London (CNN) British Prime Minister Theresa May says she will take time to "reflect" on how to move forward after a surprise snap election result left the Conservative Party without a majority, and apologized to members of Parliament who lost their seats.

But after a day of high drama across the country, May insisted Friday that her party was still in pole position to lead, despite falling short by eight seats and having to turn to Northern Ireland's Democratic Unionist Party for backing.

"As I reflect on the result, I will reflect on what we need to do in the future to take the party forward," May said. "I obviously wanted a different result."

"I'm sorry for all those candidates and hard-working party workers who weren't successful, but particularly sorry for those colleagues who were MPs and ministers who'd contributed so much to our country and who lost their seats and didn't deserve to lose their seats," May added.

Instead of opting for a post-election shuffle, the Prime Minister retained key figures in her cabinet.

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