The First Result of the U.K. Election Is a Bit Surprising

The first result of the U.K.’s election night has come in early. It too is a surprise: Labour has held Houghton & Sunderland South in the northeast of England with an increased share of the vote. UKIP has come in a strong second.

Labour’s vote rose five percentage points, to 55 per cent of the total. UKIP’s support rose even more dramatically, by 19 points, to 22 percent of the total. The Tory vote fell slightly, just over two points.

The BBC’s election-poll guru says that this result is in line with the Corporation’s poll, but it doesn’t seem to be on the face of it. Labour’s support rose in this seat when the exit poll shows a fall in its national total and number of seats.

But it’s still early in the night.