Counting is continuing in Northern Ireland, with several constituency battles appearing to be on a knife edge.

The high-profile contest between DUP leader Gavin Robinson and Alliance Party leader Naomi Long in East Belfast is among those seats that remain too close to call.

In other key constituency battles, the DUP candidate Jonathan Buckley has conceded defeat in Lagan Valley to Alliance’s Sorcha Eastwood.

Ms Eastwood expressed her delight ahead of the result being formally announced, describing it as a “huge achievement” for her party and the whole community across Northern Ireland.

placeholder image — UUP candidate for Fermanagh and South Tyrone Diana Armstrong pictured at the Meadowbank count centre. Picture: Jonathan Porter/Press Eye

Lagan Valley is the seat long held by former DUP leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson, who stepped down as leader in March when he was charged with historical sexual offences – charges he denies.

While that was a gain for Alliance, the party is set to lose a seat in North Down, where the cross community party’s deputy leader Stephen Farry has all but conceded to independent unionist Alex Easton.

One race that few predicted would be tight was North Antrim but the DUP’s Ian Paisley is locked in a major battle to retain his seat and hold off the challenge of TUV leader Jim Allister.

The UUP is increasingly hopeful former Stormont health minister Robin Swann can take a seat from the DUP in South Antrim.

Sinn Fein is confident it can hold off the UUP in the ever-close Fermanagh and South Tyrone count, where former RCN general secretary Pat Cullen stood for the republican party against Ulster Unionist councillor Diana Armstrong.

Asked if Sinn Fein was nervous about the result in the constituency, Sinn Fein vice president Michelle O’Neill said: “We’re feeling very confident that it has been a good poll from us across the board but it’s very early in the evening.”

Ms O’Neill added: “The politics of this election was very much about the politics here at home, about making the Executive and the Assembly work.”

The Ulster Unionists were without an MP in the last parliament and the party was growing in optimism on Friday morning that it will pick up South Antrim.

Asked if he was on course for victory in South Antrim, Mr Swann said: “It seems to be heading that way.”

However, retired Army colonel Tim Collins, who ran for the UUP in North Down, blamed voters being more interested in “potholes and hedges” than international affairs after conceding defeat before the result was declared.

Success for the SDLP would be the retention of the two seats held in the last parliament by its leader, Colm Eastwood in Foyle, and deputy leader, Claire Hanna in South Belfast and Mid Down.

Ms Hanna said both are set for victory.