British voters dealt Prime Minister Theresa May a devastating blow in a snap election she had called to strengthen her hand in Brexit talks, wiping out her parliamentary majority and throwing the country into political turmoil.
With no clear winner emerging from Thursday`s election, a wounded May signalled on Friday that she would fight on. Her Labour rival Jeremy Corbyn, once written off by his opponents as a no-hoper, said May should step down and he wanted to form a minority government.
In the aftermath of one of the most sensational nights in British electoral history, politicians and commentators called May`s decision to hold the election a colossal mistake and derided her performance on the campaign trail.
She appeared determined to tough it out, however.
“Theresa May has no intention of announcing her resignation later today,” BBC political editor Laura Kuenssberg told BBC radio.
With 649 of 650 seats declared, the Conservatives had won 318 seats. Though the biggest single winner, they failed to reach the 326-mark they would need to command a parliamentary majority. Labour had won 261 seats.
With complex talks on Britain`s divorce from the European Union due to start in 10 days, it was unclear who would form the next government and what the direction of Brexit would be.
“If … the Conservative Party has won the most seats and probably the most votes then it will be incumbent on us to ensure that we have that period of stability and that is exactly what we will do,” a grim-faced May said after winning her own parliamentary seat of Maidenhead, near London.
Sky News reported that Northern Ireland`s Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) was considering supporting the Conservatives in parliament.
The DUP`s 10 seats could help them hit the 326 seats needed for a majority. It was considering a “confidence and supply” arrangement which would involve the DUP supporting a Conservative minority government on key votes in parliament but not forming a formal coalition partnership, Sky said.
After winning his own seat in north London, Corbyn said May`s attempt to win a bigger mandate had backfired.
“The mandate she`s got is lost Conservative seats, lost votes, lost support and lost confidence,” he said.
