Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) candidate Gregory Campbell looks on as votes from his East Londonderry constituency are counted
Some tight races are beginning to emerge in Northern Ireland as general election vote counting continues into the night.
The first Northern Ireland results are expected at about 02:00 BST.
Most of the results should be known by about 05:30 but that depends on how tight the race is in some constituencies.
Results from Great Britain have begun to come in – an exit poll indicates the Labour Party is set to win a landslide victory and that Keir Starmer will be the UK’s new prime minister.
Early indications are that it is close in Belfast East, Lagan Valley and South Antrim – all seats previously held by the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP).
Lagan Valley is the constituency of former DUP leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson, who stepped down earlier this year after being charged with historical sex offences.
Jonathan Buckley, of the DUP, Alliance’s Sorcha Eastwood and the UUP’s Robbie Butler are vying to succeed him.
Gavin Robinson, who replaced Sir Jeffrey as DUP leader, is facing a challenge from Alliance leader Naomi Long in Belfast East while it is believed former health minister Robin Swann is polling well in South Antrim, where the UUP candidate is trying to oust the DUP’s Paul Girvan.
It also appears to be a tight race in Fermanagh and South Tyrone – the UK’s most marginal seat in 2019 – with Sinn Féin’s Pat Cullen and Diane Armstrong of the UUP said to be “neck and neck”.
In North Down however, the UUP’s Colonel Tim Collins has conceded he has not performed as well as he had hoped.
Col Collins, who came to prominence during the Iraq War, told BBC News NI people in the constituency are “not interested in international affairs – they are interested in potholes and hedges”.
Independent unionist Alex Easton said he is “quietly optimistic” about winning the North Down seat from Alliance’s Stephen Farry.
Tim Collins says people in North Down don’t want someone who does not live in NI
Does the exit poll cover Northern Ireland?
An exit poll for the BBC, ITV and Sky, showed Labour is set to win a general election landslide with a majority of 170.
However that poll does not apply to Northern Ireland.
Exit polls have never been carried out in Northern Ireland, unlike the rest of the UK where they are a regular fixture of election night.
In total, 136 candidates stood in Northern Ireland in the first general election since 2019.
It operates as first past the post, which means voters put an X in the box beside one candidate who they want to be elected to the House of Commons.
The number of registered voters in Northern Ireland was the largest it has ever been for a general election – 1,363,961.
What are the big results to look out for?
Last time out in 2019, the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) won the most seats in Northern Ireland – eight – while Sinn Féin won seven.
The Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP) got two and the Alliance Party won one.
Some of the major battlegrounds to look out for as the votes come in include:
Belfast East: DUP leader Gavin Robinson hopes to retain his seat from Alliance leader Naomi Long.
Lagan Valley: The constituency of former DUP leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson, who stepped down after being charged with historical sex offences, will have a new MP – most likely the DUP’s Jonathan Buckley or Alliance’s Sorcha Eastwood, with Ulster Unionist Party (UUP) candidate Robbie Butler also hoping to perform strongly.
South Antrim: Former Northern Ireland Health Minister Robin Swann of the UUP is challenging the DUP’s Paul Girvan and early indications are he is polling well. Mr Girvan has won the seat in the past two elections.
Fermanagh and South Tyrone: The UK’s most marginal seat in 2019 will also have a new MP after Sinn Féin’s Michelle Gildernew opted not to run again – most likely either former nursing union chief Pat Cullen, for Sinn Féin, or Diane Armstrong of the UUP.
North Down: Alliance’s Stephen Farry is being challenged by independent unionist Alex Easton. Famed Iraq War soldier Colonel Tim Collins, representing the UUP, has admitted he has not polled well.
Sinn Féin, which has hopes of becoming Northern Ireland’s largest Westminster party, is aiming to regain Foyle from SDLP leader Colum Eastwood.
However, senior SDLP sources have told BBC News NI the party is happy with how they have polled in that constituency.
The SDLP is also seeking to retain its seat in Belfast South and Mid Down
The Traditional Unionist Voice (TUV), which has aligned itself with the Nigel Farage-led Reform UK, could be a significant factor in close races featuring the DUP, as it has been highly critical of that party’s return to power sharing in Northern Ireland.
People Before Profit, the Green Party of Northern Ireland and Aontú are also hoping to increase their vote shares as they build towards assembly and council elections in the coming years.
How can I follow the results?
You can keep up to the date with the very latest across Northern Ireland via live coverage on the BBC News NI website, which began at 20:00. LINK
The live Northern Ireland results programme hosted by Mark Carruthers is being streamed on the website and also being broadcast on BBC One NI and the iPlayer.
The UK-wide results programme hosted by Laura Kuenssberg and Clive Myrie began at the same time on BBC Two and the BBC News Channel.
An extended edition of Good Morning Ulster will begin at 06:00 and will also be streamed on the BBC News NI Website, where live coverage will continue throughout Friday with analysis of and reaction to the full picture of results across Northern Ireland and the rest of the UK.
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