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Britain's Prime Minister Theresa May has suffered from “greatest political miscalculation of the modern era,” commentators say. Picture: AP Photo/Alastair Grant.
UK PRIME Minister Theresa May has said “sorry” to candidates who lost their seats in the election and she “obviously wanted a different result.”
“I will reflect on what we need to do in the future,” she said in her first interview after the disastrous election result that saw the Conservatives lose 12 seats.
She refused to commit to five-years of leadership and said she was focussed on forming a government “in the national interest.”
Mrs May has been subject to a swift backlash from MPs and voters after the shambolic result that wiped out the Conservative majority and forced her to form a minority goverment with the Northern Ireland Democratic Unionist Party (DUP).
Mrs May simply said she would work with “our friends and allies” in a move that saw her dubbed the “Queen of Denial” and sparked fears over how the little-known party has become a political kingmaker.
“I will now form a government — a government that can provide certainty and lead Britain forward at this critical time for our country,” she said.
“What the country needs more than ever is certainty, and having secured the largest number of votes and the greatest number of seats in the general election, it is clear that only the Conservative & Unionist Party has the legitimacy and ability to provide that certainty by commanding a majority in the House of Commons.
Prime Minister Theresa May made no indication she would resign and said the country needed “certainty” following the result. Picture: Leon Neal/Getty Images.Source:Getty Images
Theresa May's advisers Nick Timothy and Fiona Hill have been the target of political blame after the shock result. Picture: Getty.Source:Getty Images
However her position as leader of a minority government appears far from certain with Conservative MP Anna Soubry saying she had to “consider her position”.
MP Paul Goodman said her authority had “received a blow from which it is unlikely to recover”. Nigel Evans said: “It was an amazing own goal. We didn’t shoot ourselves in the foot, we shot ourselves in the head.”
Sarah Wollaston took aim at Mrs May’s notoriously tight-knit aides, saying she “cannot see how the inner circle of special advisers can continue in post. Needs to be far more inclusive in future.”
‘BONKERS, DELUDED’
DUP leader Arlene Foster hailed the “truly historic” result that saw her party gain two seats and be catapulted to a position of huge political influence.
“These are challenging times,” she said. “We now face uncertainty in Westminster ... We will enter discussions with the Conservatives to discuss how it may be possible to bring stability to our nation.”
However she did not outline any terms of the deal leading to fears for some about the little-known party’s anti-abortion and anti-gay marriage stance.
It was forced to lock its Wikipedia page on Friday after pranksters edited it to claim the party had “historically strong links to BDSM nightclubs.”
Mrs May’s bizarre failure to acknowledge the fact she would have to work in coalition in her first speech also baffled pundits.
Broadcaster Piers Morgan called her reaction “bonkers” and “deluded”. The Evening Standard, now edited by former Conservative Chancellor George Osbourne who was sacked by Mrs May after the election branded her “Queen of Denial”.
‘GREATEST POLITICAL MISCALCULATION’
The decision to call an election three years earlier than she needed to was dubbed “the greatest political miscalculation of the modern era” after Mrs May’s political gamble to increase the Conservative majority backfired.
MORE: How the UK results unfolded
The party lost 12 seats and are now down to 318, falling short of the 326 needed for a majority. They have struck a deal with the DUP party led by Arlene Foster that holds 10 seats.
Labour was the major winner from the vote gaining 31 seats to take them to 261 after leader Jeremy Corbyn was credited with inspiring hundreds of thousands of young voters.
MORE: Europe trolls UK over “own goal”
Scottish National Party Leader Nicola Sturgeon won 35 and the Liberal Democrats won 12.
The little-known DUP became the most searched political party in the UK on Google Trends as Brits frantically tried to find out who would play kingmaker in their government.
The tumultuous vote has done exactly the opposite of what the Conservatives set out to do just 10 days before Brexit negotiations begin. Picture: AFP PHOTO / Glyn KIRKSource:AFP
Theresa May arrives to meet the Queen. Picture: AFP PHOTO / Paul ELLISSource:AFP
Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) Arlene Foster is one of the most powerful people in the UK right now. Picture: Niall Carson/PA via AP.Source:AP
TWEET COMES BACK TO HAUNT
A campaign tweet of Mrs May’s came back to haunt her after the massive swing towards Labour.
On 20 May she wrote on Twitter: “If I lose just six seats I will lose this election and Jeremy Corbyn will be sitting down to negotiate with Europe.”
The result showed an overwhelming rejection of the presidential-style politics Mrs May had adopted, centred around her personality and the Brexit issue.
Instead, voters flocked towards Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn who has espoused a radical left-wing agenda based on free university tuition, nationalising key services and increasing tax rates for those earning more than £80,000. Labour won its biggest gains since 1997 in a major coup for the man once branded “unelectable”.
After the vote Mr Corbyn branded Mrs May a “lame duck prime minister” and said “Labour is ready to serve” after the election in which “people voted for hope.”
“We are ready to do everything we can to put our program into operation,” he said.
Sky’s Faisal Islam called the vote the “revenge of citizens of nowhere” with Theresa May mistakenly assuming that those who voted to leave in the Brexit referendum would also vote Conservative.
The election also claimed a host of other high-profile scalps including UKIP leader Paul Nuttall, Former Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg and former Scottish First Minister Alex Salmond.
Labour Leader Jeremy Corbyn has pulled off a shock surge for Labour thought to be due to the number of young people inspired by his policies. Picture: Christopher Furlong/Getty Images.Source:Getty Images
PLAYED WITH FIRE, GOT BURNED
The result comes 10 days before Brexit negotiations are due to begin, with European leaders uncertain if they will begin on time.
Belgian European Parliament member Siegfried Muresa said Theresa May “played with fire” and “got burned”.
"Risk future of country for personal political gain. No surprise: same outcome,” he said.
Former Finnish premier Alexander Stubb tweeted: “Looks like we might need a time-out in the Brexit negotiations. Time for everyone to regroup.”
Manfred Weber, the head of the European Parliament’s largest group and a key ally of German Chancellor Angela Merkel, said May had caused “chaos”.
“EU is united, UK is deeply split. PM May wanted stability but brought chaos to her country instead,” tweeted Weber, who leads the centre-right European People’s Party.
“The clock is ticking for Brexit. Therefore the UK needs a government soon. The date for the beginning of negotiations is now unclear.”
Conservative Ballot boxes are emptied to be counted for the general election, at the Emirates Arena in Glasgow, Scotland. Picture: Andrew Milligan/PA via AP.Source:AP