British Prime Minister Theresa May says she will take time to "reflect" on how to move forward after a surprise snap election result left the Conservative Party without a majority.
Embattled British Prime Minister Theresa May on Saturday began finalising her cabinet of ministers and held talks with the Democratic Unionist Party to determine the contours of the party's support for her minority government.
In a night that redrew the political landscape once again, the UK Independence Party (UKIP), which won 12.5 percent of the vote two years ago and was a driving force behind the Brexit vote, was all but wiped out, hovering around two percent.
Standing in front of 10 Downing Street, May said her Conservatives and the DUP will work together to "fulfill the promise of Brexit".
"I am sorry for those candidates and hard-working party workers who weren't successful but also particularly sorry for those colleagues who were MPs or ministers who had contributed so much to our country and who lost their seats and didn't deserve to lose their seats, " she said.
May called a snap election in April in what she said was an attempt to strengthen her mandate ahead of negotiations with the European Union about the British exit from the bloc.
"The country needs a period of stability, and whatever the results are the Conservative Party will ensure we fulfill our duty in ensuring that stability", she said.
Mrs May acknowledged that she had gone into the election - which she did not have to call for another three years - hoping for a "large" majority.
May's gamble that she could capitalise on Britons' desire to quit the European Union and perceived weakness in the opposition Labour Party backfired on Thursday as voters stripped her of her parliamentary majority.
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The DUP opposes same-sex marriage and Northern Ireland is the only part of the United Kingdom where it is not legal. But for now, Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson says reports of a plot to remove May herself is " tripe ".
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May lost her two closest aides on Saturday as she struggled to reassert her leadership after a crushing election setback. Davidson was one of the few Conservative success stories in the election as the Scottish wing of the party won 13 seats.
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May's party won 318 seats, eight short of the 326 they needed for an outright majority.
In remarks delivered at his north London constituency's election count, Corbyn said May called the election to get a new mandate and the "mandate she got was one of lost support".
"We have made good progress but the discussions continue", said DUP leader Arlene Foster.
It's in China's interests for the United Kingdom to get a good deal and for the British economy to thrive, and the odds of that happening have become much longer overnight.
The start of Brexit talks due on June 19 risk being pushed back, as the Conservatives debate whether to rethink their strategy.
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The Prime Minister was criticized for making a number of U-turns on social welfare and she came under fire for a controversial proposal on who should pay for the cost of care for the elderly, a policy that became known as the "dementia tax".
Then, attacks that killed 30 people in Manchester and London twice brought the campaign to a halt, sent a wave of anxiety through Britain and forced May to defend the government's record on fighting terrorism.
Rachel Sheard, who cast her vote near the site of the London Bridge attack, said the election certainly wasn't about Brexit. Corbyn pointed out that the police force was cut by nearly 20,000 during May's tenure - which was not a message to make the general public feel more secure in the aftermath of terrorist incidents.
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