Fears of a hung parliament in UK
Pressure on May as Tories face shock loss of seats, the Labour Party gains ... and DUP may hold balance of power
BRITAIN was heading for a hung parliament last night after a shock Labour Part surge – and the DUP in the North could hold the balance of power.
Exit polls at 10pm predicted Theresa May was on course to lose her majority after a campaign described by one minister as ‘the worst in living memory’.
The forecast suggested the Tories would end on 314 seats, down 17, with Labour on 266, up 34.
The SNP would slip back to 34 seats and the Lib Dems rise to 14. If correct, it would mean Mrs May’s gamble to call a snap election in order to secure a stronger mandate for Brexit had backfired disastrously.
The outcome plunges Britain into political chaos. A defeat on this scale would be a humiliation for Mrs May and would cast doubt on her future as Tory leader. It also plunges Brexit negotiations, which are due to start on June 19, into chaos.
If the Tories emerge as the largest party then Mrs May will have the first chance to try to form a government.
But there are no obvious coalition partners beyond the DUP, which would have serious implications for events in the North.
The results could leave the prime minister forced to try to run a minority government.
If she fails it would fall to Mr Corbyn to try to cobble together a coalition from the other parties, including the SNP, the Liberal Democrats, Plaid Cymru in Wales and the Greens.
Either way, the political turmoil could mean that Britain is likely to face another election within 12 months.
Mrs May had a major reshuffle planned for later today, in which Chancellor of the Exchequer Philip Hammond is heavily tipped for the sack. But the defeat leaves her fighting for her own political future.
Exit polls put Labour on course for a remarkable result, which had seemed impossible when the snap election was called seven weeks ago and the Conservatives led by more than 20 points.
Mr Corbyn’s achievement in closing the gap in an election leaves him secure in his job and could make him prime minister within days.
The result will be seen as vindication by Mr Corbyn’s left-wing supporters and allow him to tighten his grip on the party.
The Liberal Democrats’ decision to stake everything on promising a second referendum on Britain’s EU membership looked to have backfired. The result will put pressure on leader Tim Farron to resign. And Ukip’s future is also in doubt, with former supporters apparently deserting to the Conservatives in droves.
Some senior Tories are urging Mrs May to reflect on the lessons of what has been a difficult election campaign for her and her government. She will now face intense pressure to widen her circle of advisers and adopt a more consensual style to avoid further missteps like the social care reforms which went down so badly with voters.
Mrs May had to execute an unprecedented partial U-turn just days after the Tory manifesto was published.
One minister last night described the Tory campaign as ‘the worst in living memory’ and warned it would have an impact on Mrs May’s authority. ‘Whatever the final parliamentary arithmetic, we have come out muddled and weakened from an exercise that was designed to give us clarity and strength,’ he said.
Mrs May called the election to secure a strong mandate for the Brexit negotiations. The slender majority she inherited from David Cameron left her vulnerable to backbench rebellions from pro-Remain Tories. And, without a specific mandate, she faced a debilitating parliamentary battle with Europhile peers.
The climax of the seven-week election campaign was overshadowed by the terror attacks in Manchester and London Bridge, which saw the main parties suspend their campaigns. They focused attention on security.