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

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Washington Bureau Chief

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.

The live blog has now ended

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:

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Samuel Osborne9 June 2017 05:03

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In very thin trading in London, the FTSE 100 is now indicated opening 0.2 per cent lower when it kicks off trading at 8am, business editor Josie Cox writes. 

The yield on the 10-year Gilt bond has fallen slightly too, which indicates that investors are buying up government bonds, that are considered to be relatively safe during times of market and political turmoil.

Samuel Osborne9 June 2017 05:05

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Kristin Hugo9 June 2017 05:09

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Craig Mackinlay has been reelected to South Thanet just one week after the CPS revealed he would face charges over his 2015 general election expenses.

He won 25,262 votes to hold his seat, while Labour's Raushan Ara came second with 18,875.

Addressing the count in Margate, Kent, Mr Mackinlay said: "Despite the best efforts of various organisations to break my legs for this election just a few days ago, we did it here in South Thanet.

"I've got lots of thanks to make this evening. A big thanks are to the voters of Thanet for continuing to put their trust in me.

"I've done my best to serve for the last two years.

"The best I possibly can as their local representative, their champion in Westminster, and I'm so proud to have been returned with an even bigger majority tonight."

Samuel Osborne9 June 2017 05:11

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Kemptown swings from Conservatives to Labour Co-operativeLabour have won the seat of Kemptown in Brighton from the Conservatives. Lloyd Russell-Moyle received a majority of 9,868 in a 10.8 per cent swing to the joint Labour and Co-operative Party candidate. Simon Kirby, the Conservative candidate, took 38.3 per cent of the vote compared to Mr Russell-Moyle's 58.3 per cent.

Samuel Osborne9 June 2017 05:15

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A senior Tory MP just went on TV and trashed Theresa May's campaignWith the Conservatives on course to win only around 320 seats in the general election - a failure by any measure, though they will remain the largest single party - questions are turning to Theresa May's future. The Prime Minister refused to respond when, as she arrived at the declaration of her own seat in Maidenhead, she was asked: "Are you going to resign?"

Samuel Osborne9 June 2017 05:15

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Labour just won a key marginal that could tell us who will be next Prime MinisterLabour has captured the constituency of Plymouth Sutton and Devonport, one of the most marginal in the country, from the Tories. The seat, which was high on Jeremy Corbyn's target list, was held by the Conservatives with a majority of just 523. However, Labour overturned that and won the seat by a comfortable margin of 6,002, winning 23,808 votes to the Tories' 17,806.

Samuel Osborne9 June 2017 05:16

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Samuel Osborne9 June 2017 05:19

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Conservatives gain Stoke-on-Trent South from Labour.

Samuel Osborne9 June 2017 05:20

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Tom Rivers, senior strategist at investment advisory firm Cardano, tells Josie Cox that for markets, a Labour-led coalition would likely have a destabilising effect, as a result of the party's pledge to raise government spending, taxes and debt. 

“We are likely to see weakness in the pound and a breakdown of the negative correlation between it and the FTSE 100 that has been in place for the last year.”

The FTSE 100 has in recent months tended to trade higher when the pound falls, as a result of its high international exposure, but Mr Rivers indicates that significant uncertainty would likely lead to investors turning cautious on any and all UK assets.

Samuel Osborne9 June 2017 05:22

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