UK has hung parliament after Theresa May's election gamble Theresa May has suffered humiliation at the ballot box after her...
UK has hung parliament after Theresa May's election gamble
Theresa May has suffered humiliation at the ballot box after her massive General Election gamble backfired - leaving Britain with a hung parliament.
But - despite losing seats and her majority - the the PM will NOT resign and she will try to cling on.
After visiting the Queen to ask for permission to form a Government at 12.30pm today, she returned to Downing Street and took to the podium to insist 'it's business as usual' - after she formed a coalition with the DUP.
Mrs May had been holed up in No.10 all morning trying to arrange a deal with the Democratic Unionist Party - which handed her closer to the 326 seats she needs.
In a speech that critics are already saying is practically the same one that she would have delivered had she won a majority, she promised to deliver on promises over Brexit and dealing with Islamic extremism.
Mrs May said: "I have just been to see Her Majesty the Queen and I will now form a Government.
"A government that can provide certainty and lead Britain forward at this critical time for our country.
"This Government will guide the country through the crucial Brexit talks that begin in just 10 days and deliver on the will of the British people by taking the United Kingdom out of the European Union.
"It will work to keep our nation safe and secure by delivering the change that I set out following the appalling attacks in Manchester and London."
The damaged PM said it would have "fairness and opportunity at the heart of everything we do" - and promised that "nobody will be left behind".
She said the Conservative and Unionist Party would deliver a "Brexit deal that works for everyone".
"Now let's get to work," she added.
Critics are lining up however to say Theresa May's General Election campaign has been a "catastrophic failure".
And bookies have already made Boris Johnson the firm favourite to be the next PM - after he refused to clearly back the PM when collared by a TV journalist in the street in the early hours of this morning.
Jeremy Corbyn
Earlier Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn appeared on TV saying Labour was "ready to serve this country" - and called on the PM to resign.
In what some are saying is the biggest turnout since 1997, the Tories fell short of an overall majority in the House of Commons after the Labour Party gained dozens of seats.
There are now not only question marks over the Brexit negotiations due to begin in just over a week's time - but Mrs May's future and crucially her goal of achieving a 'Hard Brexit' also now hang in the balance.
Some Tory Party members are touting the line that the Conservatives have "won their biggest share of the vote since their landslide win in 1983" - but that's mainly because support for smaller parties like Ukip collapsed so much. In fact, Labour and the Tories between them hoovered up 82% because of that collapse.
Jeremy Corbyn is being hailed a victorious hero and 'the man of the moment' - appearing on live TV this morning saying: "We put forward our strong and hopeful policies, I think it is pretty clear who won this election."
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