Musicians react to UK general election results

Artists from across Ireland, the UK and beyond have been sharing their reactions online to the results of the UK general election.

The dramatic election – which was a landslide victory for the Labour Party – saw former Prime Minister Liz Truss, as well as other high-profile Conservatives, such as Jacob Rees-Mogg, lose their seats. Following the result, Rishi Sunak has said that he intends to stand down as Conservative Party leader.

Labour leader Keir Starmer is to be appointed prime minister later today.

Reform UK leader Nigel Farage, meanwhile, was elected as an MP for the first time, and hailed the result as "the beginning of the end of the Conservative Party" – with his right-wing party reportedly garnering more than four million votes.

On this side of the Irish Sea, Sinn Féin have become the North's biggest party at Westminster for the first time. The DUP suffered a hugely disappointing night – including Ian Paisley Jr losing his North Antrim seat, which his family has held for over than 50 years.

In a post shared to their official X account, multi-award-winning Manchester band Simply Red noted that "tactical voting worked."

"Shame the Tories won any," theie post continued. "A new Britain emerges. Much difficult work ahead for Starmer. Wishing my nation and him well."

KNEECAP, meanwhile, congratulated ex-Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn with a "Maith an fear", after he was elected as an independent MP in Islington North, beating his former party's candidate.

The Irish hip-hop trio's manager Daniel Lambert also voiced his support for Corbyn this morning, stating that he "faced a relentless smear campaign by people with no principles."

"A clear example that a lifetime of committed working class solidarity (locally & internationally) & community building beats the soulless throngs of parachuted corporate suits," Lambert added.

Billy Bragg – who called on people to "vote tactically to defeat their local Conservative"  earlier this week – noted this morning that it's "great" to see "Tories get punished, but while [the] result mirrors 1997, [the] excitement isn't there."

"Feels like my team has topped the group on own goals alone, scored by Cameron, May, Johnson, Truss & Sunak," he added. "Not convinced by Starmer's tactics so far, but live in hope".

Mike Scott of The Waterboys took to X to point out that, as the Green Party and Reform UK both won four seats (in what was the Green Party's most successful election night ever), "people have a right to see Green Party representatives accorded at least the same level of reportage and platforming as the charlatan Nigel Farage".

He also responded to Jacob Rees-Mogg's defeat with "Hallelujah."

In their own X post, industrial metal supergroup Calling All Astronauts issued a forthright message to Reform UK voters:

"If you have voted Reform please unfollow us, we make music about people like you, not for people like you."