Britain has plunged into an uncertain future as Prime Minister Theresa May's gamble in calling an early election backfired as her Conservative Party lost its majority in Parliament and pressure mounted on her to resign. The shock results could also send Britain's negotiations to leave the European Union - due to start June 19 - into disarray.
With 649 of 650 seats in the House of Commons declared, the Conservatives had 318 to the Labour Party's 261. The tally of other parties are – SNP 35; Lib Dem 12; DUP 10; Green Party 1; Plaid Cymru 4 and others 8. The result of one seat is yet to come. Three hundred and twenty six seats are need for getting majority. Before the election the Conservatives had 330 seats and Labour 229.
May called the snap election in the hope of increasing her majority and strengthening Britain's hand in exit talks with the European Union with a "strong and stable government." Instead, the result means the Conservatives will need to rely on support from smaller parties to govern, with more instability and the chance of yet another early election.
"This is a very bad moment for the Conservative Party, and we need to take stock," Conservative lawmaker Anna Soubry said. The results confounded those who doubted the popularity of Labour's left-wing leader, Jeremy Corbyn. Written off by many pollsters, Labour surged in the final weeks of the campaign. It drew strong support from young people, who appeared to have turned out to vote in larger numbers.
May who was re-elected from her Maidenhead seat in southern England, looked tense and did not spell out what she planned to do. "The country needs a period of stability, and whatever the results are the Conservative Party will ensure we fulfil our duty in ensuring that stability," she said.
Corbyn said May should "go ... and make way for a government that is truly representative of all the people of this country." Speaking after being re-elected to his London seat, Corbyn said the election result means "politics has changed" and voters have rejected Conservative austerity. The result was bad news for the Scottish National Party, which lost about 20 of its 54 seats. Among the casualties was Alex Salmond, a former first minister of Scotland and one of the party's highest-profile lawmakers.
