
British Prime Minister Theresa May lost her parliamentary majority in an election on Thursday and is in talks with Northern Ireland's Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) for support to form a new government.
May, the Conservative leader, called the snap election three years early, expecting to cruise to a smashing victory that would win her a mandate to see Britain through the long and hard negotiations with European leaders over the terms of leaving the union.
Unlike during the election campaign, when she repeatedly referred to the talks starting on 19 June, she was not specific about the date, suggesting it might slip.
Mrs. May is seeking to rely on the Democratic Unionist Party's 10 MPs to win key votes in Parliament. Current projections give the DUP 10 seats in the House of Commons and the Conservatives 319, enough to form a working majority.
The Tories remain the biggest party with 315 seats so far and Labour now on 261 - with 326 required for a majority and just four seats left to be called.
Britons quickly started wondering whether May would have to resign.
Analysts say May's electoral debacle could reopen what had seemed largely a closed debate - both with pro-EU members of Parliament trying to take advantage of the prime minister's weakness and Euro-skeptic government ministers threatening her if she dares water down a Brexit deal.
If May is unable to put together a coalition, Queen Elizabeth II could ask the Labour Party, which is the main opposition political party, to try and form a government.
"She is playing fast and loose, on Brexit, on Margaret Thatcher's greatest achievement the single market and now Tony Blair and Gordon Brown's greatest achievement which is the peace in Northern Ireland", he said on BBC Question Time.
The Labour leader reiterated his call for Theresa May to resign as Prime Minister and said his party had achieved an "incredible result", putting on more than three million votes and gaining seats all over the UK.
Former New Labour spin doctor Alastair Campbell, whose government helped secure the Good Friday Agreement in 1998, said Ms May was threatening the peace process by the deal.
"What the country needs more than ever is certainty", she said.
When May called the snap election, the Conservatives had a 20 point polling average lead over Labour.
Are the Conservatives the governing party?
Speaking after retaining his Islington North seat, Mr. Corbyn said: "The Prime Minister called the election because she wanted a mandate". The European Union is still no wiser as to what the UK's negotiating position will be in the upcoming Brexit talks.
The British pound is trading sharply lower against the dollar Friday after voters in the United Kingdom delivered a stunning setback to Prime Minister Theresa May.
May said she was sorry for Conservative members who lost their seats, saying: "I will reflect on what we need to do for the future to take the party forward".
"The DUP is up to that task, we will play a full role in parliament, as we did in the last parliament and we will make our influence felt on behalf of the people of Northern Ireland".
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