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Lib Dems win Harrogate and Knaresborough

Liberal Democrat candidate Tom Gordon has won Harrogate and Knaresborough in the party’s first victory of the night, with 23,976 votes.

That’s a gain from the Conservatives.

Count Binface has arrived in Northallerton

Novelty candidates Count Binface and the Monster Raving Looney Party’s Sir Archibald Stanton arrived at the Richmond and Northallerton count within minutes of each other.

Sir Archibald and his entourage entered with a cheer in their colourful suits and top hats.

Sir Archibald wore a red suit covered in red bats and carried a wooden puppet wearing a name badge which read Gilly Nicholls.

Not longer afterwards Count Binface also entered the leisure centre hall.

‘It gets weirder’

Sir Archibald Stanton of The Official Monster Raving Loony Party candidate. Photograph: Tim Lichfield

After his video interview with Niko, Tim has now stumbled across Sir Archibald Stanton, The Official Monster Raving Loony Party candidate for Richmond & Northallerton.

“It gets weirder,” said Tim.

Still no sign of Rishi Sunak though.

Here’s the Harrogate turnout

All the candidates are now at the Harrogate count. Photograph: Ben Anderson

We have the turnout in the Harrogate seat, via Ben Anderson.

Harrogate turnout

  • 15,443 Postal
  • 36,745 Normal
  • Total Ballots 52,188 
  • 66.95%

They are expecting the result in 15 minutes, following a delay to the postal vote.

Here’s Ben reporting:

Video: ‘I stand for the youth, I stand for the truth’: Indie candidate Niko

Tim Lichfield has been talking to the Independent candidate at the Richmond & Northallerton count, Niko Omilana.

He told us that “I stand for the youth, I stand for the truth”. And he’s asked his friend Batman to fill in all the potholes in Northallerton.

Also Niko said he expected to become Prime Minister by the end of the night. And then “the country is saved”.

Watch the whole extraordinary interview below.

Who’s here at York – and who isn’t

Labour are out in force here at York Racecourse for tonight’s counts. York Central candidate Rachael Maskell is here, as is the new York and North Yorkshire Mayor David Skaith, leader of City of York Council Claire Douglas and deputy leader Pete Kilbane.

For the Conservatives, their York Central candidate Richard Hudson is here, but there’s no sign yet of Julian Sturdy, fighting to keep his York Outer seat.

The Lib Dems’s York Outer candidate Andrew Hollyer is here too.