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| Edited By: DNA Web Team |Source: DNA webdesk |Updated: Jun 09, 2017, 05:41 PM IST
Prime Minister Theresa May said on Friday she would form a new government to provide certainty and lead Britain in talks with the European Union to secure a successful Brexit deal.
On the doorstep of her official Downing Street residence, May said she could rely in parliament on the support of her "friends" in Northern Ireland's Democratic Unionist Party after her governing Conservatives failed to win a majority.
"We will continue to work with our friends and allies in the Democratic Unionist Party in particular," she said.
"Our two parties have enjoyed a strong relationship over many years and this gives me the confidence to believe that we will be able to work together in the interests of the whole United Kingdom."
Earlier, May was fighting to hold on to her job as British voters dealt her a punishing blow, denying her the stronger mandate she had sought to conduct Brexit talks and instead weakening her party's grip on power.
With no clear winner emerging from Thursday's parliamentary election, a wounded May signalled she would fight on, despite being on course to lose her majority in the House of Commons.
Her Labour rival Jeremy Corbyn said she should step down.
With 633 out of 650 seats declared, the Conservatives had won 308 seats and were therefore no longer able to reach the 326-mark they would need to command a parliamentary majority. Labour had won 258 seats.
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.
"At this time, more than anything else this country needs a period of stability," a grim-faced May said after winning her own parliamentary seat of Maidenhead in southeast England.
With talks of unprecedented complexity on Britain's departure from the European Union due to start in just 10 days' time, there was uncertainty over who would form the next government and over the fundamental direction Brexit would take.
May had spent the campaign denouncing Corbyn as the weak leader of a spendthrift party that would crash Britain's economy and flounder in Brexit talks, while she would provide "strong and stable leadership" to clinch a good deal for Britain.
(With agency inputs)
Theresa May announces that she will be leading the United Kingdom forward
I will form a government to "provide certainty and lead Britain forward" - Theresa May https://t.co/8xOR0z6PJc #bbcelection #GE2017 pic.twitter.com/GPFYj5GxH5
— BBC Breaking News (@BBCBreaking) June 9, 2017
On Friday, Theresa May announced that she will be forming the new government
Reuters
Britain's Liberal Democrats party will not form a coalition to prop up the government of Prime Minister Theresa May after she failed to win a parliamentary majority in an election, Liberal Democrat Tim Farron said on Friday.
AFP
Prime Minister Theresa May arrives at Buckingham Palace for meeting with queen
UK PM May to seek Queen's permission to form a government - Spokesman
British Prime Minister Theresa May will ask Queen Elizabeth for permission to form a government at 1130 GMT on Friday, a spokesman from her office said, after she failed to win an outright majority at a national election.
British Prime Minister Theresa May believes she can form a government and will go to Buckingham Palace at 1130 GMT to ask Queen Elizabeth for permission to do so, the BBC's political editor reported on Friday.
UK Opposition Labour leader Corbyn says we are ready to serve this country.
► Decision on delaying Brexit talks is not in Britain's hands.
► Trade deal with Europe is most important element of Brexit talks.
► Brexit negotiations will have to go ahead as article 50 has been invoked.
► Parliament will have to take a decision on what happens when government puts forward its programme.
UK Labour Party Finance Spokesman John Mcdonnell says Labour would not do a coalition deal. “We will put ourselves forward to form a minority government, PM May is a lame duck.”
UK PM May no longer able to win outright majority in parliament -Reuters calculations
British Prime Minister Theresa May can no longer win an outright majority in parliament, Reuters calculations based on partial results of the election showed on Friday.
After the results of 633 seats were declared, May's party was on 308 seats and therefore no longer able to reach the 326 mark it would need to claim a majority in Britain's 650-seat parliament.
BBC says UK PM May's Conservatives forecast to win 322 seats, Labour 261.
Scottish leader Sturgeon says election 'disastrous' for PM May
Scottish National Party leader Nicola Sturgeon said the results of the election were disappointing for her party but were disastrous for Prime Minister Theresa May.
"Clearly it's a disappointing result, we've lost some tremendous MPs," Nicola Sturgeon said.
"This is a disaster for Theresa May, she called an election clearly very arrogantly thinking that she was going to crush the opposition, sweep everybody aside and cruise to a landside majority, her position is very, very difficult."
Nomura estimates British PM May on track to win 338 seats, based on exit polls and seats declared so far
► I know that the country needs a period of stability and whatever the result the Conservatives will fulfill our duty to provide that stability
► My resolve is the same this morning as it always has been.
► We set out in this campaign we set out the key priorities of getting the right Brexit deal.
► If the projection is right that we have won the most seats, we will provide stability.
► At this time the country needs stability.
► We look across the country, votes are still being counted, we have yet to see the full picture.
British election results: Seats so far by party
Below is a running total for how many seats each party holds.
Conservative - 150 | Labour - 169 | Liberal Democrat - 4 | Scottish National Party - 24
Greens - 0 | UKIP - 0 | Other - 17 | Unreported - 286
Brexit minister Davis: election results show transformation in UK
Brexit minister David Davis said results so far from Thursday's election pointed to a transformation taking place in Britain, but it was too soon to call the result.
"This is a much more disruptive election - all sorts of changes are going on geographically in Scotland, in the north of England," Davis told ITV. "It's rather early to make rash predictions."
► I am very proud of the results that are coming in across the country as people vote for hope.
► People have had enough of austerity, cuts to public services.
► Politics has changed and politics isn't going back into the box where it was before.
► Participation in this election by many who haven't voted before, shows determination for something different.
TELEGRAPH 2AM: May's gamble backfires #tomorrowspaperstoday pic.twitter.com/vextSIRUlm
— Neil Henderson (@hendopolis) June 9, 2017
According to Reuters, the first results to be counted tend to be in geographically smaller urban constituencies, which often vote Labour. Many larger rural seats, which tend to elect Conservatives, will not report results until after 0400 GMT.
UK Labour's Tom Watson says "very, very bad result" for May
Labour's Deputy Leader Tom Watson said early election results were "very, very bad" for Conservative leader Theresa May, and his party would hold her to her statement that if she loses her majority, Labour's Jeremy Corbyn would be prime minister.
"We still don't know the final result of this election, it is too early to say, but it looks likely to be a very, very bad result for Theresa May," Watson said, after he held his seat.
"She said it's a fact that 'if we lose just six seats we will lose our majority and Jeremy Corbyn will be Prime Minister'.
Britain's Corbyn says his campaign 'changed politics'
The head of Britain's Labour Party, Jeremy Corbyn, today said the country's political landscape had been upended in a general election forecast to result in a hung parliament.
"Whatever the final result, our positive campaign has changed politics for the better," Corbyn said in a tweet.
Whatever the final result, our positive campaign has changed politics for the better. pic.twitter.com/EHLta2rnIW
— Jeremy Corbyn (@jeremycorbyn) June 9, 2017
The exit poll predicted the Conservatives would win 314 seats in the 650-member parliament and the leftist opposition Labour Party 266 -- a "hung parliament" with no clear winner.
UK election upset pummels pound, other currencies stay calm
The pound fell sharply on Friday after British Prime Minister Theresa May's Conservative Party appeared set to fall short of an expected majority in a general election.
Sterling was down 1.5 percent at $1.2764 after sliding to as low as $1.2705, down about 2 percent and the weakest since April 18.
