Northern Irish unionists to open talks with UK’s May about support

However, Mrs May insisted that, as the leader of the largest party in the new parliament, she had a duty to act in the “national interest” and lead the country through the Brexit negotiations starting in ten days’ time.

Although her party blames her for the catastrophe, senior figures told May that she has a responsibility to stay on as prime minister for the time being.

Liberal Democrats gained four seats to amass 12 MPs, but lost their former leader and ex-deputy prime minister Nick Clegg in perhaps the highest-profile casualty in a night of stunning results.

Downing Street made an error when it issued a statement saying the DUP had agreed the principles of a deal to back the Conservatives, according to Sky sources. The outcome shocked the party, which had expected a big victory.

Office worker Christina Kelly, 38, described the result as “not exactly an ideal situation” but said it would likely focus more attention on Northern Ireland and particularly how Brexit would affect the region.

As rumours swirled about plots to oust May, Johnson denied he was planning a leadership challenge.

“I am backing Theresa May“.

Labour won 261 seats, a gain of 29 – 326 seats need to be won by a political party to claim an overall majority in the House of Commons.

And almost 24 hours after polls closed across the country, Labour finally took the central London seat of Kensington after three recounts, meaning the final tally remained at 318 seats for the Conservatives and 262 for Labour.

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, riding a wave of acclaim for his party’s unexpectedly strong showing, called on May to resign.

Pressed on how long she would stay PM, Mr Jones said: “That remains to be seen”.

The pound fell sharply after Britain’s election saw the Conservatives lose their majority in parliament, raising questions about the next government’s ability to lead the talks to leave the European Union.

Some in Brussels may see this as an opportunity to drive a hard deal and dictate terms, Klass believes, while others may worry a weak prime minister won’t be able to get parliamentary approval for a tough deal.

“We need a government that is capable of action, which can negotiate Britain’s exit. the British need to negotiate their exit but with a weak negotiating partner, there is a danger that the talks are bad for both parties“, European Union budget commissioner Guenther Oettinger told German radio.

Downing Street said it hopes to finalize the deal next week, after Parliament resumes sitting. It is not yet clear whether the deal constitutes a formal coalition or a “confidence and supply” arrangement. “Well, the mandate she’s got is lost Conservative seats, lost votes, lost support and lost confidence”.

The alliance makes some modernizing Conservatives uneasy.

“The usual whispering campaign will start behind the scenes undermining her support further”.

But it would be naive to think the DUP will not make demands on May.

The UUP leader David Trimble and his SDLP counterpart John Hume jointly won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1998 for their role in supporting the Good Friday Agreement, which brought to an end “The Troubles”.

The British government doesn’t have long to ink a deal.

“There’s a possibility of voting the Queen’s Speech down and we’re going to push that all the way”.

Much of that change is down to Labour encouraging young people to go out and vote – galvanizing a generation that had previously felt ignored and disempowered by politics.

“That would prevent another election, because I think people have had enough of elections”.

“I thought surrealism was a Belgian invention”, quipped Verhofstadt, a former Belgian prime minister.