Derry decides: Foyle Westminster election count to get under way in Magherafelt overnight

Verification and the counting of the votes from Foyle was due to get under way overnight at Meadowbank Sports Arena, with sealed ballot boxes collected from across Derry and seven other constituencies being driven to the Magherafelt count centre, where eight MPs are expected to be elected over the course of today. It is anticipated that most results across the north will be declared by 6am this morning.

Last time round in the 2019 general election turnout in Derry stood at 63.4%, below the overall Westminster election turnout, which stood at 67.3%. It remained to be seen whether the inclement weather in Derry for much of Thursday would have a bearing on turnout this time round.

While there are eight candidates standing in the Foyle election, the main focus overnight will have been on the performance of SDLP Leader Colum Eastwood, who has represented Derry in London for the past five years, and first time challenger in the Westminster vote, Derry City & Strabane District Council Sinn Féin representative Sandra Duffy.

Back in 2019, Colum Eastwood easily reclaimed the Foyle seat for his party with a mammoth 57% of the vote in Derry, compared to Sinn Fein’s 20.7% for Elisha McCallion.

This was a turning of the tables on the 2017 result, when Ms. McCallion made history by winning the previously safe SDLP seat occupied by Mark Durkan and his predecessor John Hume before him, with 18,256 votes (39.3%) - almost double the vote share Sinn Féin received two years earlier.

However, last year’s local elections saw Sinn Féin rebound to elect all of its 18 candidate to Derry City & Strabane District Council, with a 39% share of the overall vote.

Both parties know there is a lot at stake today, not just here but across these islands in what is expected to be a historic election day.

It remained to be seen last night if the vote share among the other candidates standing in Foyle would play a part in, or even help decide, the outcome in Foyle.

The other candidates who were standing in the city were the DUP’s Gary Middleton, People Before Profit’s Shaun Harkin, Rachael Ferguson for Alliance, UUP’s Janice Montgomery, Independent candidate Anne McCloskey and Aontú’s John Boyle.

Across the north, the results and turnout should provide clarity around of the state of the parties and politics in general at present, as well as some indicators on the issues of concern to the electorate.

Meanwhile if Labour does prove victorious in Britain today, the newly elected MPs for the north and politicians in Stormont will be circling to lobby for more money to address the gaps in funding for the NHS and other public services in the north.

And if Keir Starmer does get the keys to Number 10 Downing Street today, victims’ groups and politicians are also expected to waste no time in urging him to fulfil Labour’s promise and begin the process of repealing the controversial Northern Ireland Troubles (Legacy and Reconciliation) Act 2023.