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UK Prime Minister Theresa May's Conservative Party could lose its overall majority in Parliament as the counting continues in the UK election.
Key points:
- BBC predicting Conservatives to win 322 seats in 650-seat House of Commons
- Ms May says UK in need of "a period of stability"
- Labour says early results bad for Tories, could spell end for Ms May
With 615 seats out of 650 counted, the Conservatives had 297 seats and the opposition Labour Party 252.
The BBC was forecasting the Conservatives would end up with 322 votes, down from 330 before the election and short of a majority in the 650-seat House of Commons.
The shortfall could place Brexit talks in jeopardy and would pitch British domestic politics into turmoil.
After retaining her seat of Maidenhead, Ms May said the country would need "a period of stability" after the election.
"If, as the indications have shown, if this is correct, that the Conservative Party has won the most seats and probably the most votes, then it will be incumbent on us to ensure we have that period of stability and that is exactly what we will do," she said.
"As we ran this campaign, we set out to consider the issues that are the key priorities for the British people. Getting the Brexit deal right, ensuring that we both identify and show how we can address the big challenges facing our country.
"Doing what is in the national interest. That is always what I have tried to do in my time as a member of Parliament. My resolve to do that is the same this morning as it always has been."
But Labour's Deputy Leader Tom Watson said early election results were "very, very bad" for Ms May, and his party would hold her to her statement that if she lost her majority, Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn would be prime minister.
"She said it's a fact that 'if we lose just six seats we will lose our majority and Jeremy Corbyn will be prime minister'," Mr Watson said after he held his seat.
"Well, results are still coming in, but we are going to hold her to that."
After hanging on to his London seat of Islington North, Mr Corbyn said Ms May had lost seats and her mandate.
"If there is a message from tonight's result, it is this: The Prime Minister called the election because she wanted a mandate, the mandate she has got is lost Conservative seats, lost votes, lost support and lost confidence," he said.
"I think that's enough for her to go, actually."
May wanted to increase majority ahead of Brexit
Voters are choosing all 650 members of the House of Commons after Ms May called a snap election three years ahead of schedule, at a time when her party was well ahead in the polls.
The campaign began as an attempt by Ms May to increase her party's majority in Parliament ahead of Brexit negotiations, but was upended by terror attacks during the campaign's closing days.
The gap between Ms May's Conservatives and the Labour Party narrowed ahead of election day, but virtually all polls prior to the election suggested the Conservatives would retain control of Parliament.
The Conservatives held 330 seats in the last Parliament, compared with 220 for Labour, 54 for the Scottish National Party and nine for the Liberal Democrats.
Topics: world-politics, elections, united-kingdom
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