The Dawn Blog 6am- 8am

7:50am:
OK. It looks hung.
UPDATE: Tory 285, Labour 235, Lib Dem 50, with 50 to be called.
We're not going to know later today what this hung parliament means for us.
Seems a good time to log off from this blog for the meantime. Check your local thisis.co.uk site for local results and reaction. I'll see the South West readers over on thisiscornwall for the morning news.
It's been emotional. I wish is was a bit clearer. Brown did better than expected, Clegg worse, and Dave of the Cam might still yet mount the throne. Watch this space.

xjo

7:30am:
Ok, that's it for Cornwall until the last count of St Ives and Scilly Isles at midday. Truro and Falmouth just declared conservative. They now have 3 of the 6 Cornish constituencies.
Paxo needs to cheer up pronto - we're all tired - it's no excuse.

7:20am:
This from the Beeb:

Gordon Brown will only resign if he cannot get a majority in the House of Commons. Only in the event that he fails to reach a deal with the other parties can David Cameron have a go at forming a government. But my instinct is that Mr Cameron will be the next PM, BBC political editor Nick Robinson says.

BREAKING: Sky are claiming that Labour are discussing admitting defeat.

7:10am:
BBC now predicts:
Conservatives: 306
Labour: 262
Liberal Democrats: 55
Others: 27
with only 67 results yet to come in.
We're currently at Tory: 282, Labour: 227, Lib Dem: 49

BBC "the light of morning has made very little clear"

7am:
BBC says:

Constitutional expert Philip Cowley says "even if Brown can persuade the Lib Dems to work with him, that won't be enough" to form govt

6:55am:
Sorry to focus on Cornwall for a moment but it's on a knife-edge. Camborne Redruth and Hayle are now going through bundle checks after officials refused a re-count of the rumoured count: George Eustice, Conservative, 15969 and Julia Goldsworthy (current), Lib Dem, 15903. Very, very exciting down here.

CONFIRMED: Oh my Goodness - Charles got it - by a majority of just 66 votes. Unber-bloody-lieveable.

6:45am:
Ok, whisper is that Conservative has taken Camborne, Redruth and Hayle from Lib Dem Julia Goldsworthy (remember the £1,000 pink rocking chair?). Unconfirmed.

6:40am:
Clegg's speech. He repeats the "bitter dismay of many of my constituents who weren't able to exercise their democratic right to be able to vote... that should never ever be able to happen again". He thanks his constituency and apologises for not being around locally as much as he'd like, same as Dave of the Cam.
Nationally "this has been a disappointing night for the Liberal Democrats", but adds that he is proud of their campaign. "No one appears to have won emphatically". No one should make "claims or decision that don't stand the test of time".
He will be guided by fairness, responsibility and "real change to the way we do politics".

Exit poll which no one believed was right. Lib Dems have done terribly, if not worse than expected. Clegg, however, might decide who becomes our next PM.

6:35am:
Sheffield (at laaaast):
Green: 919
Tory: 12,040
Lib Dem: 27,324 - elected Nick Clegg
Inde: 429
Christian: 250
UKIP: 1,195
Labour: 8,228
Engl Democrats: 586

6:30am:
North Cornwall just retained Lib Dem. 2 of 6 now Lib Dem

6:25am:
Here's what the UK looks like this morning:



6:20am:
Caroline Lucas, the first elected Green MP for Brighton Pavilion says: "it is the start of a new political force in Westminster". They will "judge who we support on a case-by-case basis". Clever. Pick the winner...

AND... woohoo! My constituency, St Austell and Newquay finally goes to Stephen Gilbert retaining the seat for Lib Dems.

6:15am:
Only 3 of the 6 Sheffield seats have been called - and not Nick Clegg's. He's sitting in a room somewhere - doing what? Playing cards? Drinking heavily? Who knows.

BBC says

John Simpson outside Downing Street says the PM wants a "strong, stable and principled" government

Dagenham and Rainham count:
BNP: 4952
Lib Dems 3,806
Labour: 17,813 - elected and held
Tory: 15,183
Inde 308
UKIP: 1,569
Green: 296
Christian 305


6:10am
UPDATE:
Tory 267
Labour 209

6am:
Rumour has it that both North Cornwall and St Austell and Newquay are going to stay yellow. More as soon as it happens.
Barking and Dagenham just coming though - Labour retains, nay increases her majority. Stick that in your pipe, BNP...

Newquay at dawn on 7th May 2010