European elections 2019: Key points at a glance

Nigel Farage Image copyright PA

A quick guide to the key points of the 2019 European Parliament elections in the UK.

Overall picture

The Brexit Party was the clear winner, but the Lib Dems and the Green Party also made significant gains.

The Conservatives have come in fifth place, with less than 10% of the vote.

Voting took place against a backdrop of paralysis at Westminster over Brexit, and BBC political editor Laura Kuenssberg said the two biggest parties - Conservatives and Labour - had been damaged by their various contortions on the issue.

They were beaten by rivals - on both the Leave and Remain sides - who offered clarity while they have tried to find nuanced ways through, she added.

Polling expert Sir John Curtice said the results demonstrated how polarised the country was on Brexit - and how evenly support is split between Remain and Leave.

How have the parties performed?

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Media captionThe winners and losers of European Election night

England's results

The Brexit Party was the biggest winner in England, with 26 MEPs elected. The party's leader, Nigel Farage, is once again an MEP in the South East.

Some of the party's other well-known names were also successful. Annunziata Rees-Mogg, sister of Conservative MP Jacob, was elected in the East Midlands, while former Conservative Ann Widdecombe became an MEP for the South West.

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Image caption Annunziata Rees-Mogg, sister of Conservative MP Jacob Rees-Mogg was elected in the East Midlands

In the West Midlands, the party took a third of the vote, it took three of the six seats in the Yorkshire and Humber region, two in the North East, another three in the North West and three in the East.

However, the Lib Dems - who campaigned on an anti-Brexit line - topped the poll in London, taking three out of the eight seats in the region.

The result in Wales

Wales has elected two MEPs from The Brexit Party, one from Plaid Cymru and one Labour.

The Brexit Party topped the poll in 19 out of the 22 council areas.

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Image caption Wales MEPs are Nathan Gill (front, centre) James Wells (second right) Jill Evans (left) and Jackie Jones (right)

BBC Wales political editor Felicity Evans said it had been an "extraordinarily bad" night for Welsh Labour - a party that has won every Wales-wide poll (except one) for a century.

Scotland's result

Scotland is yet to formally declare, but the SNP is on course to increase its number of MEPs from two to three amid a collapse in support for Scottish Labour.

BBC Scotland political reporter Philip Sim said that had been the big story of the night - Labour's utter collapse, leading to the loss of both of its seats.

He said it has been a good night for the SNP and a "decent night" for The Brexit Party, which improved on UKIP's previous performance in Scotland and looks set to take a seat.

Northern Ireland's result

Northern Ireland's count does not begin until Monday, with most results expected on Tuesday.

What about the rest of Europe?

The big centre-right and centre-left blocs in the European Parliament have lost their combined majority amid an increase in support for liberals, Greens and nationalists.

Populists gained ground in some countries but fell short of the very significant gains some had predicted.

In Germany, both major centrist parties - including Angela Merkel's Christian Democrats - suffered, while in France, President Emmanuel Macron's Renaissance alliance was defeated by the far-right National Rally of Marine Le Pen.

Other headlines

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Image caption Former Conservative Ann Widdecombe was elected as a Brexit Party MEP

Turnout

Turnout in the UK was just below 37%. This is on course to be the second highest in any European election.

Places that voted most strongly to Remain in the referendum saw turnout increase more compared with the last election in 2014 than places which voted most heavily for Leave.

In Europe, turnout was the highest for 20 years, at 51%.

Key video clips

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Media captionBrexit Party leader Nigel Farage: "There's a massive message here"
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Media captionConservatives "knew these were going to be bad elections"
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Media captionSir Ed Davey: Lib Dems "are back in business"
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Media captionEmily Thornberry: "Labour should campaign to remain in EU"
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Media caption"I voted Liberal Democrat" says Alastair Campbell
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Media captionIan Blackford: 'SNP wanted to send a message to Westminster'
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Media captionHeidi Allen: "We can work together"
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Media captionSian Berry: "This is not a victory for Nigel Farage"