ash from the 2010 eruptions of the Eyjafjallajökull volcano. May 6 May The 2010 United Kingdom general election takes place, resulting in a hung parliament. The Conservative Party win 306 of the 649 seats contested, placing them 20 seats short of an overall majority in the House of Commons. The Labour Party win 258 seats, the Liberal Democrats win 57, and other parties win 28. Caroline Lucas, leader of the Green Party of England and Wales, becomes the party's first Westminster MP, being elected in the Brighton Pavilion constituency, and Peter Robinson, First Minister of Northern Ireland and Democratic Unionist Party leader, unexpectedly loses his Belfast East seat to the Alliance Party. The 2010 United Kingdom local elections are also held across England in all 32 London Boroughs, all 36 Metropolitan Boroughs, 20 Unitary Authorities and 76 Non-metropolitan districts. The Labour Party gains 15 councils to control 36 overall, the Conservatives suffer a net loss of 8 councils, leaving them in control of 65, and the Liberal Democrats suffer a net loss of 4 local authorities, leaving them in control of 13 councils. 7 May – 2010 general election: The Conservative Party and the Liberal Democrats begin negotiations to reach either a parliamentary agreement, or to create a coalition government with a House of Commons majority. 8 May – 2010 general election: Liberal Democrat MPs endorse Nick Clegg's decision to negotiate with the Conservative Party in the first instance following the inconclusive result of the general election. 9 May – Chelsea become champions of the Premier League after beating Wigan Athletic 8–0 on the final day of the season. 10 May – 2010 general election: Gordon Brown announces that he will be stepping down as Labour leader, thus triggering a leadership election. Talks between the Lib Dems and Conservatives continue. 11 May 2010 general election: After the Labour Party fail to reach an agreement with the Liberal Democrats, Gordon Brown goes to Buckingham Palace to tender his resignation as Prime Minister to Queen Elizabeth II. With a coalition government between the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats still being finalised, David Cameron is appointed Prime Minister by the Queen following Brown's resignation. 12 May 2010 general election: Just after midnight, the Liberal Democrats emerge from a meeting of their Parliamentary party and Federal Executive to announce that the coalition deal had been formally approved "overwhelmingly", meaning that David Cameron will lead a