Getty Images Copyright: Getty Images 
 
 That's all from us for tonight - but before we go, here's a round-up of what's happened in an extraordinary day. 
 
 Election ends in hung Parliament: Conservatives win 318 seats, Labour 262 
 
 Speaking after visiting Buckingham Palace, Theresa May said only her party had the "legitimacy" to govern, despite falling eight seats short of a majority. 
 
 PM confirms five top cabinet posts, including chancellor and foreign secretary 
 
 Defence Secretary Sir Michael Fallon, Brexit Secretary David Davis, Home Secretary Amber Rudd, Chancellor Philip Hammond and Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson all keep their positions. 
 
 Tories to form government with DUP to 'provide certainty' and keep country 'safe' 
 
 It is thought Mrs May will seek some kind of informal arrangement that could see the DUP "lend" its support to the Tories on a vote-by-vote basis, known as "confidence and supply". 
 
 Theresa May's government 'will carry on Brexit negotiations to existing timetable' 
 
 European Council president Donald Tusk has warned the UK that time is running out and there was a risk of a "no deal" outcome as a result of no negotiations taking place. 
 
 Jeremy Corbyn hails Labour's 'incredible result' and calls for May to resign 
 
 He said the PM should "make way" for a government that would be "truly representative of the people of this country" and said Labour was ready to form a minority government of its own. 
 
 The Lib Dems' Tim Farron also calls on May to quit 
 
 The party said Mrs May should be "ashamed" of carrying on. 
 
 SNP will work with others to keep 'reckless' Tories out 'if at all possible' 
 
 The SNP remains the largest party in Scotland but lost 21 seats to the Tories, Labour and the Lib Dems. 
 
 Paul Nuttall resigns as UKIP leader after the party won no seats 
 
 He said it was clear "UKIP requires a new focus and new ideas" but was confident it had a "great future". He also deleted his Twitter and Facebook accounts. 
 
 Follow continuing developments over the weekend here. ||||| The Democratic Unionist Party, whose controversial policies include blocking gay marriage, could hold the balance of power in the new Parliament. 
 
 The Northern Irish party looks likely to give the Conservatives its support to form a government. 
 
 If it manages to become part of the government and hold it up, however, it may be able to introduce the kinds of policies that have become controversial in Northern Ireland. 
 
 Shape Created with Sketch. UK Election Day 2017 Show all 38 left Created with Sketch. right Created with Sketch. Shape Created with Sketch. UK Election Day 2017 1/38 Door of Number 10 Downing Street is seen on the morning after Britain's election in London REUTERS 2/38 Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn leaves his home in north London after he called on the Prime Minister to resign, saying she should "go and make way for a government that is truly representative of this country" PA 3/38 Shadow Chancellor John McDonnell arrives at Labour Headquarters on June 9, 2017 in London, England. After a snap election was called by Prime Minister Theresa May the United Kingdom went to the polls yesterday. The closely fought election has failed to return a clear overall majority winner and a hung parliament has been declared Getty Images 4/38 Caroline Lucas, co-leader of Britain's Green Party, speaks after retaining her seat in the general election, in Brighton REUTERS 5/38 Patrons watch the results for Britain's election in London REUTERS 6/38 Leader of the Liberal democrats Tim Farron celebrates beating Conservative party candidate James Airey (R) following the announcement of the results at the Westmoorland and Lonsdale constituency count at Kendal Leisure Centre on June 9, 2017 in Kendal, United Kingdom. After a snap election was called, the United Kingdom went to the polls yesterday following a closely fought election. The results from across the country are being counted and an overall result is expected in the early hours Getty Images 7/38 Paul Nuttal, leader of the United Kingdom Independence Party reacts after failing to win the seat of Boston and Skegness at the counting centre for Britain's general election in Boston REUTERS 8/38 First Minister Nicola Sturgeon arrives at the Emirates Arena in Glasgow, as counting is under way for the General Election. PA 9/38 Anna McMorrin hugs Jo Stevens MP after winning Cardiff North for Labour at the Sport Wales National Centre on June 9, 2017 in Cardiff, United Kingdom. After a snap election was called, the United Kingdom went to the polls yesterday following a closely fought election. The results from across the country are being counted and an overall result is expected in the early hours Getty Images 10/38 Vince Cable wins the Twickenham election for the Liberal Democrats. Richmond and Twickenham election Rex Features 11/38 Britain's Labour party leader Jeremy Corbyn rubs his face after arriving for the declaration at his constituency in London AP 12/38 Emily Thornberry speaks after holding her Islington South and Finsbury seat at the Sobell Leisure Centre in Islington, north London PA 13/38 Britain's Prime Minister Theresa May listens as the declaration at her constituency is made for in the general election in Maidenhead, England, Friday, June 9, 2017. British Prime Minister Theresa May's gamble in calling an early election appeared Friday to have backfired spectacularly, after an exit poll suggested her Conservative Party could lose its majority in Parliament AP 14/38 Labour Party candidate Emily Thornberry smiles at a counting centre for BritainâÃÃ´s general election in London REUTERS 15/38 A picture shows the Elizabeth Tower, commonly referred to as Big Ben, and the Houses of Parliament in central London on June 8, 2017, on the night of Britain's general election. Prime Minister Theresa May is poised to win Britain's snap election but lose her parliamentary majority, a shock exit poll suggested on June 8, in what would be a major blow for her leadership as Brexit talks loom AFP/Getty Images 16/38 DUP candidate for Lagan Valley Jeffrey Donaldson celebrates following his election at the Eikon Exhibition Centre in Lisburn as counting is under way for the General Election PA 17/38 Britain's Home Secretary Amber Rudd attends the count for her seat at a counting centre for Britain's general election in Hastings REUTERS 18/38 Ballots are counted at a counting centre for BritainâÃÃ´s general election in London Reuters 19/38 The London Eye is illuminated in blue, representing the Conservative Party, after the first exit polls announced in Britain's general election AP 20/38 Election officials count votes in the Emirates Arena in Glasgow, Scotland EPA 21/38 The London Eye is illuminated in red, the color of the Labour Party, after first exit polls of Britain's national election announced in London AP 22/38 BBC Television centre is illuminated with the exit poll results for Britain’s general election Eddie Keogh/Reuters 23/38 Labour’s Bridget Phillipson (centre) smiles after being announced as the winner of the election for the constituency of Houghton and Sunderland South at a counting centre Reuters 24/38 Members of the election staff prepare to count ballots, in Theresa May’s constituency in Maidenhead AP 25/38 Ballot papers are checked ahead of the count at the Westmoorland and Lonsdale constituency count at Kendal Leisure Centre Getty 26/38 Ballots are counted at a counting centre for Britain’s general election in Kendal Reuters 27/38 Theresa May arrives to vote at a polling station in Maidenhead AP 28/38 Jeremy Corbyn arrives to cast his ballot at a polling station in north London EPA 29/38 Lib Dems leader Tim Farron outside a polling station at Stonecross Manor Hotel in Kendal, Cumbria PA 30/38 The leader of the United Kingdom Independence Party (Ukip) Paul Nuttall arrives to vote at a polling station in Congleton Reuters 31/38 Scottish National Party leader Nicola Sturgeon with her husband Peter Murrell (left) the CEO of the SNP after casting their votes at a polling station at Broomhouse Community Hall, Glasgow, Scotland EPA 32/38 Caroline Lucas, co-leader of Britain’s Green Party, arrives with her husband Richard Savage, to vote in Brighton Reuters 33/38 An advertising van showing caricatures of Tim Farron, Theresa May, Jeremy Corbyn and Paul Nuttall with the message who will be looking for a new job as Britain goes to the polls to elect a new government Rex 34/38 Performers pose with puppet caricatures of Britain's Prime Minister Theresa May, leader of the Liberal Democrat Party Tim Farron and leader of the Labour Party Jeremy Corbyn, in front of the Palace of Westminster Reuters 35/38 Dogs wait for their owner outside a polling station in Penally, Wales Reuters 36/38 Police officers speak with a Labour Party activist outside a polling station in London AP 37/38 Benedictine nuns from Tyburn Convent leave after voting in Britain's general election at a polling station in St John's Parish Hall, London AP 38/38 A polling station sign is seen on a telephone box outside the polling station at Rotherwick Hall, west of London Getty 1/38 Door of Number 10 Downing Street is seen on the morning after Britain's election in London REUTERS 2/38 Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn leaves his home in north London after he called on the Prime Minister to resign, saying she should "go and make way for a government that is truly representative of this country" PA 3/38 Shadow Chancellor John McDonnell arrives at Labour Headquarters on June 9, 2017 in London, England. After a snap election was called by Prime Minister Theresa May the United Kingdom went to the polls yesterday. The closely fought election has failed to return a clear overall majority winner and a hung parliament has been declared Getty Images 4/38 Caroline Lucas, co-leader of Britain's Green Party, speaks after retaining her seat in the general election, in Brighton REUTERS 5/38 Patrons watch the results for Britain's election in London REUTERS 6/38 Leader of the Liberal democrats Tim Farron celebrates beating Conservative party candidate James Airey (R) following the announcement of the results at the Westmoorland and Lonsdale constituency count at Kendal Leisure Centre on June 9, 2017 in Kendal, United Kingdom. After a snap election was called, the United Kingdom went to the polls yesterday following a closely fought election. The results from across the country are being counted and an overall result is expected in the early hours Getty Images 7/38 Paul Nuttal, leader of the United Kingdom Independence Party reacts after failing to win the seat of Boston and Skegness at the counting centre for Britain's general election in Boston REUTERS 8/38 First Minister Nicola Sturgeon arrives at the Emirates Arena in Glasgow, as counting is under way for the General Election. PA 9/38 Anna McMorrin hugs Jo Stevens MP after winning Cardiff North for Labour at the Sport Wales National Centre on June 9, 2017 in Cardiff, United Kingdom. After a snap election was called, the United Kingdom went to the polls yesterday following a closely fought election. The results from across the country are being counted and an overall result is expected in the early hours Getty Images 10/38 Vince Cable wins the Twickenham election for the Liberal Democrats. Richmond and Twickenham election Rex Features 11/38 Britain's Labour party leader Jeremy Corbyn rubs his face after arriving for the declaration at his constituency in London AP 12/38 Emily Thornberry speaks after holding her Islington South and Finsbury seat at the Sobell Leisure Centre in Islington, north London PA 13/38 Britain's Prime Minister Theresa May listens as the declaration at her constituency is made for in the general election in Maidenhead, England, Friday, June 9, 2017. British Prime Minister Theresa May's gamble in calling an early election appeared Friday to have backfired spectacularly, after an exit poll suggested her Conservative Party could lose its majority in Parliament AP 14/38 Labour Party candidate Emily Thornberry smiles at a counting centre for BritainâÃÃ´s general election in London REUTERS 15/38 A picture shows the Elizabeth Tower, commonly referred to as Big Ben, and the Houses of Parliament in central London on June 8, 2017, on the night of Britain's general election. Prime Minister Theresa May is poised to win Britain's snap election but lose her parliamentary majority, a shock exit poll suggested on June 8, in what would be a major blow for her leadership as Brexit talks loom AFP/Getty Images 16/38 DUP candidate for Lagan Valley Jeffrey Donaldson celebrates following his election at the Eikon Exhibition Centre in Lisburn as counting is under way for the General Election PA 17/38 Britain's Home Secretary Amber Rudd attends the count for her seat at a counting centre for Britain's general election in Hastings REUTERS 18/38 Ballots are counted at a counting centre for BritainâÃÃ´s general election in London Reuters 19/38 The London Eye is illuminated in blue, representing the Conservative Party, after the first exit polls announced in Britain's general election AP 20/38 Election officials count votes in the Emirates Arena in Glasgow, Scotland EPA 21/38 The London Eye is illuminated in red, the color of the Labour Party, after first exit polls of Britain's national election announced in London AP 22/38 BBC Television centre is illuminated with the exit poll results for Britain’s general election Eddie Keogh/Reuters 23/38 Labour’s Bridget Phillipson (centre) smiles after being announced as the winner of the election for the constituency of Houghton and Sunderland South at a counting centre Reuters 24/38 Members of the election staff prepare to count ballots, in Theresa May’s constituency in Maidenhead AP 25/38 Ballot papers are checked ahead of the count at the Westmoorland and Lonsdale constituency count at Kendal Leisure Centre Getty 26/38 Ballots are counted at a counting centre for Britain’s general election in Kendal Reuters 27/38 Theresa May arrives to vote at a polling station in Maidenhead AP 28/38 Jeremy Corbyn arrives to cast his ballot at a polling station in north London EPA 29/38 Lib Dems leader Tim Farron outside a polling station at Stonecross Manor Hotel in Kendal, Cumbria PA 30/38 The leader of the United Kingdom Independence Party (Ukip) Paul Nuttall arrives to vote at a polling station in Congleton Reuters 31/38 Scottish National Party leader Nicola Sturgeon with her husband Peter Murrell (left) the CEO of the SNP after casting their votes at a polling station at Broomhouse Community Hall, Glasgow, Scotland EPA 32/38 Caroline Lucas, co-leader of Britain’s Green Party, arrives with her husband Richard Savage, to vote in Brighton Reuters 33/38 An advertising van showing caricatures of Tim Farron, Theresa May, Jeremy Corbyn and Paul Nuttall with the message who will be looking for a new job as Britain goes to the polls to elect a new government Rex 34/38 Performers pose with puppet caricatures of Britain's Prime Minister Theresa May, leader of the Liberal Democrat Party Tim Farron and leader of the Labour Party Jeremy Corbyn, in front of the Palace of Westminster Reuters 35/38 Dogs wait for their owner outside a polling station in Penally, Wales Reuters 36/38 Police officers speak with a Labour Party activist outside a polling station in London AP 37/38 Benedictine nuns from Tyburn Convent leave after voting in Britain's general election at a polling station in St John's Parish Hall, London AP 38/38 A polling station sign is seen on a telephone box outside the polling station at Rotherwick Hall, west of London Getty 
 
 That has included moves by the party to oppose the introduction of same sex marriage in Northern Ireland, as well as lifting the ban on abortion. Those laws have been in place across the rest of the UK, but the DUP has helped block them in Northern Ireland in recent years. 
 
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 Leader Arlene Foster all but confirmed that the DUP would never join a coalition with Labour. She said that she had “always said” the party would find it hard to work with Jeremy Corbyn. 
 
 The party, alongside Sinn Fein, has made strong gains in the election at the expense of the Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP) and the Alliance Party. 
 
 The DUP replaced the SDLP in South Belfast, wrested back South Antrim from the Ulster Unionist Party and saw off the challenge of the Alliance Party and Sinn Fein in East and North Belfast respectively. 
 
 With speculation the DUP could hold an influential position in Westminster, party leader Arlene Foster declared it a “good night for the Union”. 
 
 She said: “We’ll wait to hear what the results actually are, but we are very pleased with the way in which people have reacted to the positive message of the campaign – it was about the Union, the importance of the Union, and unionists have really come out in their numbers. 
 
 “We fought this election on the importance of the Union and I think people really responded to that.” 
 
 
 
 The Independent has launched its #FinalSay campaign to demand that voters are given a voice on the final Brexit deal. 
 
 
 
 Sign our petition here ||||| Votes cast in the general election are counted in Islington in London, shortly after the polls closed Thursday, June 8, 2017. Exit polls projected that Theresa May's ruling Conservatives would be the... (Associated Press) 
 
 LONDON (AP) — Spectacularly punished by voters who took away her majority in parliament, a politically wounded Theresa May sought to soldier on Friday as Britain's prime minister, resisting pressure to resign after the failure of her high-stakes election gamble made the massive challenge of untangling Britain from the European Union only more complex and uncertain. 
 
 Having called an early election in hopes of getting an increased majority that could have strengthened her hand in Britain's exit talks with the EU, May instead saw her majority evaporate completely — leaving her fortunes hanging by a thread. 
 
 Still, rather than resign, May clung to the hope that her Conservatives might still be able to govern by making deals with another party or group of parties. She was planning to seek Queen Elizabeth II's approval — a largely symbolic step — to form a government later Friday. 
 
 The shock result and the prospect that the EU will now be negotiating with a shaky British government cast dark clouds over the Brexit negotiations just 10 days before they are due to start. The pound lost more than 3 cents against the dollar. 
 
 With 649 of 650 seats in the House of Commons declared, May's bruised Conservatives had 318 seats — short of the 326 they needed for an outright majority and well down from the 330 seats they had before May's roll of the electoral dice. Labour has 261. 
 
 The recriminations were immediate and stinging. 
 
 "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." 
 
 Left-wing Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, who was among those calling on May to resign, said Friday morning that people have had enough of austerity politics and cuts in public spending. He ruled out the potential for deals or pacts with other progressive parties in Parliament. 
 
 "The arguments the Conservative Party put forward in this election have lost, and we need to change." 
 
 The results confounded those who said Corbyn was electorally toxic. Written off by many pollsters, Labour surged in the final weeks of the campaign. It drew strong support from young people, who appeared to have turned out to vote in bigger-than-expected numbers. 
 
 As she was resoundingly re-elected to her Maidenhead seat in southern England, May looked tense and did not spell out what she planned to do. 
 
 "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. 
 
 Many predicted she would soon be gone. 
 
 "Clearly if she's got a worse result than two years ago and is almost unable to form a government, then she, I doubt, will survive in the long term as Conservative Party leader," former Conservative Treasury chief George Osborne said on ITV. 
 
 British media reported later Friday that May had no intention of resigning. 
 
 The result was bad news for the Scottish National Party, which lost about 20 of its 54 seats. Among the casualties was Alex Salmond, a former first minister of Scotland and one of the party's highest-profile lawmakers. 
 
 The losses complicate the SNP's plans to push for a new referendum on Scottish independence as Britain prepares to leave the EU. Scottish Conservative leader Ruth Davidson said the idea of a new independence referendum "is dead. That's what we have seen tonight." 
 
 May had hoped the election would focus on Brexit, but that never happened, as both the Conservatives and Labour said they would respect voters' wishes and go through with the divorce. 
 
 Despite the surprise election result, French Prime Minister Edouard Philippe said he doesn't believe voters have changed their minds about leaving. 
 
 But speaking Friday on Europe 1 radio, he said "the tone" of negotiations may be affected. 
 
 "These are discussions that will be long and that will be complex. So let's not kid ourselves," he said. "I'm not sure that we should read, from the results of this vote, that Britons' sovereign decision on Brexit has been cast into doubt in any way." 
 
 EU budget commissioner Guenther Oettinger said the EU is prepared to stick to the timetable that calls for negotiations to start in mid-June, but said it would take a few hours at least to see how the results of the election play out in forming a government. 
 
 "Without a government, there's no negotiation," he said Friday morning by phone on Germany's Deutschlandfunk radio. 
 
 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." As the polls suggested a tightening race, pollsters spoke less often of a landslide and raised the possibility that May's majority would be eroded. 
 
 Then, attacks in Manchester and London that killed a total of 30 people brought the campaign to a halt — twice, sent a wave of anxiety through Britain and forced May to defend the government's record on fighting terrorism. Corbyn accused the Conservatives of undermining Britain's security by cutting the number of police on the streets. 
 
 Eight people were killed near London Bridge on Saturday when three men drove a van into pedestrians and then stabbed revelers in an area filled with bars and restaurants. Two weeks earlier, a suicide bomber killed 22 people as they were leaving an Ariana Grande concert in Manchester. 
 
 Voters were left flustered Friday by the fast-moving events. 
 
 "It's a bit of a mess," Peter Morgan, 35, said in London. "I was kind of hoping it would just go the way that the polls suggested it would and we could have a quiet life in Westminster but now it's going to be a bit of a mess." 
 
 Steven Fielding, a professor of politics at the University of Nottingham, said Britain had seen an election "in which the personal authority of a party leader has disappeared in an unprecedented way." 
 
 "If she had got the majority she wanted, she would have been a supreme political colossus," he said. "She did not get that and she's a hugely diminished figure. She's a zombie prime minister." 
 
 ___ 
 
 Gregory Katz, Sophie Berman and Niko Price contributed to this story. ||||| On the day after British voters delivered an astonishing repudiation of Prime Minister Theresa May at the very moment that she had expected to be her crowning glory, she tried to go on as though nothing much had changed. 
 
 She would stay on as prime minister. She would keep her cabinet’s elite circle. Her plans for Brexit would go forward. 
 
 “That’s what people voted for last June,” she announced defiantly outside 10 Downing Street after meeting with Queen Elizabeth II to discuss her new government. “That’s what we’ll deliver. Now let’s get to work.” 
 
 But beneath the bravado was a creeping reality: A year after choosing to get out of the European Union, voters had stunned the establishment once more. In the process, they may have thrust a dagger through the heart of a young premiership that only days ago had looked to be on the verge of achieving power of Thatcheresque proportions. 
 
 “It’s not clear to me that Theresa May is going to survive the next few days,” said Ian Kearns, co-founder of the European Leadership Network, a London-based think tank. “The level of damage that she’s done to her own brand is immense. The rebellion against her is just getting started.” 
 
 (Jason Aldag/The Washington Post) 
 
 At the least, Kearns and other observers said Friday, May will have to thoroughly rethink her plans for Brexit, only days before critical talks with the E.U. are due to launch. An uncompromising demand for a hard break from Europe may have to be downgraded to a far more modest rupture, Kearns said, perhaps one that does not look much like an exit at all. 
 
 Outwardly, May showed no signs of yielding to that pressure Friday. Just hours after her voice broke as she offered her first, shaky 3 a.m. response to an election that would end with her Conservative Party losing its majority in Parliament, she was grim-faced and joyless as she stood in the midday sun in front of her Downing Street offices and announced she would stay on as prime minister. 
 
 “I will now form a government — a government that can provide certainty and lead Britain forward at this critical time for our country,” she said. 
 
 [How the Conservatives could cobble together a governing coalition] 
 
 Not once did she mention the election, which she had gambled would give her enhanced powers but instead left her grievously wounded. 
 
 Behind the scenes, members of her party were discussing whether to keep her — with some concluding that, sooner or later, she would have to go. Some were taking their case public. 
 
 “I don’t believe personally that Theresa May will stay as our prime minister indefinitely,” Heidi Allen, a Tory member of Parliament, told LBC radio. “In my view, it may well be just a period of transition.” 
 
 1 of 17 Full Screen Autoplay Close Skip Ad × See photos of the scene in Britain during a snap election View Photos People head to the polls to vote for new government. Caption People head to the polls to vote for a new government. June 8, 2017 Britain’s Prime Minister Theresa May leaves with her husband, Philip, after voting in Maidenhead, England. Alastair Grant/AP Buy Photo Wait 1 second to continue. 
 
 With murmurs of a party coup building, May sought to buy herself time. She reappointed Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson, Chancellor of the Exchequer Philip Hammond and other top ministers — several of whom are potential plotters and would-be replacements if she is deposed. 
 
 She also promised there would be no delays in negotiations with the E.U., which are scheduled to begin June 19. 
 
 “What the country needs more than ever is certainty,” she said. 
 
 But that was one thing Britain clearly lacked. 
 
 
 
 
 
 The results from Thursday’s vote did not create any immediate path for the country to retreat from the Brexit brink. But the outcome instantly complicated — if not scuttled altogether — May’s meticulously laid strategy for getting out of the E.U., while also heightening doubts that she can reach a deal with European leaders over the next two years. 
 
 [Another item for the history books: More women than ever were just elected] 
 
 Without an agreement, Britain would crash out of the bloc and face giving up all the privileges of membership. Some lawmakers have pushed for Parliament to be allowed an emergency brake that would keep the country in should the talks fail. 
 
 At least, May could be forced to rethink her objectives in the negotiations, perhaps pushing for a softer break than the one she had sold to the public this spring. 
 
 Late Friday, May suggested she could be considering a course change, telling broadcasters that she would take time to “reflect” on an election that left her authority in tatters and tipped the scales in favor of her political opponents, including the once-hapless far-left Labour Party leader, Jeremy Corbyn. 
 
 Final results in every district nationwide put the Conservatives at 318 seats — eight short of what they would need for a working majority in the 650-member Parliament and well down from the 331 they won just two years ago. 
 
 The Labour Party won 262 seats — an unexpected gain of dozens of seats under Corbyn. 
 
 For May, those results were precisely the opposite of what she had hoped. May called the snap election seeking to strengthen her hand in the E.U. negotiations and to further sideline her political critics. 
 
 But with her slender majority having vanished overnight, May was put in the humiliating position of having to woo Northern Ireland’s right-wing Democratic Unionist Party — with 10 seats it is Parliament’s fifth-largest — into a deal just to have any hope of mustering the majority needed to keep the Tories in power. 
 
 [How a party from Northern Ireland could save May] 
 
 Even that could prove difficult. May said outside 10 Downing Street that the DUP would back her government. 
 
 But a deal is not yet sealed. The leader of the Democratic Unionists, Arlene Foster, said Friday afternoon that talks were still underway. 
 
 When asked whether May would be able to remain as prime minister, Foster told the BBC on Friday that she was unsure, adding, “I think it will be difficult.” 
 
 Foster’s party is likely to strike a tough bargain with the Tories. The Democratic Unionists backed leaving the E.U. but have opposed elements of May’s line in the divorce proceedings — especially provisions that could affect trade and movement on either side of the border separating Northern Ireland from the Republic of Ireland. 
 
 The political wreckage of Thursday’s vote also included Paul Nuttall, who stepped down as leader of the U.K. Independence Party. The anti-immigration party had led the charge for Brexit, but its support cratered this year: It won just 2 percent of the vote, compared with 13 percent in 2015. 
 
 Scottish nationalists — seeking a boost ahead of an expected second independence referendum — were also dealt a debilitating setback that raised questions about whether the referendum plans will be scrapped. 
 
 But the election’s biggest loser was undoubtedly the woman who had decided to call it: May. 
 
 [Corbyn’s Labour Party may be No. 2 but still won big in British elections] 
 
 The loss was widely interpreted in Britain as a personal repudiation of a politician who seemed to have charmed the country only months ago with her vow to be a “bloody difficult woman” in exit negotiations with her E.U. counterparts. 
 
 Now it is unclear whether she will even make it to the negotiating table when talks begin. 
 
 May has vowed a hard break with the bloc, one that leaves Britain outside the single market, the customs union and the European Court of Justice. But she has also promised to deliver a free-trade deal that would preserve the best elements of membership without many of the onerous burdens. 
 
 European leaders have insisted that such a sweetheart arrangement is not possible. 
 
 On Friday, continental leaders expressed fresh frustration with the latest twist in Britain’s drama-laden departure. 
 
 European Council President Donald Tusk responded to the vote by saying there was “no time to lose” to start the talks, so they can be finished by the spring of 2019. 
 
 The E.U. foreign policy chief, Federica Mogherini, complained that “we still don’t know the British position in the negotiations on Brexit.” 
 
 Kearns, of the European Leadership Network, said May’s best hope for keeping her job would be to “bin the entire approach she’s taken so far to Brexit and go back to the drawing board.” 
 
 Instead of the clean break from Europe she’s sought, Kearns said, May would find cross-party support for a softer separation that leaves Britain formally outside the E.U. but with many of the same attachments that define its relationship to the bloc today. 
 
 But without that sort of pivot, he said, May’s time in power is probably running out. 
 
 “If she tries to stick with the same approach, her own party will remove her,” Kearns said, “because they understand that her strategy is doomed to failure.” 
 
 Read more 
 
 After London, questions mount over approach to domestic extremist groups 
 
 With the center all but vanished, Britain now as polarized as the U.S. 
 
 Today’s coverage from Post correspondents around the world 
 
 Like Washington Post World on Facebook and stay updated on foreign news ||||| 20:55 
 
 A chastened Theresa May has apologised to her party colleagues, after squandering the Conservatives’ majority. 
 
 In a contrite interview, May said: 
 
 I wanted to achieve a larger majority. That was not the result we secured. And I’m sorry for all those candidates and hard-working party workers who weren’t successful, but also for those colleagues who were MPs and ministers and contributed so much to our country and who lost their seats and who didn’t deserve to lose their seats. 
 
 Her explicit apology came after some colleagues were infuriated by an earlier statement in Downing Street that failed to acknowledge the disastrous election result, which many regard as self-inflicted. 
 
 Nicky Morgan, who was sacked as education secretary by May, said: 
 
 I’m reeling. I think we’re all reeling. I think there’s real fury against the campaign and the buck stops at the top.
– Theresa May appears set to stay on as prime minister despite the spectacular failure of her attempt to increase the Conservative Party's majority with an early election in the UK. The BBC reports that May, whose party lost 12 seats in Parliament, leaving it without the majority needed to govern alone, is planning to form a government with Northern Ireland's Democratic Unionist Party. With 326 seats needed to form a majority, the DUP's 12 seats would give 330 or 331 votes on legislation, depending on how the final undeclared race turns out. The opposition Labour Party says it is also ready to form a minority government, though there is little chance of it forming a coalition with 326 seats. The latest: Sources tell the Guardian that May has cut a deal with the DUP and will meet with the Queen Friday afternoon to confirm her plan for a new government. "We want there to be a government. We have worked well with May. The alternative is intolerable," a DUP source says, adding that the party will try to ensure there is a Conservative prime minister as long as leftist Jeremy Corbyn leads the Labour Party. Other sources, however, tell the BBC that the DUP is still examining the "messy" situation and talk of a coalition is premature. Corbyn's Labour Party came second, but vastly outperformed expectations by picking up dozens of seats and denying May a majority, reports the Washington Post. "The prime minister called the election because she wanted a mandate," Corbyn told supporters, urging May to step down. "Well, the mandate she’s got is lost Conservative seats, lost votes, lost support, and lost confidence." The surprise result cast doubt both on the Brexit negotiations, which are scheduled to start in just 10 days, and on plans for a second referendum on Scottish independence, the AP reports. The pro-independence Scottish National Party lost 20 of its 54 seats. Paul Nuttall, leader of the pro-Brexit UKIP party, resigned after losing the party's only seat in Parliament. He told supporters the party has a "great future" as the "guard dogs of Brexit." The results in full can be shown here. UKIP's share of the vote is down more than 10% since the 2015 election, which resulted in gains for both Labour and the Conservatives. The Independent looks at the DUP and the implications of the small party holding the balance of power. In Northern Ireland, the party has fought hard to block same-sex marriage and the lifting of the ban on abortion.