General Election 2019: Exit poll shows Conservatives on course for largest majority since Thatcher

Polls have now closed after voters braved the weather up and down the Portsmouth area as well as the country.

The joint Sky/BBC/ITV poll gives the Tories 368 seats with Labour on 191, the SNP on 55 and LibDems 13. The Tory majority is projected to be 86.

If the exit poll is correct, the Tories would be on course for its largest majority since Margaret Thatcher’s government in 1987.

The pound soared against the dollar and the euro as the General Election exit poll predicted the Conservative majority.

Liberal Democrat candidate for Fareham Matthew Winnington said he is ‘not surprised’ by the exit poll. He said: ‘This looks like its Conservative gains in traditional Labour leave-voting seats.’

The candidate thinks leader Jo Swinson has faced a ‘big learning curve’ in the first four months as leader and its going to ‘take time’ for the party’s prospects to improve, the candidate said. ‘I think it was very difficult to make breakthroughs in the broadcast media with us not being part of the leaders debate.’

Labour Party candidate in Gosport, Tom Chatwin, said: ‘Exit polls have been wrong before. They weren’t last time but I’m remaining optimistic.’

Lib Dem candidate for Portsmouth South, Gerald Vernon-Jackson, said: ‘It’s a much bigger majority for the Tories than I thought. I thought they would have a majority of about 50.

‘But let’s see what happens on the night.

‘I think Portsmouth will reflect the national picture.’

Conservative member and Portsmouth councillor Terry Norton said: ‘I am absolutely buzzing from this result. It’s fantastic. It’s looking like the largest majority we’ve had since the 80s.’

Labour member and Portsmouth councillor Judith Smyth said: ‘This is only apparently how the vote could go but I’m quite devestated. I can’t believe people aren’t thinking about the future of our country.’

Lloyd Day, Green Party candidate for Portsmouth North, said: ‘To some degree I am surprised by the exit polls. I am pleased that Caroline Lucas is looking likely to maintain her seat. We’ve got our fingers crossed we will have more seats by the end of the night.

‘It’s good that original predictions of a low turnout today look to be proven wrong. That’s a true exercise of democracy.’

Nick Lyle, Green candidate for Fareham, said he was ‘capital D disappointed’ at the exit poll.

He said: ‘I thought Labour would close in the polls more than that. It has been predominately the Brexit election - but it’s also been the climate election. Labour and Lib Dem’s have been talking about the green new deal.

‘And Boris is a fan of buses - I know we wants to turn the buses electric, but we shall see.’

Antonia Harrison, Lib Dem candidate for Portsmouth North, said: ‘Let’s just see, it’s just an exit poll.

‘We are hopeful for our chances in Portsmouth. ‘I would love to say the high turnout is in protest against Boris Johnson and Brexit.’Steve Pitt, a Lib Dem councillor in Portsmouth, added: ‘I think it’s going to be a night of very close results.

‘I think people are very passionate about the main campaign issue is this election.’

The pound was up 1.85 per cent to 1.342 dollars and up 1.09 per cent to 1.202 euros within minutes of the announcement.

We will be bringing you all the latest updates throughout the night as the votes are announced across the area.

Click here to read our live blog

Reporting by Fiona Callingham, David George, Annie Lewis, Tom Cotterill, Richard Lemmer & Byron Melton