -- the SDLP look like they are going to

:16:29. > :16:32.lose three seats, the UUP, huge collateral damage. Both parties will

:16:33. > :16:40.need to pray there is not going to be an Assembly election in October.

:16:41. > :16:49.But the problem is... The West Belfast declaration.

:16:50. > :17:12.2860. Conor Campbell, the Workers Party. 348. Gerry Carroll, People

:17:13. > :17:21.Before Profit Alliance. 4132. Sorcha Eastwood, Alliance. 731. Paul

:17:22. > :17:43.Maskey, Sinn Fein. 27100. -- 27 107. Frank McCoubrey,

:17:44. > :18:18.Democratic Unionist party. 5455. I declare that Paul Maskey is

:18:19. > :18:23.returned to serve in Parliament, for the Belfast West constituency. Thank

:18:24. > :18:32.you. Very successful for Paul Maskey of

:18:33. > :18:40.Sinn Fein, his vote up from 19,163 in 2015, I make that an increase of

:18:41. > :18:46.something in the region of 8000 votes, no huge surprise, Alex, sorry

:18:47. > :18:52.for cutting across you. That was a very safe Sinn Fein said. But he has

:18:53. > :18:58.piled on a lot of additional votes. What's interesting, Frank

:18:59. > :19:02.McCoubrey's vote is almost enough for a seat in the next Assembly

:19:03. > :19:11.election, he is ahead of Gerry Carroll. That's what were going to

:19:12. > :19:15.see in every seat, no harm to the DUP and SDLP and Alliance, none of

:19:16. > :19:23.that matters, this is Sinn Fein versus the DUP. I will predict this,

:19:24. > :19:28.if Theresa May comes back with a very small majority and the DUP try

:19:29. > :19:32.to prop up a paper thin majority, with a hard Brexit, there is no way

:19:33. > :19:36.I would have thought that Sinn Fein would entertain the thought of

:19:37. > :19:45.setting up an Executive with them. I want to hear from Peter Hain, who

:19:46. > :19:48.joins us now from London, I think, our studio there. Former Secretary

:19:49. > :19:55.of State in Northern Ireland. Thanks very much for joining us on the

:19:56. > :19:58.programme. I will talk about the national picture in a moment, but I

:19:59. > :20:07.want to ask you about the results we are getting in so far. Three seats

:20:08. > :20:11.won by the DUP with a huge -- huge increased majorities. Done very well

:20:12. > :20:16.and North Durham against Sylvia Hermon, and a big success for Sinn

:20:17. > :20:20.Fein in west Belfast. -- North Down against Sylvia Hermon. Mark Durkan

:20:21. > :20:26.may well have lost his seat in Foyle, there is a huge -- a recount,

:20:27. > :20:30.but Sinn Fein's Elisha McCallion may have taken that seat. What does that

:20:31. > :20:37.tell you about the nature of politics in Northern Ireland?

:20:38. > :20:40.Mark's loss, if that is what it turns out to be, will be a loss for

:20:41. > :20:46.Parliament in Northern Ireland politics. But clearly, the voters of

:20:47. > :20:52.Northern Ireland by choosing between the DUP and Sinn Fein. And that has

:20:53. > :20:59.got important implications, given that the UK wide picture, because

:21:00. > :21:05.Theresa May, whatever happens at the end of the night, has not got over

:21:06. > :21:09.is not going to get the huge majority for a hard right Brexit

:21:10. > :21:15.that she wanted. She has been rebuffed. Labour's done very well

:21:16. > :21:21.comparatively to what people expected, very well indeed. That is

:21:22. > :21:24.a positive for Jeremy Corbyn. But its implications for Northern

:21:25. > :21:30.Ireland I think all this, it makes it possible for part of the UK that

:21:31. > :21:35.voted to remain in the European Union, to actually try to get a

:21:36. > :21:44.better deal on Brexit than it looked likely if Theresa May had a stonking

:21:45. > :21:48.majority, to just push ahead and do what she liked. Now there must be a

:21:49. > :21:53.possibility in Parliament for actually keeping us within the

:21:54. > :21:58.single market, for which there is a majority by the way in Parliament,

:21:59. > :22:02.across parties, that has not been able to express itself because of

:22:03. > :22:07.Theresa May's policy on Brexit and the Tory position. And also that

:22:08. > :22:12.will make it easier to deal with the extremely difficult and potentially

:22:13. > :22:14.insoluble issue of the border between Northern Ireland and the

:22:15. > :22:22.republic. Because if we are in the single market, even if we lose --

:22:23. > :22:26.leave the EU, in other words we become like Norway, which is out of

:22:27. > :22:30.the EU but in the single market, able to trade our goods and services

:22:31. > :22:37.without barriers, tariffs, customs unions to go through which would

:22:38. > :22:47.otherwise be erected, then I think that becomes a greater possibility.

:22:48. > :22:50.Some people might be pessimistic about the possibility of agreement

:22:51. > :22:55.being reached between the two parties, given that they are at

:22:56. > :22:59.opposite ends of the spectrum, but if you were an optimist you would

:23:00. > :23:07.say they have strong mandates from which to compromise in fact? Bodel I

:23:08. > :23:12.hope so. Because for -- for Arlene Foster the DUP performance is very

:23:13. > :23:15.good, and for Michelle O'Neill, Sinn Fein's performance is very positive

:23:16. > :23:21.and very good, so they are both strengthened. And leaders who are

:23:22. > :23:25.strengthened, who don't have to look over their shoulders the whole time

:23:26. > :23:30.for people carping from behind them or seeking to make life difficult,

:23:31. > :23:34.are better able to do the deals that the majority of Northern Ireland

:23:35. > :23:39.voters want, in getting the Assembly back up and running. So I hope it is

:23:40. > :23:48.positive, I hope that Brexit doesn't act as a divisive factor in

:23:49. > :23:53.preventing that agreement. Because remember, Northern Ireland voted to

:23:54. > :23:59.remain within the EU. So I hope that the strengthening of Sinn Fein and

:24:00. > :24:03.the DUP in this election actually gives both groups a much greater

:24:04. > :24:09.momentum and willingness to do this deal that is in their own interests

:24:10. > :24:22.and certainly in the interests... Sorry to cut across Europe, we have

:24:23. > :24:39.a declaration in South Antrim. -- sorry to cut across you.

:24:40. > :24:45.Can I have quiet, please? Thank you. Janet Goodall, as deputy returning

:24:46. > :24:55.officer for the South Antrim constituency, I hereby declare the

:24:56. > :25:08.following results. The eligible electorate was 68,000 244. 68244.

:25:09. > :25:24.The votes polled were 43,000 -- 43292. The valid votes were 43170.

:25:25. > :25:32.And in valid votes, one to two. Which was a turnout of 63.44%. In

:25:33. > :25:37.valid votes, 122. I hereby declare the number of votes for the

:25:38. > :25:59.following candidates. Paul Girvan, Democratic Unionist party. 16508.

:26:00. > :26:18.Declan Kearney, Sinn Fein. 7797. Neil Kelly, Alliance. 3203. Danny

:26:19. > :26:34.Kinahan, Ulster Unionist Party. 13300. Roisin Lynch, social

:26:35. > :26:38.Democratic and Labour Party. 2362. I declare that Paul Girvan is returned

:26:39. > :26:46.to serve in Parliament for the South Antrim constituency.

:26:47. > :26:50.Paul Girvan text that seat from Danny Kinahan, he was an MP for the

:26:51. > :26:54.last two years, couldn't hold on. Paul Girvan the candidate this time

:26:55. > :27:03.round, it was William McCrea last time round. He had 10,900 93. This

:27:04. > :27:12.time Paul Girvan has 16,000 -- 16 508. Let's hear what he has to say.

:27:13. > :27:18.I would like to thank the deputy returning officer, Janet, and her

:27:19. > :27:23.team, for the efficient way they have carried out the camp, but I

:27:24. > :27:28.also want to thank those who man the polling stations. Those people who

:27:29. > :27:33.were up very early yesterday morning, and it was yesterday

:27:34. > :27:38.morning. And they had a long day, I think many of the people in this

:27:39. > :27:44.room had a similar day as well. But I want to thank them very much as

:27:45. > :27:47.well, I would like to thank the PSNI for what they have undertaken to

:27:48. > :27:55.ensure that we delivered this election in a safe forum. I want

:27:56. > :28:06.first of all my election agent, Matthew. -- I want to thank. I know

:28:07. > :28:14.it was maybe not the easiest thing to try and manage me, and I will say

:28:15. > :28:19.that, but he had a wonderful team... Paul Girvan, he's put 5500 votes

:28:20. > :28:25.onto William McCrea's performance two years ago. That is impressive,

:28:26. > :28:30.it ties in with the other victories for the DUP of course. We believe

:28:31. > :28:34.the Foyle announcement could be imminent, windows Sinn Fein appeared

:28:35. > :28:42.to win that seat on the first camp, now a second term. -- there is now a

:28:43. > :28:47.second count. Michelle O'Neill was confident the result would remain

:28:48. > :28:52.the same. Paul Maskey put a thousand votes on his performance of two

:28:53. > :29:03.years ago, up from 19,000 to 20 7000. Do you share Michelle

:29:04. > :29:07.O'Neill's confidence. Reported difference of 170 votes as

:29:08. > :29:13.the territory where it is absolutely within a candidate's right to seek a

:29:14. > :29:19.recount, but having seen numerous recounts, 170 votes is a lot to find

:29:20. > :29:26.in those circumstances. So if it transpires that a leash wins that

:29:27. > :29:30.said, it will be a phenomenal site. To take that seat in Derry is

:29:31. > :29:36.something that has been a long aspiration. I think there will be a

:29:37. > :29:39.lot of people in Derry thinking about Martin McGuinness, and I think

:29:40. > :29:44.it will be a clear sign that the Sinn Fein strategy has been endorsed

:29:45. > :29:49.by more and more people within the community, and I think the onus is

:29:50. > :29:53.on us to use that responsibility and mandate to deliver for those people

:29:54. > :29:57.who have entrusted us with their vote. Danny Kennedy, your reaction

:29:58. > :30:06.to the news that Danny Kinahan has lost his seat. I am extremely

:30:07. > :30:13.disappointed. His vote is up, but not by enough to hold the seat. On a

:30:14. > :30:18.personal basis, I am enormously distressed for Danny, and that's it,

:30:19. > :30:27.he was a hard-working, conscientious member of Parliament. Unfortunately

:30:28. > :30:30.though he got caught in the DUP tied at this election, it is no

:30:31. > :30:35.reflection on him personally, and I hope he will live to fight another

:30:36. > :30:41.day. Christopher Stortford, we can see the direction of travel here. A

:30:42. > :30:47.good performance by Paul Girvan, do you feel any sense of sadness for

:30:48. > :30:54.Danny Kinahan? Bodel I have lost an election in the past, I know what

:30:55. > :30:57.it's like. -- I have lost an election in the past. You should

:30:58. > :31:05.always try to emphasise with those who do. But I cannot say I am

:31:06. > :31:09.delighted for Paul, because as well as working hard in my own

:31:10. > :31:14.constituency I have been out and about working in South Antrim quite

:31:15. > :31:18.a lot. The guy that run my campaign to get re-elected to storm the first

:31:19. > :31:25.time was running Paul's campaign in this election. -- re-elected to

:31:26. > :31:30.Stormont. But I think the result was reflective of the fact that Paul is

:31:31. > :31:32.just genuinely liked by people regardless of what party they belong

:31:33. > :31:45.to. we are going to Foyle. Before that,

:31:46. > :31:50.a interview with the former leader of the SDLP, Alistair McDowell. He

:31:51. > :31:55.arrived at the Titanic Exhibition Centre a short time ago. As he

:31:56. > :32:03.arrived he spoke to our reporter Richard Morgan. I still look at the

:32:04. > :32:07.figures, when account is finished. Do you feel confident they have won

:32:08. > :32:17.South Belfast? We will see in a minute. What about the SDLP vote

:32:18. > :32:21.overall? I was campaigning South Belfast, for a remain vote, a

:32:22. > :32:30.minimum Brexit five. We were not going to get remain. -- minimum

:32:31. > :32:36.Brexit vote. I will campaign to stay as close to Europe as possible if

:32:37. > :32:41.remaining is not possible. A lot of work to be done. We can have

:32:42. > :32:48.delusional excitement and night, but the point is, the problems are

:32:49. > :32:53.massive. Problems in education, problems in jobs. Problems in

:32:54. > :32:58.health. All of those are magnified by us leaving the European Union.

:32:59. > :33:02.Why have voters turned away from the SDLP to the likes of Sinn Fein or

:33:03. > :33:06.the DUP? I am not aware that it away from the SDLP. We will way that up,

:33:07. > :33:11.and look where we are at. The job goes on. I did not join politics,

:33:12. > :33:24.get involved in politics for instant success, I got involved to make a

:33:25. > :33:38.difference. We have not seen the results yet. We have not lost the

:33:39. > :33:45.seat. It is a bit sad, they are refusing, and they're not able to

:33:46. > :33:49.join the announcement. Alasdair McDonnell, former leader of the

:33:50. > :33:56.SDLP. Not sounding terribly optimistic. Dolores Kelly from the

:33:57. > :34:00.party is with me. I will not characterise that as an acceptance

:34:01. > :34:06.of defeat. Did not sound positive, do you accept that? I do except it

:34:07. > :34:09.doesn't sound positive. Alan Stone still fighting game you have to give

:34:10. > :34:13.it to him. He fights to the wire. Discount is going to the wire. That

:34:14. > :34:17.seems to be what most people are saying from all sides. Not until the

:34:18. > :34:25.final shakedown even though the result. We are also hearing, and not

:34:26. > :34:29.saying he has told us this, saying Chris Hazard cannot be caught in

:34:30. > :34:34.South Down. That is terrible news for the SDLP. That would be another

:34:35. > :34:41.former leader, Margaret Ritchie, out of the Commons. It would be another

:34:42. > :34:43.exceptionally hard-working member of Parliament, who puts her life and

:34:44. > :34:51.soul into serving the people of South Down, and it is in

:34:52. > :34:59.compensable. Potentially you will lose three seats and three former

:35:00. > :35:04.leaders. We are very resilient party, politics is a tough game. If

:35:05. > :35:11.anyone is evidence of that, I am. Let's look at the pictures, chatting

:35:12. > :35:18.around the table. This is the Foyle announcement. The invalid vote was

:35:19. > :35:24.177. As the deputy returning officer for the Foyle constituency I declare

:35:25. > :35:32.at the election the number of votes for each candidate was as follows.

:35:33. > :35:46.John Doherty, Alliance party 847. Mark Durkin, SDLP, social Democratic

:35:47. > :36:06.and Labour Party 1887. Shaun Harkin, people before profit Alliance, 1377.

:36:07. > :36:45.Alicia McCowan, Sinn Fein 18 to 56. -- 18 256.

:36:46. > :36:52.You can see the response, the light against the Sinn Fein people.

:36:53. > :36:58.Supporters and candidates and party workers. The party's candidate in

:36:59. > :37:11.Foyle winning the seat by quite a few boys. -- quite a few

:37:12. > :37:43.votes. Extremely narrow margin 169 votes

:37:44. > :37:49.separating Mark Durkan from Alicia McCallion. First of the SDLP seats

:37:50. > :37:53.to go. Let's hear what she had to say. I want to acknowledge the

:37:54. > :38:00.outgoing MP for the city, Mark has been a public presented in Derry for

:38:01. > :38:12.a large number of years. He has served it well. I cannot not express

:38:13. > :38:26.a delight at being the first-ever MP elected. It has been an absolute

:38:27. > :38:31.privilege given this opportunity, an even bigger privilege for the

:38:32. > :38:38.electorate to come out today and vote for me the numbers they have. I

:38:39. > :38:41.want to make it clear I will represent every single person in

:38:42. > :38:48.this constituency. I want to take the opportunity to thank the team of

:38:49. > :38:51.activists, who had been with me every step of the way in this

:38:52. > :38:58.campaign. This has been an almighty campaign for Republicans in the

:38:59. > :39:01.city. Every single one of them was out daily, I want to take the

:39:02. > :39:12.opportunity now to say thank you so, so much. I also want to thank my

:39:13. > :39:16.family, my husband and my children. Whilst being a candidate takes its

:39:17. > :39:22.toll is on the cantons, takes its toll is on the family as well. Thank

:39:23. > :39:28.you to the boys. Folks, Republicans in this city have had a difficult

:39:29. > :39:32.start to the year, no doubt about it. We have lost a friend, we lost

:39:33. > :39:39.the leader, and we lost our inspiration. He guided us every step

:39:40. > :39:45.of the way through this election. His memory lives on in every single

:39:46. > :39:58.one of us. Martin can we do this for you. -- Martin, we did this for you.

:39:59. > :40:07.This is part of Martin's legacy in the city. Before the election we

:40:08. > :40:11.tell the electorate you are voting in part of team Sinn Fein. I am

:40:12. > :40:21.delighted to be part of that team again. To represent people of this

:40:22. > :40:25.city in places where would that -- Wedgewood actually matter. I want to

:40:26. > :40:29.thank Michelle O'Neill, power lead in the north. I want to thank

:40:30. > :40:34.leadership she has shown in the campaign. It has been incredible.

:40:35. > :40:40.Certainly great as another woman to get the support I have got from the

:40:41. > :40:46.shell and the entire party. Folks, it has been a long day, and

:40:47. > :40:52.absolutely magnificent day. I am not gimmicky duty much longer. There is

:40:53. > :40:59.partying to be done. Thank you very much. Victorious, paying tribute to

:41:00. > :41:05.Martin McGuinness. Also acknowledging the work of the former

:41:06. > :41:15.SDLP MP, Mark Durkin. Making his way onto the platform now. Let's hear

:41:16. > :41:24.what he had to say. In his comments. Felicia, these are yours. -- Alicia,

:41:25. > :41:33.that is your letter of appointment. You need that. OK, I cannot tell a

:41:34. > :41:41.lie, saying it does not hurt. I absolutely want to begin by

:41:42. > :41:47.congratulating Alicia McCallion from agreeing with what she has achieved

:41:48. > :41:50.is being a privilege representing the people of the city as their MP.

:41:51. > :42:00.It is a privilege I have enjoyed for 12 years. I'm sure Alicia will enjoy

:42:01. > :42:06.that she has given that mandate. I want to thank my family, for their

:42:07. > :42:11.support. Not just through this campaign, but obviously all during

:42:12. > :42:18.my tenure, and in all the aspects of my public services well. My wife

:42:19. > :42:30.Jackie lost a sister in this campaign, and tonight does not

:42:31. > :42:41.compare to that. He also want to thank my daughter, who has been

:42:42. > :42:52.hugely patient in this campaign with all the distractions and burdens

:42:53. > :42:57.that come with it. No matter what hits my reputation, she figures

:42:58. > :43:02.pride, not any office or post I have held even now open for. Public

:43:03. > :43:07.service brings huge responsibilities. I have tried to

:43:08. > :43:13.discharge my responsibilities as an MP, and other role as minister and

:43:14. > :43:18.MLA. Prior to that negotiating the Good Friday agreement. I will

:43:19. > :43:22.continue to work with them, with all my colleagues in the SDLP as they

:43:23. > :43:28.continue to do that as well. Under the very strong and positive

:43:29. > :43:38.leadership that Colum Eastwood is giving. Thanking my whole team, I

:43:39. > :43:46.want to thank my election agent and my stand election agent tonight. I

:43:47. > :43:52.want to thank all of that team for all the footwork they have done

:43:53. > :43:58.putting in. We did not have as much to spend as overseas. We certainly

:43:59. > :44:01.were behind compared to many other parties. We fought a good campaign

:44:02. > :44:07.on the doorsteps. We have those conversations on the doorsteps. That

:44:08. > :44:10.was rewarded with a higher vote for me got in the last Westminster

:44:11. > :44:17.election, and higher than the last assembly elections as well. We're

:44:18. > :44:21.proud of that, we also acknowledge that we are not the only people who

:44:22. > :44:26.have more votes. Of course Alicia got more votes than we do. That is

:44:27. > :44:32.the way the numbers are in elections. Physically first past the

:44:33. > :44:36.post election. We cannot complain about how that aspect of elections

:44:37. > :44:40.work. If there are any issues we have, ran procedures and practices,

:44:41. > :44:44.those points will be there for another day. There any mention

:44:45. > :44:53.tonight because they may will be raised and pursued and another day,

:44:54. > :44:59.possibly other parties. I want to apologise to John and Pat Hume, if

:45:00. > :45:05.any shortcomings on my part, or any of us have led to any sense of being

:45:06. > :45:11.a dent in the truth for which they endeavoured, and the truth of their

:45:12. > :45:17.endeavours. Their achievements and contributions to the city and not

:45:18. > :45:25.diminished by Arab resulting anyway. I take any responsibility I have for

:45:26. > :45:33.this result, and not on any other shelters. Can thank thank all of you

:45:34. > :45:36.for your patience, as well as thanking all the people who voted

:45:37. > :45:41.for me and the SDLP in this campaign. I really respect the fact

:45:42. > :45:47.that I received, I also respect the votes that others perceive as well.

:45:48. > :45:58.That is the nature of the Democratic process. So, Alicia said there is

:45:59. > :46:02.partying to be done, I don't want to stand in a way that anybody else. I

:46:03. > :46:09.don't want to stand in a way of rest for Jackie and myself and everyone.

:46:10. > :46:18.Mark Durkan there, the end of an era for the SDLP in Derry. Acknowledging

:46:19. > :46:26.the success that Elisha McCallion has had in taking the seat from him.

:46:27. > :46:35.She had 18,256, Sinn Fein's vote up 8.2%, Mark Durkan 18,200 47. That

:46:36. > :46:45.means the majority that Sinn Fein now has over the SDLP and Foyle is

:46:46. > :46:54.169. Mark Davenport is with me, are we witnessing the political obituary

:46:55. > :46:57.of the SDLP being drafted tonight? Were certainly witnessing history,

:46:58. > :47:02.when we were looking at how the parties were doing, it was clear

:47:03. > :47:08.both the UUP and SDLP were vulnerable, we have seen that played

:47:09. > :47:12.out in South Antrim and Foyle. I probably would have bet on Foyle

:47:13. > :47:17.being the stronghold the SDLP would hold onto, after all this was the

:47:18. > :47:22.stronghold of John Hume, the home constituency of the current party

:47:23. > :47:27.leader, and Mark Durkan as you saw the very well liked across the

:47:28. > :47:33.board. So we are a thing witnessing the last days of the SDLP, they are

:47:34. > :47:39.going to have difficulty moving on from here.

:47:40. > :47:45.Let's head over to see the declaration for East Antrim. This is

:47:46. > :47:49.Sammy Wilson's seat. The deputy returning officer is about to make

:47:50. > :48:04.that announcement now. The votes were as follows. Stewart

:48:05. > :48:26.Dickson, Alliance. 5950. Mark Logan, Conservatives. 963. Margaret

:48:27. > :48:34.McKillop, SDLP. 1278. Oliver McMullan, Sinn Fein. 355. John

:48:35. > :48:45.Stewart, Ulster Unionist Party. For -- 4000 524. Sammy Wilson,

:48:46. > :49:17.Democratic Unionist party. 21873. Could I have quiet, please? Quack,

:49:18. > :49:29.please. -- quiet, please. That was 21,000 873. -- that was 21873.

:49:30. > :49:32.Quiet, please. I declare that Sammy Wilson is returned to serve in

:49:33. > :49:44.Parliament for the East Antrim constituency. Sammy Wilson, his vote

:49:45. > :49:50.is 21873, an increase in his majority of almost 10,000 votes, we

:49:51. > :49:53.will come back and discuss that in a bit more detail in a moment, but

:49:54. > :50:02.just a few moments ago the announcement was made for East

:50:03. > :50:08.Belfast. Let's take a look at that. If I could have your attention,

:50:09. > :50:14.please. For the declaration of the result for the East Belfast

:50:15. > :50:18.constituency. I, Stephen McCrory, as deputy returning officer for the

:50:19. > :50:22.Belfast East constituency, hereby declare that at the election, the

:50:23. > :50:33.number of votes for each candidate was as follows. Bobby Beck,

:50:34. > :50:52.Independent. 54. Sheila Bodel, Conservatives. For 46. Seamas de

:50:53. > :51:07.Faoite, 167. Hazel Legge, Ulster Unionists. 1408. Naomi Long,

:51:08. > :51:24.Alliance. 154 -- 15443. Georgina Milne, Green Party. 561. Mairead

:51:25. > :51:43.O'Donnell, Sinn Fein. 894. Gavin Robinson, Democratic Unionist party.

:51:44. > :51:50.I declare that Gavin Robinson is returned to serve in Parliament for

:51:51. > :51:57.Belfast East. Thank you. So Gavin Robinson, beating Naomi Long

:51:58. > :52:06.comfortably there, 24,000 votes to 15,500 rods. Gavin Robinson majority

:52:07. > :52:14.-- Gavin Robinson's jollity 4500 or thereabouts if I've got my sums

:52:15. > :52:19.right on the last time. -- Gavin Robinson's majority. He is making

:52:20. > :52:23.his acceptance speech, I think. We were here what he has to say, he

:52:24. > :52:29.will be very pleased to have done that without a unionist pact in East

:52:30. > :52:40.Belfast this time round. So there he is making his way to the microphone.

:52:41. > :52:48.Deputy returning officer, Stephen, thank you to you and your staff for

:52:49. > :52:56.such an expert count this evening. Can I also ask -- thank Jeanette

:52:57. > :53:00.Murray, the star of these -- East Belfast electoral office, somebody

:53:01. > :53:04.we have tortured over the last seven weeks, but somebody who has been a

:53:05. > :53:08.faithful servant to all of those who have sought to stand for election

:53:09. > :53:33.and who believe in democracy in our province. Thank you very much to

:53:34. > :53:39.her. Well, what a result! APPLAUSE. I couldn't stand here if it was not

:53:40. > :53:49.for the fantastic support that I have received from a amazing team.

:53:50. > :53:58.And George, who never managed more than two doors before he got a

:53:59. > :54:05.collar. To all of those who have got behind our campaign. I am eternally

:54:06. > :54:13.grateful for your support. Anybody who stands for election knows the

:54:14. > :54:21.toll it can have on families, and so thank you, Lindsay. Thank you for

:54:22. > :54:26.all you have done for me. And for all we have been through together,

:54:27. > :54:33.and for our amazing son, who I hope will celebrate with us tomorrow. And

:54:34. > :54:37.none of this could be possible without a campaign, and for all of

:54:38. > :54:47.those who stood in East Belfast, to Naomi, and Hazel, and Seamus, and

:54:48. > :54:54.Georgina, and Sheila, and Bobby, and I'm good to forget somebody, but to

:54:55. > :55:01.everyone who stood, who made this campaign and enjoyable occasion, for

:55:02. > :55:05.a change and election campaign that was enjoyable, but was carried out

:55:06. > :55:13.in the right spirit. I want to thank you all sincerely. And I mean that.

:55:14. > :55:16.And can I just say a special word to the Alliance representatives,

:55:17. > :55:22.because it was only last week but they lost a colleague of hers, and

:55:23. > :55:26.somebody who anyone who lives in East Belfast and knows politics will

:55:27. > :55:32.recognise the dedicated service he gave. I think it is appropriate that

:55:33. > :55:43.we pay tribute to Mervyn, to all of those who loved him and knew him.

:55:44. > :55:47.Gavin Robinson, thanking and paying tribute to all of those who stood

:55:48. > :55:55.against him and paying a particular word of tribute to the former

:55:56. > :56:00.councillor, Belfast City Council, Mervyn Jones, who was a Alliance

:56:01. > :56:08.stalwart for many years, and his sudden passing last week did affect

:56:09. > :56:14.a lot of people in the party. We've got Mark Durkan, I think, the former

:56:15. > :56:19.MP for Foyle joining us. Good evening, thank you very much indeed

:56:20. > :56:24.for joining us, and commiserations on what must have been a very

:56:25. > :56:29.difficult loss for you to have to deal with tonight. We saw your

:56:30. > :56:34.acceptance speech. Toulouse must be difficult, but by such a narrow

:56:35. > :56:43.margin must be almost impossible to take on board. 169 votes. Yes, it

:56:44. > :56:46.was a narrow margin, that is maybe some twist of consolation in the

:56:47. > :56:54.circumstances. I would have been happy to have won by that margin

:56:55. > :57:01.rather than Toulouse, and for -- rather than to be defeated. Because

:57:02. > :57:05.I think that rather than having a new parliament which looks like it

:57:06. > :57:09.is going to have a very interesting complexion, with very interesting

:57:10. > :57:14.margins there, I just think it is sad that there is not a progressive

:57:15. > :57:19.social Democratic voice looking like it is going to be there. Or a voice

:57:20. > :57:24.of democratic nationalism, and all the decisions that are going to have

:57:25. > :57:29.to be made around Brexit. So while I am conscious of the blow to myself

:57:30. > :57:33.and the party locally, I am also worried about what I think is the

:57:34. > :57:40.injury to political prospects at night as well. You have held the

:57:41. > :57:44.seat for 12 years, the party I think I am right in saying has held at 434

:57:45. > :57:52.years. It is the first time Sinn Fein has won a Westminster seat in

:57:53. > :57:57.the seat of Derry ever. Are we witnessing the political obituary of

:57:58. > :58:00.the SDLP being written tonight? I asked our political editor and he

:58:01. > :58:06.said effectively he thought that could well be the case. Are you

:58:07. > :58:12.fearful he might be right? I think that obituary has been written many

:58:13. > :58:17.times before over many, many years. But yes, this is a blow. Not just of

:58:18. > :58:23.the party, I think it is a blow to politics in the north. I think the

:58:24. > :58:26.idea that just shortly after the Assembly election, which delivered

:58:27. > :58:31.the two parties to big mandates, but they then haven't delivered on in

:58:32. > :58:37.terms of getting an Assembly up and running, and they have now been

:58:38. > :58:40.gifted an election that Theresa May called, that has consolidated their

:58:41. > :58:46.position. So the DUP have got what they want in terms of themselves

:58:47. > :58:52.having a relatively stronger presence in Westminster, without

:58:53. > :58:55.having to contend to the rival commentary and input and debating

:58:56. > :59:02.points coming from ourselves, they are not going to have to run to

:59:03. > :59:06.catch up to do some of the things we are doing. And Sinn Fein have got

:59:07. > :59:13.what they want, because that both -- both them and the SDLP have the

:59:14. > :59:16.common aim that they wouldn't really want, having their voice heard in

:59:17. > :59:21.Westminster and having influence, at a time when that influence could

:59:22. > :59:27.count. So that is what has been achieved by the way in this

:59:28. > :59:32.election, so we will have to see how the public digests that. I know the

:59:33. > :59:39.party will have two reflect on all of that as well, but the party had a

:59:40. > :59:42.positive and strong point, and I think ironically we are the people

:59:43. > :59:46.who are going to be vindicated by what we said in the campaign.

:59:47. > :59:50.Because we said a vote for anyone else would not help the case against

:59:51. > :59:57.Theresa May, and there was a case to make there, and people are realising

:59:58. > :00:02.that might have been true. Sorry to cut across you, just briefly, we

:00:03. > :00:06.could be looking at a scenario tonight or subtly by breakfast time

:00:07. > :00:10.tomorrow where Irish nationalism does not have a voice in the House

:00:11. > :00:15.of Commons for the first time ever. Because as we understand it, three

:00:16. > :00:19.former SDLP leaders could well lose their seats tonight. You have lost

:00:20. > :00:24.yours, we hear that in South Down, Chris Hazzard can't be caught, that

:00:25. > :00:29.would be Margaret Ritchie loses hers, and in South Belfast the DUP

:00:30. > :00:35.is confident it has managed to unseat Alistair MacDonald. Theresa

:00:36. > :00:39.May's not having a good day if the exit poll turns out to be right,

:00:40. > :00:52.that is pretty catastrophic for the SDLP, isn't it? Yes, I'm not going

:00:53. > :00:58.to deny it is a huge blow. I hugely regret it for the SDLP. But also for

:00:59. > :01:04.the reasons for wider politics. I think it will be completely wrong

:01:05. > :01:08.and unhelpful that Democratic Irish nationalism could possibly end up

:01:09. > :01:12.without having a voice in what is going to be a potentially

:01:13. > :01:17.interesting Westminster arithmetic. It is not just the arithmetic, it is

:01:18. > :01:21.then the political dynamic that can be created, as I approved by being

:01:22. > :01:24.able to get a whole load of stuff into the Select Committee. But you

:01:25. > :01:30.couldn't have got without a voice there. So we have a lot to reflect

:01:31. > :01:32.on. The people will have to take in these results as well, and we will

:01:33. > :01:44.have to pick ourselves up. The SDLP will be there, offering

:01:45. > :01:51.leadership to the wider community as well as the party. They have been an

:01:52. > :01:55.MP for 12 years, you have been the party leader, you were Deputy First

:01:56. > :02:00.Minister and Finance Minister, politics has been your life and

:02:01. > :02:06.public service as well. I am sorry to have to ask you this, but what

:02:07. > :02:11.will you do in the future? I thought you were going to say, you have

:02:12. > :02:24.never had a real job! You would only throw that back at me! It is new

:02:25. > :02:31.circumstances, the new juncture, I am always one for challenges. I will

:02:32. > :02:36.have to contemplate all of that. First and foremost, I am thinking

:02:37. > :02:41.about the political situation as I indicated in my speech, I am

:02:42. > :02:45.thinking about how people like John and Pat Hume taken this result in

:02:46. > :02:51.the overall context and the result. I will have plenty to think about

:02:52. > :02:55.but I think we all have and in a democracy, perhaps we should all

:02:56. > :02:59.think more about voting and the consequences. We wish you well and

:03:00. > :03:06.we appreciate you taking the time to talk to us at what is obviously a

:03:07. > :03:15.difficult time. Thank you. Good to talk to you, the former MP for

:03:16. > :03:21.Foyle. It is not a good night for his party. I think South Down is

:03:22. > :03:26.imminent, but before that, we knew around three o'clock would be busy.

:03:27. > :03:41.North and Jerome has happened. Let us look at that declaration -- North

:03:42. > :03:57.Antrim. Votes polled, 48,580, 48, five 80. Valid votes, 48,000 468.

:03:58. > :04:10.Invalid votes, 112. Percentage turnout 64.21%. I, Rae Kirk, as the

:04:11. > :04:14.deputy returning officer for the North Antrim constituency, hereby

:04:15. > :04:19.declare that at the election, the number of votes for each candidate

:04:20. > :04:24.was as follows. Timothy Gaston, traditional Unionist Voice, TUV,

:04:25. > :04:58.3282. Cara McShane, Sinn Fein, 7878. Jackson Minford, Ulster Unionist

:04:59. > :05:17.Party, 3482. Declan O'Loan, SDLP, 2000 574. Patricia O'Lynn, Alliance

:05:18. > :05:33.Party, 2723. Ian Paisley, Democratic Unionist Party, DUP, 28,000 521.

:05:34. > :05:36.CHEERING AND APPLAUSE. I declare that Ian Paisley is returned to

:05:37. > :05:45.serve in Parliament for the North Antrim constituency. Thank you.

:05:46. > :05:48.CHEERING AND APPLAUSE. So, Ian Paisley obviously very pleased, he

:05:49. > :05:52.did say to me earlier that the reason the count was taking such a

:05:53. > :05:57.long time was that there were so many of his votes to be counted and

:05:58. > :06:09.you would expect Ian Paisley to say something like that. His vote is up

:06:10. > :06:21.from 18,107 to 28,000 521. An increased majority of 10,000 104.

:06:22. > :06:26.His share of the vote is up 15.6%. Before I talk about North Antrim and

:06:27. > :06:30.East Belfast, I want to say that I thought Mark Durkan conducted

:06:31. > :06:35.himself with great dignity in the interview with you. For someone like

:06:36. > :06:44.Mark Durkan, who the SDLP and politics, has been his life, this

:06:45. > :06:50.will be a very bitter blow for him. I know some of his family, I was at

:06:51. > :06:53.university with his knees and they are good family and good people and

:06:54. > :06:59.I think when someone who has been at the front line of politics for so

:07:00. > :07:03.long, who have their career cut short, you should sympathise with

:07:04. > :07:08.them. He looks shattered. I do not want to be unkind, but he looks

:07:09. > :07:14.absolutely shattered. But putting on a brave face. I think it is right,

:07:15. > :07:18.or when a politician of senior rank comes a cropper in the way that he

:07:19. > :07:23.has by such a small margin, it would be a very hard thing to take. I

:07:24. > :07:29.wanted to say that. It is important to agree with that. I think when you

:07:30. > :07:34.win, you find out a lot about other people and when you lose, you find

:07:35. > :07:40.out a lot about yourself. It is a heavy blow for Mark Durkan. You can

:07:41. > :07:48.empathise. You had a tough time in March. You are a senior figure in

:07:49. > :07:52.the Ulster Unionist Party. I imagine it was not a pleasant situation,

:07:53. > :07:57.maybe you can offer him some advice and remind him that there is life

:07:58. > :08:02.after electoral defeat. There is of course, but it will hurt and it will

:08:03. > :08:05.hurt a lot. Mark Durkan has many achievements behind him and he can

:08:06. > :08:15.be very proud of the contribution he has made. North Belfast, here is the

:08:16. > :08:22.declaration. Nigel Dodds, Democratic Unionist Party, 21,000 240.

:08:23. > :08:36.CHEERING AND APPLAUSE. John Finucane, Sinn Fein, 19100 and

:08:37. > :08:50.59. CHEERING AND APPLAUSE. 19, one 59.

:08:51. > :09:08.Martin McAuley, Social Democratic and Labour Party, 2058. Sam Nelson,

:09:09. > :09:20.Alliance Party, 2475. Malachi O'Hara, Green Party, 644. Gemma

:09:21. > :09:25.Weir, The Workers Party, 360. I declared that Nigel Dodds is

:09:26. > :09:26.returned to serve in Parliament for the North Belfast constituency.

:09:27. > :09:34.Thank you. CHEERING AND APPLAUSE. Nigel Dodds

:09:35. > :09:40.was successful in north Belfast. We knew it would be very tight between

:09:41. > :09:46.Nigel Dodds and the new Sinn Fein candidate in that constituency, John

:09:47. > :09:51.Finucane. He came in to fight this election, a lawyer, of course. Let

:09:52. > :09:55.us hear now from Nigel Dodds. I thank the deputy returning officer

:09:56. > :10:03.and his staff for the way they have conducted this count tonight. Can I

:10:04. > :10:09.begin by thanking the people of north Belfast for giving me this

:10:10. > :10:12.victory. The fifth election in a row that I have been returned as a

:10:13. > :10:21.member of Parliament for North Belfast. I want to thank, in

:10:22. > :10:24.particular, my fantastic team of election workers, without whom this

:10:25. > :10:26.victory would not have been possible. Let us leave Nigel Dodds

:10:27. > :11:11.and get the results for South Down. Harold McKee, Ulster Unionist Party,

:11:12. > :11:24.2002. 2002. Andrew McMurray, Alliance Party, 1814. Mark Ritchie,

:11:25. > :11:27.SDLP, Social Democratic and Labour Party, 17800 and 82. -- Margaret

:11:28. > :12:00.Ritchie. I declare that Chris Hazard is

:12:01. > :12:03.returned to serve in Parliament for the South Down constituency. Thank

:12:04. > :12:12.you. CHEERING AND APPLAUSE. Chris Hazzard

:12:13. > :12:20.has won South Down, the second seat tonight that the SDLP have lost to

:12:21. > :12:28.Sinn Fein. Chris Hazard's vote 20,328, Margaret Ritchie, the former

:12:29. > :12:34.MP for South Down with 17800 and 82. That is Chris Hazard with party

:12:35. > :12:38.colleagues. Not surprisingly, smiling from ear to ear. We were

:12:39. > :12:44.hearing earlier, that Chris Hazzard could not be caught and so it proved

:12:45. > :12:50.to be. I am assuming he will make his way up to the platform and say

:12:51. > :12:58.something. Mark Devenport, let us bring you win. We have seen a

:12:59. > :13:04.pattern throughout, the DUP has consolidated on the Unionist side,

:13:05. > :13:13.and on the national side, the Sinn Fein have consolidated. We are

:13:14. > :13:20.hearing that it is quite possible that Alasdair McDonnell may lose the

:13:21. > :13:27.seat in south Belfast. Potentially we might also see the removal of the

:13:28. > :13:32.Ulster Unionists if Michelle Gildernew wins in Fermanagh and

:13:33. > :13:37.South Tyrone. Here is Chris Hazard, about to begin his acceptance

:13:38. > :13:45.speech. Thank you very much for hanging around. Thank you to the

:13:46. > :13:50.Electoral Office and their staff and Majella Morgan for completing things

:13:51. > :13:57.so swiftly. For all the work that goes into the election. Before I

:13:58. > :14:01.start, I would like to thank Margaret and to praise Margaret for

:14:02. > :14:05.a lifetime of public service. There are a lot of people in South Down

:14:06. > :14:10.who had their lives positively affected by the work she has done.

:14:11. > :14:13.Politics is a rough sport at times, so certainly, I wish you all the

:14:14. > :14:17.best for the future and thank you for everything that you have done in

:14:18. > :14:28.public service. APPLAUSE.

:14:29. > :14:35.We are now entering a new era in South Down, this is an historic

:14:36. > :14:38.election, it is the first time a Republican has been elected to this

:14:39. > :14:51.post in South Down. Whilst I am honoured and privileged

:14:52. > :14:55.that it is me, I am very aware that I'm standing on the shoulders of

:14:56. > :15:01.heroes, people who went before us and I want to dedicate this went to

:15:02. > :15:11.a dear friend, Vincent MacDonald, who passed from us this year. But

:15:12. > :15:19.this is also a huge win for people like McMurphy, Katrina Grant, Frak

:15:20. > :15:25.McDowell and people who work with us through barren times and tough times

:15:26. > :15:32.to spread the Sinn Fein message and I'm delighted it has resonated so

:15:33. > :15:39.popularly this year but the message now for Sinn Fein and the people of

:15:40. > :15:47.South down is not one step back. There are huge challenges, we fight

:15:48. > :15:51.Brexit, Torre austerity, and there are huge opportunities for our young

:15:52. > :15:53.people, so I am humbled to receive such a vote and I cannot wait to get

:15:54. > :16:19.stuck in. CHEERING AND APPLAUSE.. Margaret Ritchie makes her way to

:16:20. > :16:25.the platform. I would like to congratulate Chris and his team for

:16:26. > :16:31.your win here tonight. I want to fight Colm McGrath, my election

:16:32. > :16:37.agent, and all my election workers -- thank Colm McGrath. The result

:16:38. > :16:41.tonight was not one we would have hoped for but I can't say that my

:16:42. > :16:54.colleagues and I have helped many people in South down and I can say

:16:55. > :17:00.in that respect... That I can hold my head high here tonight because of

:17:01. > :17:06.the level of service and representation that has been

:17:07. > :17:17.provided I'm me and by the SDLP over the last number of years. It is

:17:18. > :17:22.quite obvious that Brexit has changed the political landscape and

:17:23. > :17:29.there aren't many lessons to be learned from that but I would also

:17:30. > :17:34.say to you that I haven't gone away because I am going to live and fight

:17:35. > :17:39.for another day because that is the message I want to give to the

:17:40. > :17:44.people. The people of South Three also want service and

:17:45. > :17:51.representation, they want the delivery and they want delivery here

:17:52. > :17:57.in the constituency but also in Parliament because that is clearly

:17:58. > :18:01.the test at the doors and the other test was the people wanted to see

:18:02. > :18:08.the institutions up and running and delivering for them in terms of

:18:09. > :18:12.health, education, jobs and the economy and I hope that it is

:18:13. > :18:18.possible but in planting of my workers and my staff, I say good

:18:19. > :18:24.night, thank you and I wish you well, Chris, in your new job. That

:18:25. > :18:36.was Margaret Ritchie admitting defeat. This is South Belfast. 7946.

:18:37. > :18:49.Michael Henderson, Ulster Unionist Party, 1527. Emma Little Pengelly,

:18:50. > :19:07.Democratic Unionist Party, 13200 and 99. CHEERING AND APPLAUSE.

:19:08. > :19:29.Alasdair McDonnell, SDLP, 11,000 303. Mairtin O Muilleoir, Sinn Fein,

:19:30. > :19:49.7143. Clare Salier, Conservatives, 246.

:19:50. > :19:56.Emma Little Pengelly is returned to serve in Parliament for the South

:19:57. > :20:03.Belfast constituency. So Emma Little Pengelly has unseated the former MP

:20:04. > :20:09.for South Belfast, Alasdair McDonnell, former leader of the SDLP

:20:10. > :20:17.by a majority of 2000 votes. We were told it would be tight. Emma Little

:20:18. > :20:22.Pengelly makes her way up to the platform and we can hear what she

:20:23. > :20:31.has to say to those people gathered in the Titanic Exhibition Centre. I

:20:32. > :20:36.want to pay tribute to Alasdair McDonnell, the outgoing MP. I know

:20:37. > :20:45.Alistair has served South Belfast for many decades, working incredibly

:20:46. > :20:49.hard across the constituency and I genuinely wish him all the best and

:20:50. > :20:56.all of your family as well. APPLAUSE

:20:57. > :21:03.I also want to thank my running mates in South Belfast across all

:21:04. > :21:08.the parties. I think for the vast majority of the time it was a very

:21:09. > :21:15.civilised and decent campaign and I want to pay tribute to them also. I

:21:16. > :21:21.note that all candidates cannot do this alone and behind each of us is

:21:22. > :21:27.an incredible team and I do want to pay tribute and to give thanks to my

:21:28. > :21:33.team, first of all to my election agent, Jimmy Spratt, and also to my

:21:34. > :21:42.campaign manager, the Right Honourable Peter Robinson. I know

:21:43. > :21:49.Peter has come out of retirement to help and support me in this campaign

:21:50. > :21:54.and he has been invaluable. I think many people said he was looking very

:21:55. > :21:58.relaxed and I hope he doesn't look more stressed than he was six weeks

:21:59. > :22:06.ago but I want to thank him for doing that for me. That is Emma

:22:07. > :22:09.Little Pengelly paying tribute to Peter Robinson, who masterminded her

:22:10. > :22:17.campaign in South Belfast. She is the successful candidate by winning

:22:18. > :22:22.margin of 2000 over Alasdair McDonnell, who until this election

:22:23. > :22:27.was the MP for South Belfast. Let's hear now from the leader of the

:22:28. > :22:33.SDLP, Colum Eastwood, who joins me from the Foyle arena. In the last

:22:34. > :22:38.half-hour it has been a triple whammy for the SDLP. You lost the

:22:39. > :22:45.three seats you held, the former party leaders out by Westminster.

:22:46. > :22:50.It's a very difficult night for us. We have heard what has happened

:22:51. > :22:54.across the North to three people who have given their lives to Ireland

:22:55. > :22:59.and we are proud of all the work they have done and we are sad for

:23:00. > :23:05.them and for the party because Mark Durkan was standing here only a few

:23:06. > :23:10.minutes here, he is a giant of a man and a giant of a politician, who has

:23:11. > :23:15.changed the course of Irish history in a way I think none of us could

:23:16. > :23:22.hope to emulate and of course the work that Margaret has done for the

:23:23. > :23:26.people of South Down and Alistair has done for the people of South

:23:27. > :23:31.Belfast, we're all proud of that work and we are sad this has

:23:32. > :23:39.happened. You did pretty well in March. We had several conversations

:23:40. > :23:43.since that election, you held your own under difficult circumstances

:23:44. > :23:46.and you said that showed the SDLP had turned a corner under your

:23:47. > :23:54.leadership and was going places again. You cannot really sustain

:23:55. > :23:59.that narrative termite. This was an election we didn't expect, I don't

:24:00. > :24:04.think anybody wanted it that it shows the political context we

:24:05. > :24:09.living in. We have a different count of politics now in Northern Ireland,

:24:10. > :24:15.we are almost in an arm wrestle that no one can win. One minute Sinn Fein

:24:16. > :24:19.have a fantastic result and then the DUP, I am not sure who wins out of

:24:20. > :24:24.all that but those of us in political life have to reflect on

:24:25. > :24:28.that. Those of us who were democratic Nationalists have to

:24:29. > :24:34.reflect on the fact that for the first time in decades there will not

:24:35. > :24:37.be an Irish nationalist voice in Westminster, which I think is a sad

:24:38. > :24:42.thing given the way the polls are stacking up in Westminster but that

:24:43. > :24:49.is a conversation we will have to have but I do think politics in the

:24:50. > :24:53.North has to look at itself. We can all have big mandates but if we

:24:54. > :24:59.don't deliver for the people, they don't matter because we still don't

:25:00. > :25:04.have an exemplary here and we have Brexit coming down the tracks and we

:25:05. > :25:08.still don't have a voice in Westminster, so we're big enough to

:25:09. > :25:13.understand this has been a bad night for us but are prepared to reflect

:25:14. > :25:22.on that. It looks like there has been a tidal wave on the part of the

:25:23. > :25:27.DUP it feels like that. You have been hit in two directions by the

:25:28. > :25:32.DUP and Sinn Fein, not looking good for the Ulster Unionist Party

:25:33. > :25:37.either, Danny Kinahan has lost his seat and we don't know the situation

:25:38. > :25:42.in Fermanagh South to Rome but I don't think anyone would bet against

:25:43. > :25:47.Michelle Gildernew. Maybe the message for you and Robbyn Swan is

:25:48. > :25:52.that the electorate doesn't feel it needs smaller parties anymore and it

:25:53. > :25:58.is happy to be represented broadly by the DUP and Sinn Fein. The irony

:25:59. > :26:03.of all this is that we sent through the campaign that this would be a

:26:04. > :26:09.close election, we would potentially see a hung parliament. We don't know

:26:10. > :26:13.if that will happen but it could. He also said we need voices at

:26:14. > :26:19.Westminster to stand up against the Tories but we now have the DUP

:26:20. > :26:24.representing everyone in Northern Ireland and I think we all have to

:26:25. > :26:34.reflect on that. You also have Sylvia Hermon in North Down. I'm

:26:35. > :26:39.glad she's there! She said she takes it seriously but she was running

:26:40. > :26:45.close by Alex Eastwood of the DUP. How do you pick yourself up from

:26:46. > :26:51.here and go into those talks with any degree of enthusiasm on Monday

:26:52. > :26:56.or Tuesday? I suppose it has just happened, it is early in the morning

:26:57. > :27:03.after a very long day. Our activists and candidates put in an enormous

:27:04. > :27:08.effort across this last few weeks. We were in a political context we

:27:09. > :27:12.could not compete with, it was clear halfway through the campaign that

:27:13. > :27:17.this was a polarised election and we were having all the old arguments,

:27:18. > :27:24.even though the world was moving on and Brexit was coming but we have to

:27:25. > :27:29.think about that and we will and the SDLP has been counted out many times

:27:30. > :27:33.before but we still have a mandate and we still want to be represented

:27:34. > :27:38.in the talks because our commitment is to the people of the North and

:27:39. > :27:43.the people of Ireland and I do not believe we have any future in

:27:44. > :27:48.continuing to wake our mandates and the only future we have is getting

:27:49. > :27:52.the Assembly back up and running and making sure we can meet the

:27:53. > :27:59.challenges of Brexit and we have a voice worth listening to. I can see

:28:00. > :28:04.you are disappointed, I can tell it from what you are saying and how you

:28:05. > :28:08.were saying it and that is no surprise, you said you have to think

:28:09. > :28:14.about a lot of things and I'm sorry to ask but in all honesty do you now

:28:15. > :28:19.have to sit down and think, am by the right person to lead the party,

:28:20. > :28:25.am by the right person to take it from here? Right now I'm more

:28:26. > :28:29.concerned about the future of the country and we will have those

:28:30. > :28:35.conversations, I'm open to having that conversation but I am off for

:28:36. > :28:40.the job in the long term and I think the people I know in the SDLP think

:28:41. > :28:45.more about Ireland then they do about the SDLP and we have a huge

:28:46. > :28:51.job to do to get this place back on track and I do not think it would do

:28:52. > :28:56.well for the SDLP, when they do well this place has done well so we have

:28:57. > :29:02.to find our voice again and injected into the process. Colum Eastwood,

:29:03. > :29:07.thank you, not an easy night for you and I'm sure we will talk again

:29:08. > :29:14.before too long. Mark, a quick response to that, not hiding the

:29:15. > :29:22.fact it's a dreadful night. To some extent the SDLP had a lucky Assembly

:29:23. > :29:28.results, they had a decline in their numbers but held on to their seats.

:29:29. > :29:34.Mike Nesbitt resigned at the Assembly election given the problems

:29:35. > :29:40.he faced a the SDLP is not simply a matter of changing leader, it seems

:29:41. > :29:49.to be a generational change. We have a declaration for Upper Bann at the

:29:50. > :30:03.Eikon centre. The valid votes were 51200 and 58. Invalid votes, 173 and

:30:04. > :30:06.the percentage turnout was 54.15%. I is the deputy returning officer for

:30:07. > :30:10.Upper Bann hereby declare that at the declaration bash like at the

:30:11. > :30:19.election the number of votes were as follows. Doug Beattie, Ulster

:30:20. > :30:33.Unionist Party, 7900. Tara Doyle, Alliance Party, 2318. Declan

:30:34. > :30:44.McAlinden, SDLP, 4397. John O'Dowd, Sinn Fein, 14300 and 25.

:30:45. > :30:53.David Simpson, Democratic Unionist Party, DUP, 22,000...

:30:54. > :31:18.CHEERING AND APPLAUSE. I hereby declare that David Simpson

:31:19. > :31:28.is returned to serve in Parliament for the Upper Bann constituency. So,

:31:29. > :31:33.David Simpson has held onto his seat in Upper Bann, comfortably, 22000

:31:34. > :31:39.and something votes, I did not catch the figures, but around 22,000 votes

:31:40. > :31:50.for David Simpson. We were told it was going to be tight but it was

:31:51. > :31:54.anything but. Mark Devenport is with me, very quickly, Doug Beattie and

:31:55. > :32:00.the Ulster Unionist Party are going to be disappointed. They will be. He

:32:01. > :32:05.has come much further back than Jo-Anne Dobson did a couple of years

:32:06. > :32:10.ago. The DUP, their message that they are the only party who can keep

:32:11. > :32:15.out Sinn Fein here has worked for them and David Simpson has put on a

:32:16. > :32:19.lot of votes on to his majority. Disappointing for the Ulster

:32:20. > :32:25.Unionist Party, but perhaps inevitable given what we have seen

:32:26. > :32:29.in the other seats here in this election. Danny, just as we look at

:32:30. > :32:33.this, from the perspective of the Ulster Unionist Party, that is

:32:34. > :32:38.pretty grim. It is very disappointing, no doubt about it. It

:32:39. > :32:42.is what it is. It is a very disappointing result. David Simpson

:32:43. > :32:47.was making his way to the platform, not sure if we can hear what he is

:32:48. > :33:00.going to say. He is at the podium. Let us hear what he has to say. Can

:33:01. > :33:02.I first of all unapologetically say that I thank God for this victory

:33:03. > :33:12.today. APPLAUSE. I think it is important

:33:13. > :33:15.that we outline map. The deputy returning officer, Majella Morgan,

:33:16. > :33:23.can I thank you for all the sterling work that you have done this morning

:33:24. > :33:29.and of course to all the staff that have done their job remarkably well

:33:30. > :33:34.and the time frame that they gave us certainly has been very close. We

:33:35. > :33:39.have been at worst counts them this and thank you very much indeed for

:33:40. > :33:44.that. Can I also start off by grow by thanking a number of people, I

:33:45. > :33:52.want to thank my wife, Elaine... CHEERING AND APPLAUSE. And to my

:33:53. > :33:56.family that are with us tonight, as well, my granddaughter was not able

:33:57. > :34:02.to be here but she certainly helped us with their campaign. We thank

:34:03. > :34:07.them very much indeed for that. It has been a hard, someone said

:34:08. > :34:14.earlier that being in politics is a very hard game and the sacrifices

:34:15. > :34:18.that you have to make and certainly the family is a big part of the

:34:19. > :34:23.sacrifice and we have done that for close on 17 years now in public

:34:24. > :34:29.service. We thank them very much indeed for that. To the team in

:34:30. > :34:35.Upper Bann, what a team we have in Upper Bann, for everything they have

:34:36. > :34:41.done for us. David Simpson there, comfortably ahead of Doug Beattie,

:34:42. > :34:48.we thought would be his nearest rival. Doug Beattie got 7800 and

:34:49. > :34:53.David Simpson with over 20 2000. I will come to the panel for analysis

:34:54. > :34:59.in a moment but before I do that, I want to bring in Tara at the Titanic

:35:00. > :35:08.Exhibition Centre and she has been joined by John Finegan. Thank you.

:35:09. > :35:13.Not the result that you wanted but a good result nonetheless. I am

:35:14. > :35:18.disappointed. I would have to congratulate Nigel Dodds. He won by

:35:19. > :35:23.a very impressive mandate. I take a lot of heart from the vote that we

:35:24. > :35:28.got out, we increased our vote by 5000 and I think that is an

:35:29. > :35:32.excellent mandate. Who were you appealing to? The argument was that

:35:33. > :35:36.Gerry Kelly could not break through to the middle-class nationalist

:35:37. > :35:46.vote. The message I fought the campaign was an anti-Brexit ticket.

:35:47. > :35:49.It was a positive message and I think it resonated in a lot of

:35:50. > :35:51.households. Does it concern you that Martin McAuley got about 2000 votes,

:35:52. > :35:57.if there had been packed, it would have very close. I always said that

:35:58. > :36:01.when the SDLP decided to run in north Belfast, it is always down to

:36:02. > :36:06.the electorate, people still have the choice to make. Our vote

:36:07. > :36:11.increased massively, it has been a very good night for Sinn Fein. To

:36:12. > :36:17.increase our vote in north Belfast and to cause the DUP concerns, I am

:36:18. > :36:25.proud of that. What was the decision behind you going into politics? It

:36:26. > :36:28.is something I felt I have a fairly unique personal and professional

:36:29. > :36:34.background. There was a lot of things in north Belfast I was not

:36:35. > :36:38.happy with. We had an empty who has a mandate for 16 years and I do not

:36:39. > :36:44.think he has a record to develop. This dope their plan in place for

:36:45. > :36:56.Brexit. I thought it was time that if you felt that at was time to do

:36:57. > :36:59.something about it. You have a busy day job anyway but your speech

:37:00. > :37:04.sounded like someone who would stay in politics. I fought the campaign

:37:05. > :37:09.for the last five weeks, I am looking forward to some sleep. I had

:37:10. > :37:12.a busy practice I am looking forward to get back into that. I am

:37:13. > :37:17.committed to Sinn Fein and I think that the message for north Belfast

:37:18. > :37:24.today is that people are up for a change. Do you think you will do it

:37:25. > :37:30.next time or Sinn Fein will do it? I think the Sinn Fein vote not just in

:37:31. > :37:33.north Belfast but across the board is continually increasing. From

:37:34. > :37:37.March, people thought that the bounce would not be repeated, but

:37:38. > :37:41.the turnout has been fantastic. There was a real buzz about this

:37:42. > :37:46.election especially in north Belfast. People are up for a change

:37:47. > :37:53.and I think there was an energy, that people do want to go forward

:37:54. > :38:00.with. Thank you very much indeed. So, John Finegan talking to Tara at

:38:01. > :38:05.the Titanic Exhibition Centre -- John Finucane. We have refreshed our

:38:06. > :38:10.panel. A lot has been happening and lots of results have been coming in.

:38:11. > :38:14.We have the declaration for mid-Ulster. Let us see how the

:38:15. > :38:22.results stack up. The declaration of result. UK Parliamentary election,

:38:23. > :38:30.8th of June, 2017. The constituency, Mid Ulster. Candidate elected,

:38:31. > :38:54.Francie Molloy. Eligible electorate, 68,000 485. Votes polled, 46,000

:38:55. > :39:12.975. Valid votes 46,000 697. Invalid votes 278. Percentage turnout,

:39:13. > :39:17.68.59%. I, Rae Kirk, as the deputy returning officer for the mid-Ulster

:39:18. > :39:21.constituency hereby declare that at the election, the number of votes

:39:22. > :39:37.for each candidate was as follows. Keith Buchanan, Democratic Unionist

:39:38. > :39:50.Party, DUP, 12500 and 65. Mark Glasgow, Ulster Unionist Party,

:39:51. > :40:03.3017. Francie Molloy, Sinn Fein, 25,000 455. Malachy Quinn, SDLP,

:40:04. > :40:19.Social Democratic and Labour Party, 4563. Fay Watson, Alliance Party,

:40:20. > :40:25.1094. I declare that Francie Molloy is returned to serve in Parliament

:40:26. > :40:27.whether mid-Ulster constituency. Thank you. -- for the Mid Ulster

:40:28. > :40:35.constituency. CHEERING AND APPLAUSE. So, Francie

:40:36. > :40:41.Molloy comfortably holds Mid Ulster for Sinn Fein and you can see him

:40:42. > :40:47.there. Very pleased that he has done that. His majority is up, something

:40:48. > :40:52.in the region of about 5000 votes or thereabouts. Let us see what the

:40:53. > :40:59.situation is in West Tyrone, I think that the declaration is imminent

:41:00. > :41:03.there. C. We can cut across to the Count centres there are four West

:41:04. > :41:12.Tyrone and here are the numbers. The eligible electorate was 64,000 and

:41:13. > :41:28.nine. The votes polled were 43,000 675. The valid votes were 43,000

:41:29. > :41:36.486. The invalid votes were 189. The percentage turnout was 68.23%. I

:41:37. > :41:41.Martin Fox as the deputy returning officer for the West Tyrone

:41:42. > :41:46.constituency hereby declare that at the election, the number of votes

:41:47. > :41:56.for each candidate was as follows. Barry Brown, Citizens Independent

:41:57. > :42:11.Social Thought Alliance, 393. Thomas Buchanan, Democratic Unionist Party,

:42:12. > :42:24.DUP, 11,000 718. Ali C Clarke, Ulster Unionist Party, 2253. Stephen

:42:25. > :42:35.William Donnelly, 1000 100. Ciaran McClean, Green Party, 427 -- Alicia

:42:36. > :42:44.Clarke. Daniel McCrossan, SDLP, 5635. Barry McElduff, Sinn Fein,

:42:45. > :43:13.22,000... CHEERING AND APPLAUSE.

:43:14. > :43:23.So Barry McElduff successful there in West Tyrone. I declare that Barry

:43:24. > :43:25.McElduff is returned to serve in Parliament for the West Tyrone

:43:26. > :43:30.constituency. CHEERING AND APPLAUSE. Just in case

:43:31. > :43:36.you missed the figures, 22,060 votes. I think that is an increase

:43:37. > :43:47.of about 5000. Yes, we reckon about 5000 volts up in the Westminster

:43:48. > :43:52.election. -- votes. No suppose that Barry McElduff has won that seat or

:43:53. > :44:00.that Francie Molloy has taken Mid Ulster. We will hear from Barry

:44:01. > :44:06.McElduff. Can I say, until this point, so far, this is shaping up to

:44:07. > :44:16.be most historic night for Sinn Fein.

:44:17. > :44:20.CHEERING AND APPLAUSE. Now, I am delighted to be returned as the

:44:21. > :44:25.elected MP for the West Tyrone constituency and I want to thank the

:44:26. > :44:41.people of West Tyrone, the voters of West Tyrone. On a personal note, I

:44:42. > :44:51.want to thank my family,. And on a personal note, it is my mother's...

:44:52. > :44:55.We just kept enough for Barry McElduff to name check his mother,

:44:56. > :45:12.so that is good news as far as he is concerned. Barry McElduff returned

:45:13. > :45:16.for West Tyrone and Francie Molloy returned for Mid Ulster. I do want

:45:17. > :45:22.to hear from the panel in a bit of detail, but Tara has been joined by

:45:23. > :45:27.a number of successful DUP candidates who are now MPs down at

:45:28. > :45:33.the Titanic Exhibition Centre in Belfast. That is right. Everything

:45:34. > :45:37.is being pretty much dismantled here. Nigel Dodds, congratulations.

:45:38. > :45:42.Thank you. Could you have predicted that three out of the four Belfast

:45:43. > :45:46.routes would have gone to the DUP tonight? We were working very hard

:45:47. > :45:49.to make that happen, it is an historic night for the DUP, the

:45:50. > :45:53.first time in our history we have held three out of four seats in

:45:54. > :45:56.Belfast and it has been a great night for the DUP across the

:45:57. > :46:03.province but for the city of Belfast, it is a really remarkable

:46:04. > :46:05.result and we are very proud of those people who came out to vote

:46:06. > :46:08.for us and we are intending to represent them very strongly, even

:46:09. > :46:11.those who did not vote for us, we will go to Westminster and fight for

:46:12. > :46:13.Belfast and fight for Northern Ireland to get the best deal that we

:46:14. > :46:23.can across the board. Your majority has been eaten into

:46:24. > :46:31.that you are still successful and elected. My majority is not much

:46:32. > :46:36.below 2010 so I'm delighted, the biggest unionist vote in North

:46:37. > :46:41.Belfast for 20 years, we have made history in North Belfast and in the

:46:42. > :46:45.last three elections we increased our vote so I'm delighted and it's a

:46:46. > :46:50.testament to the hard work of our team and work on the ground, not

:46:51. > :46:56.just at Westminster but in North Belfast because I had votes coming

:46:57. > :47:03.out of nationalist areas through my work at the constituency level so

:47:04. > :47:08.I'm pleased. Emma Little Pengelly, congratulations to you as well. Or

:47:09. > :47:14.you surprised you took the seat giving you weren't returned at the

:47:15. > :47:17.Assembly elections? That was a different type of election but in

:47:18. > :47:23.terms of South Belfast it was always going to be an interesting battle,

:47:24. > :47:29.perhaps the only constituency across the UK where you have for parties of

:47:30. > :47:33.similar strength within about 5% of each other so it was always going to

:47:34. > :47:38.be interesting with variables which we couldn't control, so the approach

:47:39. > :47:44.we took was to get out on the ground, work hard to get the vote

:47:45. > :47:50.out, try to persuade others to vote for myself and then ultimately it

:47:51. > :47:55.was left in the hands of the others and what way the vote would split,

:47:56. > :48:02.so it was incredibly uninteresting but there was no way we could call

:48:03. > :48:05.it until now. It wasn't that close in the end, that's quite a

:48:06. > :48:14.significant majority in a close aide. I think unionists did unite

:48:15. > :48:21.against me as I Younus Khan but, many wanted I unionist MP back for

:48:22. > :48:25.South Belfast, they saw there was tactical voting and we could see

:48:26. > :48:33.that with results across the constituency, there was voting for

:48:34. > :48:37.others and people knew if they wanted a unionist MP they could vote

:48:38. > :48:45.for me but I feel humbled they felt they could trust me, that I would

:48:46. > :48:50.represent them and I will. Gavin Robinson, given some of the social

:48:51. > :48:55.issues, especially in South Belfast which is seen as more liberal, what

:48:56. > :49:01.can you offer people in Belfast you are in favour of same-sex marriage

:49:02. > :49:06.and some limited amount of abortion? We all know this election was about

:49:07. > :49:12.Westminster and those issues bar for the Assembly and there will be

:49:13. > :49:17.discussions about the restoration of a Stormont Executive. If anything

:49:18. > :49:21.came through on the doors, it's the willingness of people across Belfast

:49:22. > :49:26.and Northern Ireland to see a return for devolution and get politicians

:49:27. > :49:31.who want to make it work, so we have a strong mandate and we will be

:49:32. > :49:37.doing in strongly to see a restoration to Stormont. What are

:49:38. > :49:43.the chances of Sinn Fein and the DUP going in with a strong mandate, what

:49:44. > :49:49.chance is there of compromise? It's better than a position of weakness.

:49:50. > :49:52.People have given us their trust, they have empowered asked to speak

:49:53. > :49:59.for them in negotiations at Stormont but also Westminster. When people

:50:00. > :50:03.voted for us they were asking for a strong voice for Northern Ireland to

:50:04. > :50:08.stand up in Westminster for them, but little did they know that voice

:50:09. > :50:12.would be so significant given the current make-up of what a government

:50:13. > :50:17.may look like, so we're in a good position and have been given the

:50:18. > :50:21.trust of the people and we now need to honour the commitments we have

:50:22. > :50:25.made to get the best deal for Northern Ireland. Nigel Dodds, do

:50:26. > :50:32.you think you will get a phone call from Theresa May? It remains to be

:50:33. > :50:37.seen. We will have to see how the results end up but the DUP laid an

:50:38. > :50:44.influential role at Westminster in the last two years and we will

:50:45. > :50:48.continue to develop relationships with the Conservatives and Labour

:50:49. > :50:52.Party members who believe in fighting terrorism, standing against

:50:53. > :50:56.terrorism, it's difficult to do that with somebody like Jeremy Corbyn

:50:57. > :51:00.given his track record that we have played an important role and it's

:51:01. > :51:06.phenomenal that a number of years ago Belfast had only one unionist

:51:07. > :51:12.seat, back in March we were talking about a unionist majority being

:51:13. > :51:16.wiped out but there is a clear majority of unionist MPs at

:51:17. > :51:20.Westminster so this has been a significant election and has seen

:51:21. > :51:26.Unionism bounce back in a strong wave and we will take that to

:51:27. > :51:31.Westminster. Is it representative, because of first past the post there

:51:32. > :51:36.is only one winner in each seat that only four of the seats in the

:51:37. > :51:41.Assembly are unionists in Belfast. That's not diminished scale of the

:51:42. > :51:46.victory, I know some sections of the media would love to do that and

:51:47. > :51:51.would downplay a unionist victory, they didn't do that when Sinn Fein

:51:52. > :51:58.tried to claim a victory in March, so this is a phenomenal night for

:51:59. > :52:05.unions along, a term endless night -- an incredible night for users in

:52:06. > :52:10.Belfast and Northern Ireland is now at the centre of the national stage

:52:11. > :52:15.in Westminster in the most important parliament for many years, so the

:52:16. > :52:18.people who voted for us, we are grateful to the people who didn't,

:52:19. > :52:26.we will represent you at Westminster. Thank you. Tara,

:52:27. > :52:31.interesting to hear from those three newly elected MPs. I will come to my

:52:32. > :52:39.panel shortly but we are hearing that Theresa May could be returning

:52:40. > :52:43.to Number 10 very shortly. That is her motorcade crossing one of the

:52:44. > :52:51.bridges in London, you can see her sweeping into the capital. Our

:52:52. > :52:53.political correspondent Stephen Walker has been standing outside

:52:54. > :52:58.Number 10 for us through the evening. We're looking at pictures

:52:59. > :53:03.of her murdered trade going through the centre of London, we do not know

:53:04. > :53:10.precisely where they are but I wonder what she will say but what

:53:11. > :53:14.you can't tell me, explained to the viewers, is that Jeremy Corbyn has

:53:15. > :53:22.been talking about Theresa May and called on her to resign. He has, he

:53:23. > :53:25.said she has lost votes and has lost confidence and has lost seats and he

:53:26. > :53:33.basically says she should go. Theresa May was at her maiden

:53:34. > :53:38.encounter when that declaration was made and she talked about a need for

:53:39. > :53:43.stability in the weeks ahead, she didn't go into great detail but I

:53:44. > :53:49.understand in the next few minutes she is to arrive in Downing Street.

:53:50. > :53:59.We saw the joint broadcasters exit poll at 10pm, it is now 3:54am so

:54:00. > :54:06.there has been a lot of water under the bridge since then. Are we on

:54:07. > :54:13.course, just looking at the moment Labour have 200, the Conservatives

:54:14. > :54:20.192, we know the situation here in Northern Ireland West 17 out of the

:54:21. > :54:27.18 seats declared, are we on course for that exit poll being borne out?

:54:28. > :54:32.There has been some revised figures and I will run you through them.

:54:33. > :54:40.They think the Conservatives now will be a little higher at 322, down

:54:41. > :54:48.nine on the 2015 figure. They think Labour will be at 261, Lib Dems at

:54:49. > :54:58.13, SNP 22, so a bad night for the SNP that the magic figure is 326 and

:54:59. > :55:03.the Conservatives will be sitting at 322, so if the DUP came to some

:55:04. > :55:13.arrangement with the Conservatives and they came in with this figure of

:55:14. > :55:19.ten, then ten plus 322 takes you up to 332, so revised BBC findings

:55:20. > :55:28.putting the Conservatives at 322 and Labour at 261. The DUP have kept

:55:29. > :55:32.their rate, they want to additional seats so they are going back to

:55:33. > :55:39.Westminster with ten MPs in a parliament where Theresa May will be

:55:40. > :55:46.lined short or thereabouts of a working majority. Yes, and very

:55:47. > :55:50.vulnerable. She went into this election talking about how she would

:55:51. > :55:56.have lost the election if she lost six seats and according to these

:55:57. > :56:00.figures she is down nine seats and you heard Nigel Dodds talking about

:56:01. > :56:05.a fantastic night for unionists and they will be thrilled if they can

:56:06. > :56:11.bring these ten MPs to Westminster where they say they will be at the

:56:12. > :56:15.centre of things, so it will be a fascinating parliament. It was a

:56:16. > :56:20.gamble for Theresa May, she wanted an increased majority so she could

:56:21. > :56:23.deal with what she said was a stronger hand for a Brexit

:56:24. > :56:33.negotiations and if these figures are correct, she has lost nine

:56:34. > :56:40.seats. Short by four seats if the magic number is 326, it gets

:56:41. > :56:43.complicated because you have to factor in the abstention just Sinn

:56:44. > :56:51.Fein MPs and the Speaker of the House so it's hard to be accurate.

:56:52. > :56:57.She called the snap election, to be clear, to increase her mandate, to

:56:58. > :57:03.have more authority in the Brexit negotiations and she has gone in the

:57:04. > :57:07.other direction. It's a disaster for her and you have to wonder if she

:57:08. > :57:13.can stay as leader. There are rumblings going on, people and the

:57:14. > :57:18.Conservative Party who have suggested today that her advisers

:57:19. > :57:24.should go instantly, people calling for a postmortem on the campaign.

:57:25. > :57:30.George Osborne has been a critic of her, he is now the editor of the

:57:31. > :57:34.evening standard and said it is catastrophic if the BBC poll is

:57:35. > :57:38.borne out so there will be lots of critics from the sidelines who will

:57:39. > :57:43.say to Theresa May, you didn't have to call this election, you said you

:57:44. > :57:49.wouldn't and then you changed your mind, you called it and you have put

:57:50. > :57:54.the Conservative Party and you could argue the country in a worst place

:57:55. > :57:59.so you have to take responsibility, so in the next 24 hours you will

:58:00. > :58:04.hear people criticised the decision to reason a maid. She took a gamble

:58:05. > :58:11.and many people will say that did not pay off. Stephen, don't go away

:58:12. > :58:16.because we understand Theresa May is very close to Downing Street so we

:58:17. > :58:21.would love to be able to take those pictures as she sweeps into Downing

:58:22. > :58:25.Street but I want to bring Mark Devenport into pick-up on what

:58:26. > :58:32.Stephen said. It's getting very tight as far as the UK wide picture

:58:33. > :58:37.is concerned. Stephen's figures are slightly different to the ones on

:58:38. > :58:43.our screen. I'm not sure whose figures are more up to date. We

:58:44. > :58:50.think the forecast has been revised down for the Conservatives again, we

:58:51. > :58:57.just have to wait until we get the declarations but if we are within

:58:58. > :59:00.the 318 for the three to two Mark, either way we're in a situation

:59:01. > :59:08.where Northern Ireland seats could come into play because if all 650

:59:09. > :59:14.MPs were taking their seats, you need 326 for an overall majority but

:59:15. > :59:19.if Sinn Fein end up with seven seats and keep to their abstention at

:59:20. > :59:25.policy, that will bring the effect of winning margin down to 322, which

:59:26. > :59:32.is one projection for what the Conservatives would have and if they

:59:33. > :59:36.are slightly below that on 318, they will be looking for people who will

:59:37. > :59:43.vote for them and will implement Brexit and that is the DUP. Who

:59:44. > :59:47.would have thought? There was a lot of talk two years ago that the DUP

:59:48. > :59:53.could be the kingmakers and it didn't work out that way. Nobody was

:59:54. > :00:00.talking about it this time. The posters said more seats, more

:00:01. > :00:04.influence and in the campaign launch for the DUP, Arlene Foster said it

:00:05. > :00:10.is not looking likely that we will be needed to form a government,

:00:11. > :00:13.because the script for this election from Conservative Central Office

:00:14. > :00:18.were that Theresa May would be sitting on a working majority but

:00:19. > :00:23.that did not work out. I don't know what happened to the worldwide

:00:24. > :00:30.political manual, it seems to have been chucked out the window. But in

:00:31. > :00:35.this, we are in a situation where we thought we would be going back to

:00:36. > :00:40.talks on restoring devolution but it may be that people involved in that

:00:41. > :00:44.will instead be involved in talks on either a coalition for some count of

:00:45. > :00:50.confidence and supply arrangement in London and those talks will take

:00:51. > :00:53.priority over Stormont talks because we cannot have Stormont talks until

:00:54. > :00:58.we know if we have a government in London.

:00:59. > :01:05.It might not be as straightforward as some people are suggesting. I am

:01:06. > :01:08.picking up from some of my colleagues that we are not

:01:09. > :01:14.absolutely sure that Theresa May is going to Downing Street. She could

:01:15. > :01:19.be on her way to Tory party headquarters. I do not know if you

:01:20. > :01:29.recognise any of the geography. Is that Milbank? I am pretty good with

:01:30. > :01:34.the geography if I am on the ground. The helicopter is following her

:01:35. > :01:40.every move. Let me bring in some of my guess, we have Chris Donnelly,

:01:41. > :01:45.Newton Emerson and Alex Maskey. Picking up, as we stay on these

:01:46. > :01:50.pictures, your thoughts of where we are, both here in Northern Ireland

:01:51. > :01:56.and across the water. It is clear that people here have been voting in

:01:57. > :02:01.a proxy Stormont election flocking to the DUP and Sinn Fein. Trying to

:02:02. > :02:05.make them the largest parties, they are clearly thinking of the border

:02:06. > :02:10.poll issue and the First Minister issue. How things would line up at

:02:11. > :02:14.Stormont and now there is not going to be as Stormont for the

:02:15. > :02:19.foreseeable future and we are more likely to have another Westminster

:02:20. > :02:25.election at this rate. Just to be clear, Fermanagh South Tyrone is the

:02:26. > :02:29.one seat that not been declared in Northern Ireland and there is no

:02:30. > :02:34.sign of it being imminent. The one seat that I think we have not

:02:35. > :02:39.referred to is Newry and Armagh, just to say that Mickey Brady is

:02:40. > :02:44.safely returned there for Sinn Fein, he had a majority, sorry, a vote

:02:45. > :02:54.last time of 20,488 and this time his vote was 25,000 666. Here is an

:02:55. > :02:59.interesting one, absolutely catastrophic collapse in the Ulster

:03:00. > :03:03.Unionists vote. Danny Kennedy was the candidate two years ago and he

:03:04. > :03:18.had a vote of 16,000 312. The candidate this time, Sam Nicholson,

:03:19. > :03:19.4425. He was a single candidate. Even factoring that