professor sir john curtice. i'll also be joined by former scotland yard detective peter bleksley as pop star ed sheeran lays into lawless london. do get in touch tonight with your thoughts on the topics we're going to discuss by visiting gbnews.com/yoursay but first, here's the news with polly middlehurst . middlehurst. >> camilla, thank you and good evening to you. well, the top story tonight is that the royal mail has hit back at claims there's been a failure to get postal votes sent out to some people, insisting there is no backlog ahead of thursday's general election . it comes after general election. it comes after the post office minister himself, kevin hollinrake, was said to be urgently investigating claims of delays investigating claims of delays in some constituencies. the labour leader, sir keir starmer, is refusing to rule out recounts if some postal votes can't be counted. >> well, look, we cross each bndge >> well, look, we cross each bridge as we get to it. i am concerned about the delays and i th

john curtice comes into this room at about 9.110.d out. my first and probably biggest responsibility of the overnight show was that at 30 seconds past ten, after clive and laura had read out the numbers, they were going to go — and laura's been teasing me about this for ages, because she did it several times — they're going to read the numbers out and then they're going to go, "chris," and then the red light goes on on the camera and i have to look straight down the camera, and i've got about a minute to kind of crystallise what it might mean. chris. blimey. i get a tremendous buzz out of broadcasting. that's what gets me out of bed every day. and i make no apology for that. i love broadcasting, ijust, i love it. you feel the nerves of the big moments. at the time, there was talk that borisjohnson might serve as prime minister into the 2030s. so, laura, first question to chris on camera one next, then. when you're at the election count the night before, and there's all these stories coming in from around the country, you know, differ

professor sir john curtice.y former scotland yard detective peter bleksley as pop star ed sheeran lays into lawless london. do get in touch tonight with your thoughts on the topics we're going to discuss by visiting gbnews.com/yoursay but first, here's the news with polly middlehurst .

all of that gets put into a giant calculator with professor sir john curtice's giant brain. 10:00, we are legally allowed to reveal the results of the exit poll. that in and of itself is a moment of history, because exit polls are rarely wrong, and especially if you think about the context of this election like it's a weird one. you know, i've not covered an election like this when everybody in the political parties is so sure of the eventual broad outcome, like no one's sure of the specific outcome. and when you talk to the parties privately, like they say, oh my god, there's this huge range of possibilities. but the broad outcome is really clear from all the polling and all the conversations and all the things that people working in politics believe. so it's a funny one in that sense, but the range of outcome is absolutely enormous. and all the counts come in here. it's an incredible, just technical operation. you know, these guys are going to be working far harder than me and clive in the studio because we've got counts. i think more than 600 of them were at nearly every

john curtice, we are u -adatin numbers? john curtice, we are updating the — numbers?servatives. where are the liberal democrats advancing — where are the liberal democrats advancing most? yes, it is where they— advancing most? yes, it is where they were — advancing most? yes, it is where they were starting second to the conservatives. the truth is our forecast — conservatives. the truth is our forecast for the conservatives is not quite — forecast for the conservatives is not quite so bad as it was at the beginning — not quite so bad as it was at the beginning of the night. then we were saying _ beginning of the night. then we were saying 131, _ beginning of the night. then we were saying 131, now it is 154. that is essentially— saying 131, now it is 154. that is essentially because we are seeing the liberal democrats might not take quite so _ the liberal democrats might not take quite so many seats off of them, and you might _ quite so many seats off of them, and you might have noticed our number for reform — you might have noticed our number for reform has come down

john curtice _ budget. that's really interesting. john curtice made _ budget.service _ our economy to pay for the public service but— our economy to pay for the public service but the _ our economy to pay for the public service but the differences, - our economy to pay for the publici service but the differences, during the past _ service but the differences, during the past 14— service but the differences, during the past 14 years _ service but the differences, during the past 14 years had _ service but the differences, during the past 14 years had growth - service but the differences, during the past 14 years had growth of. service but the differences, during the past 14 years had growth of 1% service but the differences, during i the past 14 years had growth of 1% — 2% and _ the past 14 years had growth of 1% — 2% and that — the past 14 years had growth of 1% — 2% and that contrast _ the past 14 years had growth of 1% — 2% and that contrast with _ the past 14 years had growth of 1% — 2% and that contrast with the - the past 14 years had growth of 1% — 2% and

and using the computer, john curtice...ratulate you on i majority. perhaps we should congratulate you on your- majority. perhaps we should | congratulate you on your exit majority. perhaps we should i congratulate you on your exit poll. he knows— congratulate you on your exit poll. he knows his stuff, doesn't he? i warn you now, if you can't stand the heat you shouldn't go into the kitchen. iamjohn i am john curtice, professor of politics at the university of strathclyde and senior research fellow at the national centre for my first job fellow at the national centre for my firstjob in 1979... good evening to you. in the bbc�*s principal academic, the principal was david butler. �* , ., ., academic, the principal was david butler. , ., ., ., butler. beside me a veteran of the election nights _ butler. beside me a veteran of the election nights david _ butler. beside me a veteran of the election nights david butler- butler. beside me a veteran of the election nights david butler will. election nights david butler will analyse

john curtice has already told us that if reform had not been there conservatives would have picked upg four. did you really expect to win all four? . ~' , ., did you really expect to win all four? . ,, i. ., . ., . four? thank you for having me on and thank ou four? thank you for having me on and thank you for— four? thank you for having me on and thank you for the _ four? thank you for having me on and thank you for the congratulations. - thank you for the congratulations. yeah, we were targeting four. we were very open about how many we thought we could achieve. throughout the campaign i could see that four mps was within reach. we were never totally sure it was within our grasp. the results were looking like they might be close based on our door knocking database, on the conversations we were having on the doorsteps. we are absolutely delighted and really grateful to have the support of voters across those four constituencies with green mps, and across the country. we have also got a record—breaking vote share nationally and a substantial number of strong second—place positions as

curtice, thanks to you and your team for, frankly, getting it right. through the day on bbc news, radio, tv, online and everywhere, there will be more analysis from john,e day when rishi sunak called this election _ the day when rishi sunak called this election it— the day when rishi sunak called this election it is— the day when rishi sunak called this election. it is pouring _ the day when rishi sunak called this election. it is pouring down - the day when rishi sunak called this election. it is pouring down in - election. it is pouring down in westminster— election. it is pouring down in westminster today. _ election. it is pouring down in westminster today. carol - election. it is pouring down in - westminster today. carol kirkwood will also _ westminster today. carol kirkwood will also he — westminster today. carol kirkwood will also be with _ westminster today. carol kirkwood will also be with us _ westminster today. carol kirkwood will also be with us to _ westminster today. carol kirkwood will also be with us to tell- westminster today. carol kirkwood will also be with us to tell us - will also be with us to tell us whether— will also be with u