Nigel Farage set to lead group of 13 Reform UK MPs in the Commons

Nigel Farage is set to lead a squad of 13 Reform UK MPs in the Commons, the election exit poll suggests.

The party leader is on course to enter Parliament at the eighth attempt by winning in the Essex coastal seat of Clacton.

And in a sign of the collapse in support for the Tories on the right the official exit poll suggests as many as 12 other candidates could join him.

Among the seats it is expected to win is Great Yarmouth, the former seat of Brandon Lewis, a former Tory Northern Ireland Secretary. It is also in place to win in Barnsley North and Barnsley South, two solid Labour seats.

If born out by the results overnight it will lead to major questions about Rishi Sunak's decision to call an early election.