This dog’s dinner of a result leaves Theresa May and the Tories with no room for manoeuvre
SIR – Theresa May’s predecessor, David Cameron, also asked the electorate to vote (in a referendum) for what he thought was going to strengthen his positions. Mr Cameron resigned.
Where does Mrs May go now? She can’t possibly lead the Conservatives into another election, having snatched defeat out of the jaws of victory. Paul Farndon
New Milton, Hampshire
SIR – Mrs May lost her majority through a combination of hubris, incompetence and stupidity.
If she is to remain as Prime Minister, she must start listening to members of the Government who do not agree with her every word. She must properly involve them in setting a coherent government policy.
A good indication of her resolve to change would be to fire her joint chiefs of staff. Adrian Beasley-suffolk
Cropthorne, Worcestershire
SIR – Having billed herself as a great tactician, Mrs May has proved she has extremely poor judgment.
First, she called a snap election after saying she wouldn’t, in the belief that no one would mind about this.
Secondly, she thought it was in the bag because Jeremy Corbyn was an easy target.
Thirdly, she trusted too heavily in her “strong and stable” slogan, and believed it best to remain aloof, refusing debate with other leaders.
Lastly, she ignored other areas of policy – the economy, say, or national security – that might bring her down.
She has achieved the opposite of what she intended: weak and uncertain government. How can we trust her (or her advisers) to carry out difficult negotiations on our behalf? Nick Inman
Larreule, Hautes-pyrénées, France
SIR – The election night’s surprises and disappointments were topped, if I may say so, by Mrs May turning up for her own constituency declaration dressed entirely in red. Tony Waldeck
Truro, Cornwall
SIR – What a wonderful result for the country. The loss of SNP seats has put to bed the question of Scottish independence, and the keys to the kingdom are held by the DUP, who have direct concerns regarding hard Brexit and hard borders.
Politicians now need to listen, and compromise. That will gain for the United Kingdom a far better result in the negotiations than a May landslide. David Lawson
Ross-on-wye, Herefordshire
SIR – It has been a great day for Angela Merkel and the other European leaders intending to take a tough line in the Brexit negotiations. Malcolm Symonds
Ashtead, Surrey
SIR – I had hoped that Theresa May would negotiate a respectable Brexit.
Now I realise that behind the soundbites, there was precious little. Her manifesto was embarrassingly awful, lacking constructive policies, but containing some that would please no one and seriously anger many.
None of this means Jeremy Corbyn is suddenly the good guy. He is still the man who laid a wreath on a Palestinian terrorist’s grave. He is still the man who invited Irish terrorists to the House of Commons. He is still the man who called for Hamas to be removed from Britain’s list of banned terrorists.
More to the point, the sudden praise for his leadership is misplaced. After seven years of often inept Tory rule and an appalling campaign, Labour under any halfway decent leader should have romped home. For all the hype, it came in more than 50 seats behind the hapless Conservatives.
Maybe a hung Parliament is the best we could hope for. Everyone had their wings clipped – even Nicola Sturgeon. Marylou Grimberg
Harpenden, Hertfordshire
SIR – Brexit has been a demonstration so far of how to shoot yourself in the foot, in three easy lessons.
First David Cameron offered the EU a chance to persuade the British to vote Remain in a referendum. The EU spurned this plan, agreeing only trivial concessions.
Secondly Mr Cameron, despite granting the people a referendum and telling them it was their decision, then proceeded to harangue them into voting as they were told. He lost the vote and had to resign.
Thirdly Theresa May, having the prime ministership fall into her lap with a working majority in Parliament, called an election in the hope of an increased majority, a gamble since some four million votes were up for grabs, with Ukip seen as having worked itself out of a job.
She ran a lacklustre campaign, constantly repeating “strong and stable leadership” (implying that it was unlike Labour’s), despite evidence that Jeremy Corbyn was offering strong (if unrealistic) leadership. She failed to mount a real attack on Labour’s unaffordable give-away promises, including those on student fees and loans, which resonated in university towns. Result: no majority.
Didn’t someone say that all political careers end in failure? Norman Baker
Tonbridge, Kent
SIR – Will the House of Lords respect the Salisbury Convention (of not voting down provisions announced in a government’s manifesto) in dealing now with a minority government trying to leave the European Union? Jack William Ruddy
Stourpaine, Dorset
SIR – There has been respect for the democratic EU referendum result. However, the Prime Minister asked for a strong mandate for her vision of a Brexit leaving Britain outside the single market, and the British people have not given her that mandate. That too should now be respected.
The only way to do this is through a Brexit where we negotiate to stay in the single market, like Norway. Colin Moore
Bridgnorth, Shropshire SIR – If you govern or fight an election from within a tiny group of select advisers who have no connection with the general public, you will lose votes.
If you reach out to the voting public by mixing freely with them on the street while promising everything that they want, including unicorns, they will warm to you. End of lesson. Michael R Gordon
Bewdley, Worcestershire
SIR – Perhaps Theresa May will use “I” and “me” less from now on and more of the collective nouns. Eric Vaughan
Alford, Lincolnshire
SIR – “May’s gamble backfires,” read one of your headlines. Quite. As a professional poker player, I’m aware that she ignored the first rule of successful gambling: “Never play with resources you cannot afford to lose.” Unfortunately, she has not only gambled with her future, but with all of ours too. Stewart Reuben
Twickenham, Middlesex
SIR – Why was Labour’s success surprising? Labour promised the under-25s no tuition fees. It promised over-65s protection of their pensions by the triple-lock. It promised no tax rises for 95 per cent of taxpayers, and everyone was promised more police and new NHS funding.
The Tories did well in Scotland, partly because Scots pay no tuition fees. John Harvey
Waterlooville, Hampshire
SIR – The alluring myth of youthful idealism has sadly been exploded. It turns out that young voters can be bought, just like the rest of us. Hugo D Page
Beaumaris, Anglesey
SIR – Mrs May’s choice of date for the election appears particularly silly. She must have known that younger voters tend overwhelmingly to support Left-wing parties, yet she and her advisers went for a date when most students would still be living where they study. Two weeks later, many would have scattered themselves well away from concentrations where they were registered to vote.
The mobilisation of the student vote, assisted enormously by Labour’s promise to abolish tuition fees, was therefore much easier than it was for last year’s referendum. The rapturous reception given by young people to the re-election of a Labour MP here in Cambridge was no doubt replicated in many other university towns. Tony Bowers
Cambridge
SIR – Whatever talents she may have, Mrs May is not exactly a likeable person.
How would the Tories have fared if Boris Johnson had been at the helm? Hari Thorpe
Swanage, Dorset
SIR – Theresa May showed total arrogance in her social policy, and by coming out in favour of fox hunting.
She said the election was about Brexit and then gave Brexit supporters reason to vote against her. William Burgess
Upton, Cambridgeshire
SIR – Never mind backfiring: Mrs May’s campaign didn’t even spark. Chris Lambert
Tadworth, Surrey
SIR – Ruth Davidson for prime minister! If she can do that in Scotland, get her to Westminster urgently. Peter Mosley
Inverness
SIR – The seeds of this disaster were sown by Michael Gove when he decided to challenge Boris Johnson for the leadership. Caroline Quentin
Southend, Essex
SIR – No election should have been called until after the planned parliamentary boundary equalisation changes were completed.
Labour’s Robin Cook was the architect who gerrymandered the boundaries, giving Labour a built-in advantage that still exists today.
It will never be corrected until a Conservative majority government is in control of the Commons and implements the adjustment.
In the tight result of this election the 6 per cent advantage allotted to one side proved crucial. Alan Chapman
Bingley, West Yorkshire
SIR – Mr Corbyn has well and truly proved himself and killed off Blair and Brown’s New Labour.
The party can now resume normal service providing an effective opposition, while preparing to win the next election. Jim Latchford
Haslingden, Lancashire
SIR – Not only is it a nightmare result for the Tories, but also for the Labour Party. What about those Labour MPS who registered a vote of no confidence in Corbyn? Will their moral compass spin now, or will they break away and form an electable centre-ground party? Alistair Leitch
Morpeth, Northumberland
SIR – Nick Clegg will now have to get a proper job for the first time in his life. John M Scott
Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire
SIR – Nick Clegg for Strictly Come Dancing? Elizabeth Edmunds
Hassocks, West Sussex
SIR – As one who relishes the overnight coverage of elections and referendums, I have found that all these events possess more drama, pathos, Schadenfreude, wit and occasional wisdom than almost any stage or screenplay.
Whoever is writing these amazing scripts deserves every penny they don’t get. Graham Hoyle
Shipley, West Yorkshire