David Cameron said the emerging picture from the election results showed the country wanted change.

Speaking after being returned as MP for Witney, he said: "Above all I want to thank people in West Oxfordshire who once again put their trust in me to be your Member of Parliament.

"And let me say this: whatever happens tonight, whatever the future may hold, I will always work hard as a constituency MP standing up for your interests, taking up your cases, acting on the things that you care about.

"It is an immense privilege and a pleasure to represent this wonderful part of our country - 85 rural parishes, wonderful market towns, a lovely part of our country - but not without its issues and its difficulties. And whatever happens I will go on standing up for you and being a good constituency MP.

"Now nationally we have to wait for the full results to come out. But I believe it is already clear that the Labour Government has lost its mandate to govern our country.

"Although there are still many results still to come out, it looks as if the Conservative Party is on target to actually win more seats at this election than we have done at any election for perhaps as long as 80 years.

"And I think that we should be proud of the campaign that we fought. It was a positive, it was an energetic campaign, it was a campaign about bringing change to our country. It was not a campaign that needed to make negative points about others.

"It was a positive campaign we should be proud of.

"Most important of all, what is clear from these results is that the country - our country - wants change.

"That change is going to require new leadership. And whatever happens tonight, we will stand ready to do all that we can to help bring that leadership, to help bring strong, stable, decisive and good government for our country.

"And what will guide me in the hours ahead, and perhaps longer than the hours ahead, will be the national interest. To do what is right for our country. To make sure we have that Government, we have that stability, we take the right decisions.

"We do live in difficult times for our country, but this is a great country and we will come through them and be stronger."