Chris Mason: A spectacular night for Labour

This is a spectacular victory for Labour.

Spectacular, considering where they came from – from the doldrums. Their result in 2019 was the worst since 1935.

But it was also spectacular by any standard, at any time and in any context, because the challenge of winning by a razor-thin margin was heavenly.

It is the “Starmer tsunami”, as one shocked opponent put it.

This election is the story of an electorate that shows a relentless determination to drive the Conservatives out of the party.

In many places this meant the election of a Labour MP.

For many others, it meant electing a Liberal Democrat MP.

And there are a lot of votes for Reform UK.

Sir Keir Starmer will be Prime Minister by midday, bringing a colossal majority to Downing Street.

He will strike a magnanimous and restrained tone outside 10 Downing Street around midday.

Sir Keir stresses that, in his view, stability and civilisation must be brought back into politics.

Despite her overwhelming victory, Labour’s share of the vote does not seem to be overwhelming, so a tacit admission from the future Prime Minister would probably make sense.

Not least because a big win can create expectations that may be difficult to fulfill.

Bear in mind that Prime Minister Starmer, Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves – as they soon will be – and the new government will be faced with all the old problems that caused their predecessor so much trouble: the cost of living, public finances, the tax burden, a dangerous world – and no majority, however large, can make them go away.