General election 2015: Miliband, Clegg and Farage step down as party leaders

Ed Miliband stood down after Labour failed to gain seats from the Tories and were overtaken by a surge in votes for the Scottish National Party (SNP).

Mr Miliband held his Doncaster North seat but announced his resignation as party leader in a speech at noon. He thanked party activists and said he took full responsibility for the election result.

Nigel Farage also stood down as leader of the UK Independence Party after he failed to win Thanet South, losing out to Conservative candidate Craig Mackinlay.

Nick Clegg quit as leader of the Liberal Democrats after more than 40 of the party’s MPs, including business secretary Vince Cable and treasury secretary Danny Alexander, lost their seats.

In a disastrous election for Labour, Morley and Outwood MP Ed Balls was among high profile casualties for the party. The shadow chancellor lost his seat to Tory Andrea Jenkyns.

The Wakefield district’s three Labour MPs Mary Creagh, Yvette Cooper and Jon Trickett, held their seats.

In Scotland, the SNP took 56 of 59 seats in a historic landslide. Massive swings to the nationalist party saw Labour lose 40 MPs, including Scottish Labour Leader Jim Murphy.

The Conservatives are heading for an overall majority, with David Cameron expected to form a next government to rule for the next five years.

*Results are also due in the local authority elections - keep checking the website for updates.