It was in many ways an election lost rather than an election won. One leader has quit; another has followed suit.

Meanwhile, Boris Johnson is back in Downing Street with a comfortable majority and a mandate to deliver Brexit. So, what are the key take-aways for Kent from the dramatic results?

• Labour needs to find a way to broaden its appeal beyond its core base;
• The next leader should be someone capable of appealing to disaffected former voters who have turned to Ukip and the Party;
• The party should look to learn from successes such as Rosie Duffield;
• Appointing a woman wouldn't be a bad idea;
• The Liberal Democrats need a distinct policy progamme or will whither away;
• Brexit is important but should not obscure the domestic agenda, particularly on the NHS
• It is not necessarily a good thing to have MPs with huge majorities;
• Kent Conservatives should exercise their collective weight to ensure the government lives up to its promises on the NHS, schools and roads

The anger among Labour's ranks in Kent was vividly underlined by the reaction from councillors and candidates across the county. They include Medway councillor Tris Osborne, a former election candidate. His analysis? The party needs a "more credible figure" - "just putting a younger figure forward with the same agenda will not work...clear the electorate wants something different and we are not there yet and have a long way to go."

FROM EARLIER

Labour’s victory in Canterbury gives the party a fillip and comes after an intensely fought battle which saw a serious challenge from the Conservative candidate but an ultimately unsuccessful one.

But it cannot afford to overlook the wider issue that the party has a leader with a dire personal rating. His image was tolerated by candidates and activists who only now are publicly declaring that he was a problem on the doorstep.

Their acquiescence was misplaced and arguably did more damage than had they spoken out and pushed for another more moderate figure.

If it has been a bad election for Labour, it has been a car crash for the Lib Dems who have managed to implode spectacularly over a five-week campaign which started with plenty of enthusiasm and energy and hope that it could at least be a player in some kind of coalition.

It has contrived to reach a position where its leader is in danger of losing her seat and is predicted to lose a clutch

How will Labour recover from this dismal showing? There are some who say it is now imperative that the party focuses on a recovery based firmly on the centre ground which Blair as PM had such success during his three terms. People can argue that time has passed and this was a result which for many was about Brexit.

Labour Medway councillor Tris Osborne says the party cannot afford to lose time. Whether that means there is a gap in the centre ground in the 2020s is a trickier question. The millenial generation who were children when Blair was PM have different aspirations and are engaged in politics in a different way - exemplified by the climate emergency, an issue the parties have been playing catch-up rather than leading on.

From earlier:

Although we don't yet know any results, the inquest on Labour's poor perfomance is already underway, inevitably focusing on the manifesto that contained so many free pledges it led to barbs about it having not just a single money tree but a forest. And there was clearly an issue over Jeremy Corbyn who has led the party to a position where it could lose 60 seats.

One disillusioned Labour Medway figure Tris Osborne summed up the frustration in a pithy tweet saying: "Well there we go...".

It looks like the Garden of England is destined to remain true blue and Labour's one consolation may lie in Canterbury but that would represent a consolation prize - with many supporters already showing further signs of recriminations - expect some serious navel gazing. I don't see Corbyn being able to continue as leader.

From earlier:

The votes have been cast and the ballot boxes are being collected but there is already a sign of who could be heading to Downing Street: the official exit poll is out. And it says the Conservatives are on course for victory.

The Conservatives will be pretty happy with the exit poll after others in final few days suggested a narrowing gap; Labour can expect some serious questions; as will the Lib Dems who have dived alarmingly in terms of support

The question now is whether the predictions will match the actual results and whether the Conservative grip on the county will be maintained.

For Labour, all eyes will be on Canterbury where a titanic tussle has been waged with the Conservatives, who are desperate to retain the seat they relinquished in 2017.

Official exit poll:

• Conservative: 368
• Labour: 191
• Lib Dems: 13
• Green: 1

Follow our live blog for details on the results across Kent as they come in.