British PM Theresa May loses majority in shock election result

British Prime Minister Theresa May faced pressure to resign on Friday after one of the most dramatic reversals in recent British political history, as a shock election result saw her lose her parliamentary majority in an election she had been predicated to easily win.

Sources close to May have said she will remain in her post for now, as she sought to form a government with the support of controversial Northern Irish parties.

May called the snap election in April when opinion polls rating the Conservative party were sky-high and sought to extend her majority and strengthen her position.

Her gamble backfired dramatically, however, after she failed to win enough seats to form a Conservative government, plunging the country into uncertainty as Brexit talks loom.

With 649 of 650 seats declared, the Conservatives won 318 seats, short of the 326-mark needed to command parliamentary majority. The Labour party, who surged from 20 points behind, won 261 seats.

In a night that redrew the political landscape once again, the UK Independence Party (UKIP), which won 12.5 percent of the vote two years ago and was a driving force behind the Brexit vote, was all but wiped out, hovering around two percent.

The Scottish National Party of First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, which has dominated politics north of the border for a decade and called for a new independence vote after Brexit, was tipped to lose around 21 of its 54 seats.

Early newspaper editions reflected the drama, with headlines such as "Britain on a knife edge", "Mayhem" and "Hanging by a thread".

"It is exactly the opposite of why she held the election and she then has to go and negotiate Brexit in that weakened position," said Professor Tony Travers of the London School of Economics.

After being re-elected with an increased majority in her own seat, May said Britain "needs a period of stability" as it prepares for the complicated process of withdrawing from the European Union.

"It is clear that this election has left her authority deeply wounded, perhaps fatally"

But she has faced pressure to quit from inside and outside her party after a troubled campaign overshadowed by two terror attacks, although British media quoted party sources saying she had "no intention" of doing so.

"It is clear that this election has left her authority deeply wounded, perhaps fatally," said Paul Goodman, a former lawmaker and editor of the ConservativeHome website.

"She ran a pretty dreadful campaign," added Conservative lawmaker Anna Soubry as the results rolled in, saying she should "consider her position".

Through her short election campaign she drew accusations of being robotic, over-reliant on slogans and soundbites, and awkward around members of the public.

In contrast, Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn toured the country drawing large crowds to open-air rallies. On Friday, he said voters had "turned their backs on the politics of austerity".

"Whatever the final result, our positive campaign has changed politics for the better."

"Jeremy Corbyn appears to have been vindicated," said Mike Finn, politics researcher at the University of Warwick.

"It seems now clear that his approach to Labour politics resonates with the public and he is undeniably strengthened," he said.

EU Economy Commissioner Pierre Moscovici, meanwhile, said May had "lost her bet", while the timetable for Brexit talks, due to begin in 10 days’ time, has been thrown into disarray, raising suggestions that it could be extended. 

EU President Donald Tusk bluntly warned that the clock was now ticking for negotiations on Britain's exit and a new trade deal before it formally leaves the bloc in March 2019.