Why does the northeast of England tend to have the first constituencies to return results in a UK general election?

Why Sunderland is always first to declare General Election results
The contest among North East constituencies to declare the first result of the general election is a long-standing tradition.
ByJames Rodger | 22:52, 4 JUL 2024

The General Election 2024 results are set to trickle in overnight - with parts of the North East set to declare first. The contest among North East constituencies to declare the first result of the general election is a long-standing tradition. Sunderland has long held this accolade, making the first declaration at every general election from 1992 to 2015 but in 2017 and 2019, Newcastle pipped them to the post. Newcastle City Council has stated that it does not expect to announce a winner for the Newcastle Central and West seat until around 1.15am on Friday.

Blyth and Ashington, and Houghton and Sunderland South, both in north-east England, are expected to be first at about 11.30pm on Thursday. Blyth and Ashington - a new constituency - comprises most of the abolished constituency of Wansbeck. But it excludes the town of Morpeth, also situated in the North East, and is joined together with the town of Blyth from the abolished Blyth Valley constituency. Houghton and Sunderland South is historically one of the quickest constituencies to declare.

The national record is 10.43pm for the declaration for its predecessor seat, Sunderland South, set in 2001. It is also known that top election administrator Bill Crawford, who led Sunderland's rapid counts for years and masterminded Newcastle's success, will be on hand in Blyth on Thursday.Sources have told the Local Democracy Reporting Service, or the LDRS, that Tynemouth is another constituency where a result could come in before midnight. Sunderland is forecast to be a Labour hold with the exit poll predicting a supermajority for Sir Keir Starmer's Labour Party. Newcastle's first declaration times in 2017 and 2019 came in within 90 minutes of polls closing, at 11pm and then 11.30pm respectively.