Conservatives fall short of majority as snap poll gamble backfires; Labour wins 261 seats

British Prime Minister Theresa May will cling to power, despite her party’s unexpectedly poor performance in the snap general election on Thursday, as the Conservative Party drew on support from their Northern Irish ally, the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP).

“I can now form a government that can provide certainty and lead Britain forward at this critical time,” a grim-faced Ms. May said outside Downing Street after returning from Buckingham Palace, where she received the Queen’s permission to form a government, though the Conservatives lost at least 12 seats. The Labour Party, under the leadership of Jeremy Corbyn, meanwhile gained at least 29 seats, shattering the Conservatives’ hope of gaining a clear validation of their Brexit strategy.

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By early afternoon all but one of the 650 seats had declared, with the Conservatives on 318, well short of the 326 they needed for an overall majority. The Labour Party had won 261 seats.

“She [Ms. May] wanted a mandate; the mandate she’s got is lost votes, lost support and lost confidence,” said Mr. Corbyn as he secured a greater majority in his constituency of Islington North.

U.K. general election results: As it happened

Ms. May said the government would guide the country through critical Brexit talks, due to take place later this month, suggesting there would be no change to the timeline. “What the country needs more than ever is certainty,” she said, justifying why the Conservatives, alongside the DUP, were the right party to lead the country. She did not, however, provide details of the nature of the alliance with the DUP.

While the Conservatives gained seats in Scotland, they failed to capitalise as much as they had hoped for from the collapse of support for the U.K. Independence Party (UKIP). They also failed to make gains in Labour heartlands, where Ms. May had campaigned personally. The party also suffered shock defeats in the south eastern city of Canterbury, which had been a safe Conservative seat since 1918.