Theresa May has been hung out to dry after her election gamble backfired — that is the consensus from this morning’s newspapers.

The Conservatives squandered their parliamentary majority at the 2017 snap general election, following a successful campaign by Jeremy Corbyn and Labour.

Britain is waking up to the news that there will be a hung parliament , with 646 out of 650 constituencies declared, the Tories had 315 seats, Labour 261, the SNP 35 and the Liberal Democrats 12.

The Northern Irish Democratic Unionist Party, which increased its representation at Westminster from eight to 10, signalled it was ready to discuss working with the Tories on issues such as Brexit.

Sources suggest Theresa May has indicated she will look to stay on as Prime Minister and Tory leader despite failing to win a majority after her decision to hold a snap election backfired spectacularly.

Here are the views of the newspapers this morning:

The latest edition of the Chronicle — a new edition is going to print at 9am — described the aftermath of the general election as ‘mayhem’:

The Journal questioned whether Theresa May’s gambled had backfired, something that looks increasingly likely as the results came in.

The front page is a rare beast in the newspaper world — asking a question in a headline to which the answer is probably ‘yes’:

The latest edition of the Mirror said Theresa May’s job is “on the line” as the UK headed for a hung parliament:

In their 4am edition, the Daily Mail - usually a cheerleader for Theresa May - calls her leadership into question, saying her decision to call an election backfired “disastrously”:

After savaging Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn with a number of hostile front pages, the Sun have led with “dismay” for Theresa May, saying Britain has been ‘plunged into political chaos’, adding that Mrs May’s election gamble was a ‘disaster’.

The Times describes the election as a ‘nightmare’ for Theresa May after squandering the huge lead she had in the polls:

The Financial Times says May’s gamble “appeared to have triggered another period of turmoil in British politics”, adding voters rejected her bid for a stronger mandate:</s>United Kingdom (UK) Prime Minister Theresa May’s gamble of calling snap polls spectacularly backfired on Friday with the British electorate delivering a hung Parliament and forcing her to seek the support of a small Northern Irish party for staying in power, as the country braces for hard Brexit talks.

May, jolted by the electoral setback, however, remained defiant to calls for her resignation and vowed to form a minority government with the informal backing of the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP).

“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,” a grim-faced May said in a statement delivered outside 10 Downing Street.

May, 60, said the two parties have enjoyed a strong relationship over many years, and she believes that they will be able to work together in the interest of the country.

“This will allow us to come together as a country and channel our energies towards a successful Brexit deal that works for everyone in this country – securing a new partnership with the EU which guarantees our long-term prosperity. That’s what people voted for last June. That’s what we will deliver. Now let’s get to work,” she said.

Though May’s Conservative Party emerged as the single largest party on a sensational election night, the impressive show by the Labour Party led by Jeremy Corbyn sent the British politics into turmoil, putting May in a complex situation ahead of the Brexit talks scheduled to start on June 19.

The results – a sort of turnaround in fortunes for both major parties – have thrown that timetable into doubt. With results declared for nearly all of the 650 seats, Conservatives won 318 while the opposition Labour secured 262, leaving neither party anywhere close to the 326 seats required for an overall majority. The Tories will now have to rely on the DUP’s 10 MPs to get things done. DUP leader Arlene Foster confirmed she will enter talks with May in an effort to pursue “stability” in Parliament, without giving further details on the conditions for the party’s support.

The shock defeat for Conservatives – despite the pre-poll projections of a comfortable majority – was seen by the British media as a “humiliation” for May to continue in her position.

Corbyn, 68, may not have dislodged May in the polls but the Labour Party’s strong showing prompted him to demand her resignation, saying she “lost votes, lost support and lost confidence” of the people.

May in April had chosen to call the election three years ahead of the schedule to try to strengthen her hand in talks with the European Union to pull Britain out of the single market. The result threw the UK in a political turmoil amid increasing terror-related incidents.</s>Theresa May will visit Buckingham Palace at 12.30pm to seek permission from the Queen to form a government, a Downing Street spokesman said.

She has struck a deal with the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) to form a small working majority in coalition. The DUP said the deal would work on a vote-by-vote basis called "confidence and supply" and they would not form a formal coalition.

It follows calls for Ms May to resign after a disastrous election for the Conservatives. They emerged eight seats short of a majority, with one seat left to declare.

"We would consider a supply and confidence arrangement to make sure Theresa May would have sufficient support to keep her in government,” one DUP MP told Sky News.

Support for the DUP has grown, with the party increasing their number of seats from 8 to ten. The Tories and DUP combined would have 329 MPs in the Commons.

The party has series of demands from the Conservatives in exchange for its support. Among them is an assurance that Ireland is not granted special status after Brexit.

Nigel Dodds, who retained the North Belfast seat, reportedly said the DUP would insist there was no separate deal for Ireland that would in essence keep in inside the EU. The DUP backed Brexit in last year's referendum.

The DUP objects to special status for the region, one of Sinn Fein's key demands, fearing it could break-up Ireland from the rest of the UK.

The DUP, the largest unionist political party in Northern Ireland, said their desire to form a coalition with Ms May is driven by concerns about Jeremy Corbyn becoming Prime Minister.

Mr Corbyn, who has called on Ms May to resign, has well publicised links with Sinn Fein. The Labour leader has said he is "ready to serve" and the party is willing to form alliances with other smaller parties.

Yet even if Labour joined forces with the SNP, Lib Dems, Green Party and Plaid Cymru, it would only have 313 seats, short of the 326 figure it needs.</s>Sotirios Zartaloudis is a lecturer in politics and director of postgraduate studies in the Department of Political Science and International Studies at the University of Birmingham.

When British Prime Minister Theresa May called a snap election in April, she did so from a position of strength: Opinion polls were giving her party approximately a 20-per-cent lead while all qualitative evidence on the leaders’ popularity were portraying her as the most trusted leader, in sharp contrast to her main rival, Labour Party Leader Jeremy Corbyn. Her plan was to seize the opportunity of such favourable public opinion and crush the opposition by expanding her slim majority in Parliament.

However, the election results derailed these plans spectacularly. The Conservative Party achieved a Pyrrhic victory by losing seats and a previously held absolute majority in the House of Commons. Adding insult to injury, the often ridiculed Mr. Corbyn managed to lead a resurgence of the Labour Party, earning a 29-seat gain over the previous election.

Ms. May has managed already to form a coalition government with the ultra-conservative but anti-hard-Brexit Northern Irish Democratic Unionist Party, but this is a far cry from expectations of a Tory landslide and a 100-plus majority.

These elections mark a personal humiliation for incumbent Ms. May, who ran a very personalized campaign as a “strong and stable” leader asking British voters to give her a clear mandate to negotiate Brexit. Ms. May scored an unforced own goal by reducing her party’s parliamentary seats and absolute majority. Her ruinous campaign involved her not showing up in the leaders’ TV debate, political gaffes in her manifesto about social care for pensioners (a core voter group for her party) and a lack of any clearly defined agenda or goals for the next government. These elections leave her bruised and without a mandate to govern Britain and lead the Brexit negotiations.

Moreover, her government will be weakened both internally and externally. Internally, as with all coalition governments, reaching consensus on any decision will be a challenge. Additionally, she will have to reconcile two opposing groups within her party: a libertarian/globalist free-trade camp which seeks to have economic relations with the EU and a nationalist camp which prioritizes control of borders and reduction of immigration irrespective of the resulting negative economic impact. Brexit cannot satisfy both camps. Either Britain has to comply with key EU single-market principles (including free movement of people, jurisdiction of the European Court of Justice and EU directives), or Britain will become a pariah of international trade. This is going to be a monumental if not impossible task for Ms. May, which defines the strategic dead end she is facing.

Externally, other EU governments and institutions will know that Theresa May is a lame duck and has little mandate to do much about Brexit. The external environment will become even more difficult for Ms. May and her anti-EU government if incumbent Chancellor Angela Merkel wins the German elections (as the polls currently predict), not to mention the international isolation of the erratic Donald Trump. The EU has no reason to do favours to Ms. May’s Euroskeptic government; rather, they can use Britain as an example of nationalism going wrong.

On top of this unfavourable political climate, the Brexit economic kerfuffle is already beginning to bite. The U.K. is the worst performer in the EU in terms of growth and is dealing with a falling pound, increasing inflation and one of the highest trade deficits the country has ever recorded. In simple terms, Britain lives beyond its means, and a potential break from the EU single market will be the final nail in the coffin of a dysfunctional political economy based on conspicuous consumption, high debts and high inequality and poverty. Britain should brace itself for more upheaval in the coming months.

In other words, the electoral humiliation of Theresa May and the strategic dead end she faces with Brexit seem to be only the beginning of her woes. But the Tory party has only itself to blame: They should have known from European history that nativism, nationalism and populism have a short shelf life – just as, seemingly, Ms. May and her government do.</s>After the election, the right-wing UK Independence Party, which helped drive Brexit, was left with no seats in Parliament.

Theresa May is facing calls for her resignation after failing to win a majority.

Above all, investors are anxious about the general uncertainty surrounding the country – whether a bruised May will be able to govern effectively or whether she may eventually resign. At present it is thought to be as much as 69%, significantly higher than past elections and possibly as a result of the turbulent political events of the past few years. If she does ultimately go, then the Conservative government’s direction might shift under new leadership. May’s vision of Brexit calls for tariffs on European Union goods imported into Britain.

Answer: It’s an unusual situation in which no political party wins more than half of the 650 seats in the House of Commons – 326 is the ostensible mark for a majority, but since the seven Sinn Fein MPs in Northern Ireland aren’t expected to take up their seats in the London chamber, the threshold is more like 323.

Rather than resign, May quickly grabbed the lifeline of an alliance with the DUP, which won 10 seats. The overall Scotland results were SNP 35 of 59 seats (down 21), Conservatives 13 (up 12), Labour 7 (up 6) and Lib Dems 4 (up 3).

“Clearly if she’s got a worse result than two years ago and is nearly unable to form a government, then she, I doubt, will survive in the long term as Conservative Party leader”, former Conservative Treasury chief George Osborne said on ITV.

Stock futures crept higher on Friday as investors tried to make sense of an uncertain future in the United Kingdom after Thursday’s election resulted in a likely hung Parliament.

European Union budget commissioner Guenther Oettinger said the European Union is prepared to stick to the timetable that calls for negotiations to start in mid-June, but said it would take a few hours at least to see how the results of the election play out in forming a government. “With a weak negotiating partner, there’s the danger that the negotiations will turn out badly for both sides…”

“I think it would be very, very hard indeed for her to stay on”, political analyst Carole Walker told CNN.

“Theresa May arrogantly gambled with our Brexit and blew it”, said a spokesman for the Leave.EU pro-Brexit campaign.

May’s failure to strengthen her grip on power is a huge embarrassment for the leader. Her refusal to participate in debates against her opponents drew criticism across the aisle from constituents and analysts alike.

In terms of households, the party said it wants to see continued rises in the national living wage and personal tax allowances and protection of pensions.

In the end, any coalition government May manages to pull together could be so weak that another national election is called – possibly even this year.

“The effect of this movement has been to counteract the clear evidence that the Conservative Party benefited most from the sharp decline in UKIP support from 13% to 2%”, he told the BBC. “Our leader needs to take stock as well”.

Jeremy Corbyn’s Labour Party is claiming second place with 261 seats, a gain of 29. Written off by many pollsters, Labour surged in the final weeks of the campaign.

Although May hopes to remain Britain’s Prime Minister, her long-term position as leader could be in doubt. Speaking after being re-elected to his London seat, Corbyn said May should “go. and make way for a government that is truly representative of all the people of this country”.

But her campaign unravelled after a policy u-turn on care for the elderly, while Corbyn’s old-school socialist platform and more impassioned campaigning style won wider support than anyone had foreseen.

The broadcaster said Sturgeon was “disappointed at the SNP losses”.

It’s hard to see how any of the options above could survive a full term, and that means one thing: yet another general election, perhaps as soon as within the next 12 months.

May said that “of course I’ll reflect on what happened”.</s>Theresa May has arrived at Buckingham Palace to seek permission from the Queen to form a new government. It comes just hours after it was revealed that the Prime Minister had lost her Commons majority in the General Election, which resulted in a hung parliament. Mrs May faces ending up with 12 fewer seats than when she called the election. She is seeking to stay in office on the understanding that the Democratic Unionists of Northern Ireland will support her minority administration.

Theresa May leaves Downing Street to meet the Queen

The DUP, who are the largest unionist political party in Northern Ireland, said their desire to form a coalition with Mrs May is driven by concerns about Jeremy Corbyn becoming Prime Minister. No party has an overall majority; the Conservatives remain the largest party with 318 seats so far while Labour currently have 261 - with 326 required for a majority and just one seat left to be called.

The Prime Minister was met by a sea of cameras as she left her official residence

STORY: Can the Queen vote in a General Election?

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, meanwhile, has called for the Prime Minister to resign following the election result. He told the BBC: "The Prime Minister called this election because she wanted a mandate. Well the mandate she's got is lost Conservative seats, lost votes, lost support and lost confidence. I would have thought that's enough to go, actually, and make way for a government that will be truly representative of all of the people of this country."

STORY: What is a hung parliament? And what happens next?

However, Mrs May has signalled that she intends to continue as Prime Minister, stating that the country needs "stability" with the start of the Brexit negotiations just ten days away. It's thought that her meeting with the Queen will last for around 40 minutes, after which she will make a statement outside Downing Street.</s>British Prime Minister Theresa May's Conservative Party today suffered a major blow in the snap election after it failed spectacularly to maintain its majority in the parliament, creating new uncertainties ahead of the Brexit negotiations.

The Conservatives, however, emerged as the single largest party in the election for Britain's 650-seat parliament.

With results yet to be declared for only eight seats, Conservatives had won 313 and Labour secured 260. A party required 326 seats to win the election.

Though May won her Maidenhead seat in south-east England with 37,780 votes, she faced pressure to resign after losing her parliamentary majority.

Ahead of the final result, May said Britain needed a "period of stability".

"The Conservative party is on course to winning the most votes and it will be incumbent on us that we provide that period of stability," May said, seemingly conceding the exit poll predictions of a hung parliament and her dashed hopes of a landslide win.

Opposition Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, who defeated predictions to improve his party's performance in the election, called on May "to go" to make way for his party.

"Politics has changed and this is people saying they have had quite enough… I am very proud of the results that are coming in and the vote for hope. The prime minister called the election because she wanted a mandate and the mandate is that she has lost seats," he said.

Corbyn earlier claimed on Twitter that the Labour party had "changed the face of British politics".</s>The DUP, the largest unionist party in Northern Ireland (the parties that support Northern Ireland remaining within Great Britain), raised its number of seats to 10 from eight, potentially providing the Conservatives with the majority they would need in Parliament, after the loss of at least 12 seats in the snap election.

Foster said the election in Northern Ireland, which saw 10 DUP MPs, including two new ones, elected to the Commons, was a “great result” for the union.

A string of Conservative ministers lost their seats in a dramatic night. Get yourself and your mates down to Downing Street tonight and let her know we don’t want her anymore.

“Our two parties have enjoyed a strong relationship over many years and this gives me the confidence to believe that we will be able to work together in the interests of the whole UK”, Theresa said.

“The DUP will always strive for the best deal for Northern Ireland and its people”, she said.

While climate change scepticism is not official party “policy”, the DUP has previously appointed a denier as environment minister in N Ireland, and it counts a number of creationists among its senior members.

“Other personnel issues are for other days”, she said.

Its key slogan during the campaign turned out to be rather prescient: “A vote for the DUP team is a vote to send “Team Northern Ireland” to Westminster”.

Tim Farron, the Liberal Democrat leader said an agreement with the DUP would have “profound implications” for both Brexit and the peace process in Northern Ireland. “If she has an ounce of self-respect, she will resign”.

But in one of the most sensational nights in British electoral history, a resurgent Labour Party denied her an outright win, throwing the country into political turmoil as no clear victor emerged.

This is expected to mean a softer Brexit negotiating position than may have been the case under a Conservative majority.

The failure to return any majority was seen by political commentators and British media as a failed gamble by the Prime Minister, with opposition leaders calling into question Theresa May’s suitability to continue to govern.

With 649 of 650 seats declared, the Conservatives had won 318 seats, short of the 326 needed for a parliamentary majority.

Sky’s Political Editor, Faisal Islam, said: “This is the most extraordinary balancing act”.

Stressing that her party had won the maximum votes and emerged as the single largest party, she claimed that only the Tories can provide the “certainty” needed to guide the country through crucial Brexit talks that begins with the European Union on June 19.

Professor Jon Tonge, an expert in Irish politics at the University of Liverpool, told Xinhua: “Theresa May had no choice, as the DUP is the Conservative’s only ally”.

“If they are going to squeeze out some concession from the Tories, is that concession going to frustrate Sinn Fein to the point where the prospect of devolution disappears and there is direct rule from Westminster again in Northern Ireland”.</s>LONDON — Britain’s voters have delivered a stunning blow to Prime Minister Theresa May, wiping out her parliamentary majority in an election that was supposed to strengthen her grip on power.

With most results declared, May’s party won the most seats — but not enough to govern without the support of minority parties.

It was devastating result for May, who had called the election three years earlier than required by law, convinced by opinion polls that placed her far ahead of opposition Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn.

It plunges Britain into a period of renewed political chaos, with Brexit talks likely to be delayed and May’s personal authority shredded. There was already talk in Conservative circles that she might have to resign, less than a year after taking over from David Cameron, who resigned following the Brexit referendum.

George Osborne, the former finance minister who stepped down at the election, told ITV that the results were “catastrophic” for his party. Anna Soubry, a Conservative MP, said May would have to consider her position.

The result appeared certain to plunge the UK into another period of political uncertainty, with formal Brexit talks due to start in 10 days’ time. The pound fell on currency markets in the wake of the results.

After the result was declared in her constituency of Maidenhead, May gave a faltering speech. “At this time more than anything else, this country needs a period of stability,” she said, suggesting she would attempt to form a government even if her party loses its majority.

Corbyn said the early results showed May had lost her mandate and called for her to resign.

“People have said they have had quite enough of austerity politics,” he said, repeating his campaign promises to push for better funding for health and education.

There were upsets elsewhere in the UK: In Scotland. the Scottish National Party was on course for significant losses. The former leader, Alex Salmond, lost his seat, as the Conservative Party made some rare gains in Scotland.

The anti-Brexit Liberal Democrat Party did not make its hoped-for inroads. Former leader Nick Clegg, a former Deputy Prime Minister, lost his Sheffield Hallam seat. Tim Farron, the current leader, retained his seat with only a narrow majority.

Home Secretary Amber Rudd, one of May’s closest allies, barely held onto her seat of Hastings and Rye, after a recount put her just over 300 votes ahead of the Labour candidate.

Commentators agreed the results were bad for the prime minister. “This is a major disaster for her personal authority over the country and the Conservative Party, particularly because she made this election all about her ‘strong and stable’ leadership,” Jane Merrick wrote for CNN. “She made the election a referendum on Theresa May and she has lost.”

One of many key questions for the coming days will be what approach is taken to the Brexit negotiations, even if May stays as prime minister.

She had promised a “hard Brexit” if Britain did not like the terms of the divorce negotiated with the EU. She vowed to take the country out of the EU’s single market and customs union, essentially a free-trade zone, radically changing Britain’s relationship with one of its biggest trading partners.

May experienced a gradual slide during the campaign period, in which a wide gap between the Conservatives and Labour narrowed.

Predictions of Conservative success became more modest as the party’s campaign faltered following a series of missteps.

May was criticized for making a number of U-turns on social welfare and she came under fire for a controversial proposal on who should pay for the cost of care for the elderly, a policy that became known as the “dementia tax.”

Her opponents also took issue with her refusal to take part in a televised debate with other party leaders.

The Prime Minister called what she thought would be a Brexit-focused election, but the issue was quickly overshadowed by security as two deadly terror attacks, in Manchester and London, struck during the campaign period.

The attacks only put May under more scrutiny for national security decisions she made during her tenure as Home Secretary, a role she held for six years in the government of her predecessor, David Cameron.

The attacks triggered a heated debate on whether the police are well-enough resourced to deal with terror threats. Police numbers across the UK were cut by 20,000 under May’s watch as Home Secretary.</s>Theresa May's future as Prime Minister and leader of the Conservatives was being openly questioned after her decision to hold a snap election disastrously backfired.

As the June 8 poll ended in a hung parliament, with no party holding an absolute majority in the House of Commons, Mrs May pledged to offer "stability" if the Tories end up as the largest party with the most votes.

Conservative former minister Anna Soubry said she should "consider her position" and take personal responsibility for a "dreadful" campaign and a "deeply flawed" manifesto after choosing to go to the country three years early in the hope of extending her majority.

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn called on the Prime Minister to resign, saying she should "go and make way for a government that is truly representative of this country".

Former chancellor George Osborne, sacked from the Cabinet by Mrs May and now editor of the Evening Standard, told ITV: "Clearly if she's got a worse result than two years ago and is almost unable to form a government then she I doubt will survive in the long term as Conservative party leader."

The Democratic Unionist Party, which increased its representation at Westminster from eight to 10, signalled it was ready to discuss working with Tories on issues such as Brexit and keeping the UK together.

With the party in a position to hold the balance of power at Westminster, senior MP Sir Jeffrey Donaldson said the DUP would be "serious players" in the hung parliament, telling the BBC:

"This is perfect territory for the DUP because obviously if the Conservatives are just short of an overall majority it puts us in a very strong negotiating position and certainly that is one we would take up with relish."

Three gains by Sinn Fein, which does not take up seats in Westminster, made it slightly easier for a combination of parties to achieve a working majority.

The pound plummeted as the shock figures set the scene for political turmoil at Westminster, disruption to upcoming Brexit negotiations and the possibility of a second election later in the year.

The night was marked by a collapse in Ukip support and a rash of high-profile losses for the SNP, as British politics returned to a two-party system on the greatest scale since the 1970s.

The Tories lost seven frontbenchers, with ministers Jane Ellison, Simon Kirby, Gavin Barwell, James Wharton, Nicola Blackwood and Rob Wilson going down to defeat, along with Cabinet Office minister Ben Gummer, the author of the widely criticised Tory manifesto.

Ukip leader Paul Nuttall faced humiliation in Boston & Skegness, where he came in a distant third, and the eurosceptic party lost its only Westminster seat in Clacton.

As Ukip voters switched to Labour and the Tories across the country, Mr Nuttall said Mrs May had put the Brexit process in "jeopardy" just 10 days before talks were due to begin in Brussels.

High-profile casualties of a night of shock defeats included Liberal Democrat former leader and ex-deputy prime minister Nick Clegg in Sheffield Hallam, Scotland's former first minister Alex Salmond in Banff & Buchan and the SNP's leader in Westminster Angus Robertson in Moray.

Home Secretary Amber Rudd and Education Secretary Justine Greening hung onto their seats by the skin of their teeth with much reduced majorities.

Accepting victory in Islington North, Mr Corbyn said voters had opted for hope and "turned their backs on the politics of austerity".

In an attack on Mrs May he said: "The Prime Minister called the election because she wanted a mandate.

"Well the mandate she has got is lost Conservative seats, lost votes, lost support and lost confidence.

"I would have thought that's enough to go, actually, and make way for a government that will be truly representative of all the people of this country."

Speaking as she was re-elected MP for Maidenhead, Mrs May said: "At this time, more than anything else, this country needs a period of stability.

"If, as the indications have shown and if this is correct, the Conservative Party has won the most seats and probably the most votes, then it will be incumbent on us to ensure that we have that period of stability and that is exactly what we will do."

Asked if Mrs May could remain as Tory leader, Ms Soubry told the BBC: "That is a matter for her. It is bad. She is in a very difficult place.

"She's a remarkable and very talented woman and she doesn't shy away from difficult decisions, but she now has to obviously consider her position."

Mrs May drove direct from the Maidenhead count to Conservative HQ in London, where she was hunkered down in talks with aides as dawn broke before moving on to 10 Downing Street.

Labour deputy leader Tom Watson said: "Theresa May's authority has been undermined by this election. She is a damaged Prime Minister whose reputation may never recover."

Mr Osborne said there would be "a very big post mortem coming"

Brexit Secretary David Davis said he would "fight tooth and nail" to keep Mrs May in post, and dismissed suggestions he might be a contender to replace her.

"The simple truth is we have a Prime Minister, she is a very good leader, I'm a big supporter of hers," Mr Davis told the Press Association.

"I'll fight tooth and nail to keep her in place."

Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson, often tipped as a potential successor to Mrs May as Tory leader, said: "We've got to listen to our constituents and listen to their concerns."

Liberal Democrats were celebrating the return of former ministers Sir Vince Cable, Sir Ed Davey and Jo Swinson two years after they lost their parliamentary seats.

And Tim Farron's party took Bath back from the Conservatives and regained Caithness, Sutherland & Easter Ross and Edinburgh West, which were lost to the SNP in 2015.

Mr Farron held on to his Westmorland & Lonsdale seat in Cumbria on a much-reduced majority, down from 8,949 in 2015 to just 777 now.

Labour took Canterbury, a seat which had been held by Conservatives since 1918, and claimed Tory scalps in a string of seats including Bristol North West, Stroud, Warwick & Leamington, Stockton South and Vale of Clwyd.

Shadow foreign secretary Emily Thornberry said Labour "could form the next government" and would attempt to do so as a minority government if results allowed, rather than seeking to form a coalition with other progressive parties like the Lib Dems.
Results of yesterday's snap election are counted, revealing a hung parliament as the Conservative Party fails to retain its parliamentary majority, despite remaining the party with the most seats. Prime Minister Theresa May announced that she will form a minority government with the support of the Northern Irish Democratic Unionist Party.