Boris Johnson: What can the new PM expect on his first day?
Election results 2019: What does elected PM do on results day?
(5 months later)
Boris Johnson is due to become the 55th person to be Britain's prime minister.
There's a unique feeling to the morning of an election results day.
In charge of a budget of around £800bn, the UK's 150,000 troops and the power to press the nuclear button, it is a role that carries supreme responsibility.
The nation emerges in a heady mix of anxiety, fatigue and excitement as they find out who is running the country.
Like starting any new job however, a few administrative tasks must be completed before they can get to work.
Some of us will have lapped up every moment of coverage, delirious with opinions and obscure stats about the electoral map. Others will groggily reach for their phone when the alarm goes off to discover what happened the night before.
So what is Mr Johnson facing on the first day in office?
But there's one person in particular who won't have had a remote sniff of a lie-in - and is unlikely to get a snooze anytime soon - the new prime minister.
The handover
A sleepless night
One unusual aspect about the transition from one prime minister to the next is the speed at which it takes place. The UK is usually without a premier for around one hour.
Boris Johnson will have been keeping a keen eye on results coming in overnight but eventually he will have been pulled away from the TV (or Twitter) to attend his own "count".
The outgoing PM, in this case Theresa May, visits the Queen at Buckingham Palace to tender their resignation and recommends someone they believe can command the confidence of the House of Commons. (If the incumbent government has just lost an election, the outgoing PM will recommend the opposition party leader.)
His trip to the Uxbridge and South Ruislip announcement coincided with a message from US President Donald Trump, who had seen early predictions of the result.
The nominated successor is then summoned to the palace by the Queen's private secretary and then Her Majesty invites them to form her next government in a tradition known as "kissing hands".
It's not quite as showbiz as David Cameron getting a call from Terminator and then governor of California Arnold Schwarzenegger in 2010 but a congratulations from across the pond is a sure-fire sign that results night is well under way.
Just before his appointment, former Labour Prime Minister Tony Blair was told by a Buckingham Palace official "you don't actually kiss the Queen's hand in the ceremony of kissing hands, you brush them gently with your lips" but it is thought a handshake will suffice.
A royal meeting
Addressed as Mr or Ms before entering the Queen's quarters, they leave with the formal title of prime minister thereafter.
Because there isn't a new PM, the grand traditions associated with the Royal Family and new governments won't be on full show.
Mr Johnson will become the 14th PM to serve her - Winston Churchill was the first.
There also won't be any reminders from that guy on your Twitter feed who points out the country is "technically without a leader" for about an hour when the changeover happens.
Steps of Downing Street
A re-elected prime minister doesn't actually have to see the Queen in person - but most choose to do so anyway, out of respect and excitement.
While the world's media wait back at Downing Street, a much enhanced security convoy and an armoured, bullet-proof Jaguar - the prime minister's official vehicle - is on hand to whisk the new PM to their new home.
With this being the second time Boris Johnson will have visited Her Majesty to form a government, it could be a chance for his dog Dilyn (who made an appearance in the ever-popular #dogsatpollingstations feed) to be introduced to the royal corgis.
Heading straight to the lectern already in position, the new PM makes their first speech in the role. The words used can come to define the philosophy of a premiership.
The steps of Downing Street
Theresa May spoke of tackling the "burning injustices", Margaret Thatcher recited part of a prayer and Gordon Brown recounted his old school motto: "I will try my utmost."
After a brief brush with royalty, the PM is whisked off to Downing Street in an armoured, bullet-proof Jaguar - the official vehicle that comes with the job.
He'll then be greeted by a wall of the world's media and give his first speech as the newly anointed PM on the steps of Number 10.
The words used are often a message about the aims of the next government.
Theresa May spoke of tackling "burning injustices" and Gordon Brown quoted his old school motto: "I will try my utmost."
This time around watch out for some puns about it being a "Merry Christmas" for the Conservatives.
Meeting the staff
Meeting the staff
Downing Street staff will be waiting to clap in the latest office holder - their hands still warm from clapping out the predecessor an hour before.
Another tradition that awaits Boris Johnson later today is being clapped back into Downing Street by a line of staff, who will be waiting to greet him.
Though seemingly an inconsequential moment, it is important to make a good first impression.
It's likely there will be a rather celebratory mood inside the famous address after the PM's significant victory.
"When Tony left we had champagne and then clapped him out. When Gordon arrived we clapped him in and then had coffee upstairs. It set the tone for the premiership," said Theo Bertram, a former adviser to both Mr Blair and Mr Brown.
Rumour has it that the Christmas cheer might even be enhanced by some mulled wine being passed around the team.
The briefings
On with the job
After shaking a few hands, the new PM heads straight to the cabinet room to be briefed by officials for the next few hours.
After shaking a few hands, the PM heads straight to the cabinet room to be briefed by officials about crucial issues for the next few hours.
This includes the cabinet secretary - the UK's top civil servant - whose advice ranges from day-to-day governing to expenses allowances and living arrangements. The new chief is not just changing jobs but moving house at the same time.
These includes the cabinet secretary - the UK's top civil servant - whose advice ranges from day-to-day governing to expenses allowances and living arrangements.
There will also be security briefing from the chief of defence staff, the national security adviser and the heads of the intelligence agencies with details of British spies and operations overseas as well as procedure involving Britain's nuclear deterrent.
There will also be a security briefing from the chief of defence staff, the national security adviser and the heads of the intelligence agencies - with details of British spies and operations overseas as well as the procedure involving Britain's nuclear deterrent.
After a nuclear briefing, the newest occupant of No 10 will write their "letters of last resort" - instructing the chief commander of the four submarines which hold Britain's nuclear arsenal what actions to take if the country is obliterated by a nuclear strike.
Boris Johnson's will need to write new "letters of last resort", directing what the four submarines which hold Britain's nuclear weapons should do if the country is hit by a nuclear strike.
Letters are sealed - with the hope they are never opened - and the previous instructions are destroyed, nobody having read their contents. John Major described writing the letter as "one of the most difficult things I've ever had to do".
John Major described writing the letters as "one of the most difficult things I've ever had to do".
The new PM will also have to nominate "nuclear deputies" - two other cabinet members who take charge of the codes in an emergency if the premier is unwell or unable to be reached.
Peppered throughout the day will also be calls from other world leaders congratulating him on his victory.
Peppered throughout the day will be calls from other world leaders congratulating the newest member of their club - Barack Obama was said to have phoned David Cameron just 30 minutes after he first entered Downing Street.
Building a team
Building a team
Though plans may have been in place for some time, the new prime minister now has to appoint a cabinet and ministerial team to head up their government departments.
Not quite like a scene out of The Apprentice - but it can be fairly ruthless. It's not often you're able to pick the colleagues you want to work with every day.
Crucially, they also will sack incumbent ministers deemed surplus to requirements.
Though plans may have been in place for some time, the prime minister now has to appoint a cabinet and ministerial team to head up government departments. He will also sack unwanted ministers.
When drafting his cabinet, Gordon Brown reportedly wrote the names in pencil so they could be rubbed out and replaced, such was his deliberation. Whiteboards with stickers is the usual modus operandi.
You might think there'd be hi-tech equipment like touchscreens being used - with names floating from one position to the next. But in reality, using whiteboards with coloured stickers is the usual way to go.
In the first day key positions such as chancellor, foreign secretary and home secretary will be filled with more junior roles coming later.
On the first day it'll be key positions such as chancellor, foreign secretary and home secretary which will be announced, with more junior roles coming later.
Before any announcements, civil servants will be frantically vetting candidates to flag any conflict of interests.
It's thought some of Boris Johnson's appointments could be filled in the next 24 hours but the full line-up is unlikely to be completed until next week.
Establishing a backroom team, a chain of command, planning the Queen's Speech with a policy agenda and setting objectives for the first 100 days are all crucial next steps.
And then the hard work and tough decisions in one of the most challenging jobs on earth begin.
