People are trying to understand what went wrong for Labour at the general election

The Tories have won the general election, achieving a majority not seen since the days of Margaret Thatcher, leaving Labour licking their wounds after suffering their worst result since 1935.

The defeat came courtesy of Labour losing seats across the Midlands and the north of England, with numerous seats falling to the Tories whose message on Brexit, as opposed to socialism, resonated more strongly with the working classes. Seats like Grimsby North, which has been Labour since the Second Wold War and Bolsover, Derbyshire, which had been held by Labour stalwart Dennis Skinner since 1970, all switched to the Tories.

In the immediate aftermath, Jeremy Corbyn, who retained his seat in Islington North, announced he would be stepping down as party leader. Although he will continue as the MP, Corbyn confirmed that he will not be at the helm at the next general election:

I will not lead the party in any future general election campaign. I will discuss with my party to ensure there is a process now of reflection on this result.

I will lead the party during that period to ensure that discussion takes place and we move on into the future.

This is obviously a very disappointing night. But I want to say this. In the election campaign, we put forward a manifesto of hope, a manifesto of unity and a manifesto that would help to right the wrongs and injustices and inequalities that exist in this country.

Fingers will now start to be pointed at who is responsible for this humbling defeat and how the Labour party managed to get it so badly wrong.

One of the strongest pieces of criticism aimed at Labour came from the party's former home secretary Alan Johnson. Appearing on the ITV News coverage of the election, Johnson launched a stunning attack on Corbyn and Jon Lansman, the founder of the pro-Corbyn activist group Momentum. He said:

I'm afraid the working classes have always been a big disappointment for Jon and his colleagues. Corbyn was a disaster on the doorstep. Everyone knew that he couldn't lead the working class out of a paper bag. Now Jon has developed this Momentum group. This party within a party, aiming to keep the purity. The culture of betrayal goes on.

You'll hear it more and more over the next coming days as this little cult get their act together. I want them out of the party. I want Momentum gone. Go back to your student politics and your little left wing.

The most disastrous result for the Labour Party - the worst result since 1935. People like Jon and his pals will never admit this. But they have messed up completely. It's our communities that are gonna pay for that. I feel really angry about this, that we persevered with this experiment of back to the future.

Over on Twitter, the discourse around Labour's capitulation has been one of criticism and disappointment, with people trying to look for some answers out of this disappointing set of circumstances.

Now people are already turning their attention to who will replace Corbyn as Labour leader, with names like Jess Phillips, Keir Starmer, Emily Thornberry and Angela Rayner all proving popular, but not everyone is convinced.

Whatever happens next, it's unlikely that Labour will return to the politics that lead to this result, unless Boris Johnson makes a colossal mess of everything, which is perfectly possible.

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