Ed Miliband resigns

Ed Miliband has resigned as Labour leader after his party’s poor showing in the general election and near wipeout in Scotland.

Opinion polls during the election campaign had forecast a hung parliament, with Labour and Conservatives neck and neck. But the Tories performed better, and Labour worse, than expected.

David Cameron is on course for a majority, without the need for a coalition partner. Not only did Labour fail to improve on its 2010 election showing, it also lost seats, many of them in Scotland to the SNP.