Britain has been left reeling as three top party leaders, including Nick Clegg and Nigel Farage resigned barely hours after their parties were routed in today's general election.
First to quit was Nigel Farage, leader of the UK Independence Party who resigned after he failed to win the coastal Kent constituency of South Thanet from the Conservatives.
Farage finished in second place behind Tory candidate Craig MacKinlay in what had been Ukip's key target seat.
"I have just resigned as leader of Ukip. I have kept my promise. I have honoured what I said. I shall write to the NEC (National Executive Committee)," Farage said.
Then it was Nick Clegg who resigned as Liberal Democrat leader after his party was routed at the general election.
The outgoing deputy prime minister though retained his Sheffield, Hallam seart, warned that the politics of "fear and grievance" had won while liberalism had lost.
Last was, Ed Miliband, the prime ministerial candidate from the Labour party. He stepped down as Labour leader saying he is truly sorry for the scale of the party's crushing defeat.
He told activists he had to shoulder all the blame for Labour's shocking performance in the polls.
He retained his Doncaster North seat, Miliband said his party had been overwhelmed by a "surge of nationalism".
It's an hour which will go down in history as Britain's landscape changes forever, as what Nick Clegg called 'the politics of Us vs Them'.
And the hour ended with what the nation expected least of all - a Tory majority with 327 seats, just crossing the half way mark in the 650-member parliament.
