Election 2017 live updates: Theresa May claims Conservative government supported by DUP will provide 'certainty'

Theresa May has said she will form a Conservative government backed by the DUP, claiming it can bring "certainty" to the UK.

After visiting the Queen, the Prime Minister claimed there was a "strong relationship" between the two parties, amid concern over the DUP's controversial anti-abortion and anti-LGBT policies.

The PM has also apologised to Conservatives who lost last night. She said: "I'm sorry for all those colleagues who lost their seats." She will "reflect on what we need to do in the future to take the party forward" after the result, she added.

The UK voted for a hung parliament after shock losses for the Conservatives in the 2017 general election. With 649 of 650 seats declared, the Tories had 318 seats - eight short of the figure needed to win outright - with Labour on 261, the SNP on 35 and Liberal Democrats on 12.

Jeremy Corbyn's party increase its share of the vote by 9.6 per cent, while the Tories were up 5.5 per cent, the Liberal Democrats, Greens and SNP saw small loses and Ukip's vote collapsed.

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Politicians, voters, and even their pets have been heading to polling stations and are posing for the cameras at every opportunity.

The Prime Minister has made clear that she would rely on the support of the Democratic Unionist Party in order to get her programme through Parliament, despite concern over its stance on issues including equal marriage, abortion and climate change.

Making no allusion to losses suffered by the Conservatives, Ms May said she intended to press ahead with her plans for Brexit.

She faced calls from within her own party to consider her own position after the election, which she brought forward by three years in the hope it would deliver an increased majority in the Commons.

Jeremy Corbyn urged her to resign and allow him to form a minority administration, declaring: “We are ready to serve this country.”

But, after intensive talks with the DUP, the Prime Minister instead drove the short distance to Buckingham Palace to ask the Queen for permission to form a new government.

The final election results came in late on Friday, after Kensington finally declared a Labour win — with a tiny 20-vote majority. They were:

The 22 celebrities supporting Jeremy Corbyn, and the 4 supporting Theresa MayThe IndependentIt is no secret that the world of show business tends to be more closely aligned to the left of the political spectrum than the right. This was evident for all to see during the 2016 US presidential election campaign when Donald Trump became one of the most universally despised figures to grace the hills of Hollywood in a long time.

Lizzie Dearden8 June 2017 15:40

Lizzie Dearden8 June 2017 15:46

Young people have been tweeting about their votes for different parties...

Lizzie Dearden8 June 2017 16:01

Women's Equality Party candidate receives handwritten death threat signed 'Jo Cox'The IndependentA candidate for the Women’s Equality Party has been left “distressed and disturbed” after she received a vitriolic letter of racist and misogynistic abuse which was signed “Jo Cox”. Nimco Ali, a vocal female genital mutilation campaigner, recieved the handwritten death threat referring to the horrific murder of Labour MP Ms Cox at the party's headquarters in Southwark.

Lizzie Dearden8 June 2017 16:06

  

Lizzie Dearden8 June 2017 16:27

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Lizzie Dearden8 June 2017 16:30

If you are planning to stay up tonight to watch the results, here are the key seats to look out for: 

Election 2017 results: All the key seats and times to watch for on the nightThe IndependentVoters will be heading to the polls in the snap general election between 7am and 10pm on Thursday. Here The Independent has compiled a guide on what to keep an eye out for on the night of the election and the early hours of Friday morning as the 650 parliamentary constituencies across the UK declare their results.  You can see a full list of declaration times here.

Lizzie Dearden8 June 2017 16:37

In yet another sign that Ukip's electoral glory days are perhaps behind them, the former leader and best known face of the party is at the Global Investment Forum rather than out on the campaign trail 

Lizzie Dearden8 June 2017 16:42

A reminder that Ukip's current leader, Paul Nuttall, is running in Boston & Skegness which is expected to declare at 5am.

The year since the EU referendum have not been kind to the party as they have lost their only MP when Douglas Carswell defected and have been unable to win by-elections in stronger pro-Leave constituencies. 

Nuttall in particularly has had embarrassing few months after he was accused of lying about being at the Hillsborough disaster and losing a close personal friend. He was also accused of lying about living in Stoke during a recent by-election there. 

In 2015, Ukip won over three million votes and came third overall in terms of vote share even though they only got one seat. But the final ComRes poll for The Independent published on Wednesday suggested their support had slumped to just five per cent.  

Ukip has not put up as many candidates as 2015, with many local constituencies withdrawing to help the Conservatives where they have a pro Brexit candidate but many voters also do not know the point of the party after their many reason for existing has been achieved.

Lizzie Dearden8 June 2017 17:01

If you are still unsure who to vote for, have no fear there are still five hours left until polling closes. 

Here is our guide to the main parties' policies: 

Don't know who to vote for in the general election? Take our last-minute quiz to find outThe IndependentThe polls are open for 2017 general election, the leaders and candidates have cast their votes at the ballot box - now is the time for you to make your decision. Voters can be forgiven if they are struggling to keep up with the blizzard of policy announcements on everything from Brexit to the economy, the NHS, schools and the environment. To help guide your decision, here are 26 policy-based questions relating to the top six political parties in the UK:

Lizzie Dearden8 June 2017 17:05

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