In Pics| UK Elections 2017: Britain faces hung parliament, Jeremy Corbyn asks for Theresa May's resignation
Prime Minister Theresa May was fighting to hold on to her job on Friday as British voters denied her the stronger mandate she had sought to lead the country into divorce talks with the European Union. 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.
Prime Minister Theresa May was fighting to hold on to her job on Friday as British voters denied her the stronger mandate she had sought to lead the country into divorce talks with the European Union. 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.
An updated BBC forecast predicted May's Conservatives would win 318 of the 650 seats, eight short of a majority, while Corbyn's left-wing Labour would take 267 -- producing a "hung parliament" and potential deadlock.Sky News predicted May would score somewhere between 315 and 325 seats.
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.
"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, near London."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."
(With agency inputs)