As the UK said goodbye to one prime minister and welcomed another, here is a round-up of the 10 main things to be aware of.
Labour ready to deliver
Keir Starmer is the new UK Prime Minister after leading the party to a landslide victory in a devastating blow to the Conservatives.
Rishi Sunak admitted defeat after his re-election, declaring that voters had delivered a "sobering verdict" on his party after 14 years in power.
It was a stunning recovery from 2019, when Labour suffered its worst defeat since the 1930s and many commentators believed it would take at least a decade for the party to recover.
In his first speech as PM, Mr Starmer said the UK had "voted decisively for change, for national renewal and a return of politics to public service.
Mr Starmer met King Charles shortly after midday, where he was asked to form a government.
Ministerial appointments are expected to follow soon after his acceptance speech in Downing Street.
Tory collapse
On the Tory defeat, former defence secretary Grant Shapps said: "It is not so much that Labour won but that the Conservatives lost."
Mr Shapps, who lost his seat to a Labour candidate, criticised the Tories' "inability to iron out their differences" amid an endless "soap opera".
The drama is set to continue as Rishi Sunak has announced his resignation as party leader following a lacklustre campaign marred by scandals and missteps.
Many of the contenders jostling to replace him have not survived the night, including the aforementioned Mr Shapps, House of Commons Leader Penny Mordaunt and Justice Secretary Alex Chalk.
Stunts pay off
Ed Davey said he had "rather enjoyed" the six-week run-up to the election which saw him conduct a series of stunts which seen to have paid off.
During the campaign, the Liberal Democrats leader was seen paddle boarding, bungee jumping and conducting an interview on a fairground teacup ride.
However, Mr Davey also struck a serious note, saying the party put voters' concerns "at the heart of our campaign".
Summing up the Liberal Democrats campaign, Mr Davey said: "I think it's possible to have a serious debate as well as having a bit of fun."
Tip of the iceberg
When Reform UK leader Nigel Farage was asked by reporters what the first thing he planned to do in parliament was, the new MP for Clacton replied: "Go to the Strangers' Bar."
However, the celebratory drinks may have been premature after Reform's performance fell short of exit polls predictions.
However, the party’s result will still bolster Reform's confidence as Mr Farage had previously said this election was only the "tip of the iceberg" for the start-up party as they build to bigger success in 2029.
The Fall of House Paisley
There has been a "seismic political earthquake" in North Antrim, TUV leader Jim Allister said as he was elected the constituency's MP.
It meant Ian Paisley Jr lost the seat he has held since 2010, in a shock end to a family dynasty in the region.
Mr Allister was elected MP with 28.3% of the valid poll - 11,642 votes, a narrow majority of just 450.
North Antrim was regarded as one of the safest DUP constituencies going into the election, having been held by either Mr Paisley or his father since 1970.
Mr Paisley Jr came a close second with 11,192 votes - in a dramatic negative 23.6 point share change.
Potholes and hedges
The UUP’s candidate Tim Collins blamed people being more interested in "potholes and hedges" than international affairs after failing to secure victory in a Northern Ireland constituency.
He conceded after midnight as boxes were still being opened in the North Down constituency.
Mr Collins told the BBC that people in North Down were interested "in local politics, they're not interested in cutting VAT, they're not interested in international affairs".
"They're interested in potholes and hedges," he said.
Gallow-away
George Galloway lost his seat just months after winning the seat in a shock by-election.
The leader of the Workers Party, who did not attend the count, lost his Rochdale constituency seat to Labour's Paul Waugh.
In a post on X, Mr Galloway said: "I thank the people of Rochdale who gave me 54 sitting days in the last parliament as their MP."
However, he pledged that the party would "keep up the pressure on Labour in the town".
Corbyn perseveres
The former Labour leader has enjoyed sweet success over his former party after he retained his long-held seat of Islington North in London.
Mr Corbyn beat his Labour rival by more than 7,000 votes.
He has been suspended by Labour since 2020 and subsequently stood as an Independent.
Mr Starmer sought to distance himself from his predecessor's leadership and proclaimed that Mr Corbyn's days of influencing Labour were "over".
Under Mr Corbyn’s turbulent time as leader, Labour received its biggest election upsurge since 1945 in the 2017 snap election.
And he has proven successful once again.
SNP left soul searching
The SNP leader told the BBC that the party "will have to be a lot of soul searching" to do as consequence of its results.
First Minister John Swinney described the party’s outcome as "very poor" while Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar declared confidence that his party would secure a majority in Scotland.
His party beat the SNP in the early results in Scotland, with substantial swings to Labour.
The SNP's campaign centred around calls for talks on another independence referendum if the party won a majority of seats at the election.
A Welsh flutter
The Tories have lost all their seats in Wales after Welsh Secretary David TC Davies suffered a defeat at the hands of Labour.
Plaid Cymru doubled its elected representatives in the Commons, with gains which ousted Conservative Chief Whip Simon Hart and Virginia Crosbie, who had been standing for re-election in Ynys Mon.
Mr Davies, the final Tory to fall, had been Monmouth MP since 2005 and Welsh secretary since October 2022.
Former ministers Alun Cairns, Stephen Crabb and Fay Jones also lost their seats, along with Rishi Sunak's former parliamentary aide Craig Williams.
Mr Williams, who lost in Montgomeryshire and Glyndwr, had been embroiled in the Westminster betting scandal after admitting earlier in the campaign that he had a "flutter" on the general election date before it was called.
Labour's Stephen Witherden, who succeeded Mr Williams, said he was "beyond humbled" to have been elected.
