General election news LIVE: Boris Johnson thanks northern voters on 'victory lap' as Jeremy Corbyn comes under fire

Patrick Grafton-Green, Bonnie Christian
Boris Johnson kisses a supporter's dog during a visit to Sedgefield: POOL/AFP via Getty Images
Boris Johnson kisses a supporter's dog during a visit to Sedgefield: POOL/AFP via Getty Images

Boris Johnson has thanked voters for backing the Conservative Party in Sedgefield, a seat once held by former Labour prime minister Tony Blair.

The PM is on a victory lap tour of the North of England as he celebrates an 80-seat majority for his party, with many gains coming from Labour’s heartland.

Meanwhile, Labour party veterans and ex-MPs who lost their seats on Thursday rounded on Jeremy Corbyn after the party’s worst election result since the 1930s.

It came as shadow chancellor John McDonnell said he would step back from front line politics once the party had found a new leader “early next year”.

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