LONDON British Prime Minister Theresa May's gamble in calling an early election appeared Friday to have backfired spectacularly, with her Conservative Party on the verge of losing its majority in Parliament. However, her political strategy in recent months has alienated numerous parties she would have to rely on for parliamentary votes. The pound lost more than 2 cents against the dollar within seconds of the exit poll announcement, before recovering slightly.
An exit poll commissioned by major broadcasters pointed to May's Conservatives falling short of an outright majority in the snap election she called in April.
It is likely that, while these talks are going on, Labour will hold parallel negotiations with other broadly left-wing parties like the Lib Dems, Greens, the Scottish National Party and the SDLP from Northern Ireland.
Until the final results become clear, it is hard to predict which party might end up leading the next government and steering Britain into the Brexit talks.
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Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn has ruled out a formal coalition - and said he would try to rule with a minority government.
Labour has run a positive and honest campaign - we haven't engaged in smears or personal attacks.May, who went into the election with a reputation for quiet competence, was criticized for a lackluster campaigning style and for a plan to force elderly people to pay more for their care, a proposal her opponents dubbed the "dementia tax".
"This is a very bad moment for the Conservative Party, and we need to take stock", Conservative lawmaker Anna Soubry said. "And our leader needs to take stock as well". "So whoever you have voted for in the past, if that is the future you want then vote Conservative today and we can all go forward together".
Others predicted she would soon be gone.
Former chancellor George Osborne said if the prediction was true it would be catastrophic for the prime minister.
Clegg led the Liberal Democrat party through five years of coalition government with the Conservatives until 2015.
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Meanwhile, veteran left-winger Mr Corbyn, who was written off as a no-hoper by most political analysts, surprised on the upside with a policy-rich campaign that drew large, fervent crowds to his events - although sceptics say his appeal in the broader electorate is limited.
"I would have thought that's enough to go, actually, and make way for a government that will be truly representative of all of the people of this country".
The result was bad news for the Scottish National Party, which by early Friday had lost about 20 of its 54 seats.
The losses complicate the SNP's plans to push for a new referendum on Scottish independence as Britain prepares to leave the EU.
"I think the EU's stance will be little affected by the outcome of the election unless there is a sense that Brexit can somehow be re-engineered into an eventual Bremain referendum", he said.
The poll also suggests Labour will get 266 seats - which is a rise of 34 seats.
Atrocities near Parliament, in Manchester and at London Bridge have left Britain on high alert.
Labour seized on radical cuts in police numbers implemented as part of a Conservative austerity programme, although May insisted that she had protected funding for counter-terrorism.
"I can only build that better country and get the right deal in Brussels with the support of the British people", she said.
"They wanted this election to be very much a kind of Brexit vote and I don't think that's in the hearts and minds of Londoners at the minute, (not) almost as much as the security is", said Sheard, 22.
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