With no party gaining a majority in yesterday’s (08/06/17) election vote, the UK has woken up to the prospect of a hung parliament.
Contrary to the predicted Conservative win at the start of the campaign, the party’s grip on the majority seemed to loosen as the results rolled in.
An overall majority requires a party to obtain 326 seats, yet no party managed to achieve this.
The loss of 12 seats* effectively means that Theresa May’s plans to strengthen the Conservative mandate have backfired. Three years earlier than planned, the snap election was held to enhance the Conservative lead and improve her bargaining position in relation to the Brexit negotiation.
Unlike the Tories, Labour made significant gains over the course of the night, increasing their number of seats by 29*.
Although the hung parliament is on the horizon, Theresa May is yet to confirm if she plans to remain as Prime Minister.
Labour party leader Jeremy Corbyn has, however, urged her to resign according to the BBC.
What happens next will depend upon whether any party plans to put together a majority. If Theresa May is unable to do this, it is likely that the party leader in second place – Jeremy Corbyn – will become prime minister.
He can attempt to form a minority government prior to this, however, by creating a deal of his own.
At present, the deadline for this is when the new parliament is due to meet for the first time on 13 June.
If a government cannot be formed by this point, the next deadline is the Queen’s Speech on 19 June, where the pledged new laws are passed.
*These figures were correct at the time of writing.
