U.K. exit polls show May lacks majority
Coalition may be necessary once final vote is counted
LONDON British Prime Minister Theresa May’s Conservative Party was projected to win the most seats in the country’s election Thursday, but fall short of an outright majority, according to exit polls.
If the projection holds, May loses her political gamble to strengthen her party’s majority as she heads into difficult talks with the European Union over the nation’s impending withdrawal from the 28-nation political bloc.
The exit polls predicted the Conservatives would win 314 of 650 parliamentary seats while the Labour Party, led by Jeremy Corbyn, would win 266 seats. To form a government, 326 seats are needed. Final results were expected early Friday.
If the exit poll is correct, May would need to team up with smaller parties to form a ruling coalition government. It would be an extraordinary humiliation for her and she could face pressure to resign.
It is also possible that Corbyn could secure enough seats to form a government, although May would be given the first opportunity to do so.
In the last parliamentary election in 2015, then-prime minister David Cameron’s Conservative Party won 331 seats. Britain’s referendum on EU membership in June 2016 was narrowly approved by the public, 52% to 48%, prompting Cameron — who opposed Brexit — to resign. May, Home secretary at the time, succeeded him.
She called for Thursday’s election in April when polls suggested she would win a landslide victory that would give her more leverage to negotiate favorable exit terms with the EU.
A narrow victory Thursday would hurt her ability to achieve that, as EU leaders have vowed to make Britain pay a steep price for leaving the alliance.
During the campaign, May vowed to build a “stronger, fairer and more prosperous Britain,” while Corbyn’s signature campaign slogan was to govern “for the many, not the few.”
A victory for May would leave Washington with a British leader prepared to work with President Trump despite clear differences over how to approach climate change, NATO and other global concerns. If Corbyn wins, Trump can expect a hostile challenge to his positions.
The election was a two-horse race between the Conservatives and Labour — the Liberal Democrats party has consistently come a distant third in national polls.
Expectations that May would romp to victory had been weakened by the recent terrorist attacks in Manchester and London as well as a lackluster campaign by May, said Richard Whitman, a professor of politics at the University of Kent.
“The Conservatives believed that by simply making this vote about perceptions around May’s strong leadership on leaving the EU this would win it for them. What they’ve found instead is that the electorate really is interested in detail on health care, education and social care issues.” Corbyn has focused on the Conservatives’ cuts in those programs.
Paula Brown, 48, a south London therapist, said she backed Corbyn because her daughter is going to college in September and Labour pledged to abolish university fees of $12,000 a year for students starting courses this fall.
David McDermott, 69, a south London retiree, said he hoped for a Conservative majority because Labour “is so far against what we believe in.”
Government figures show about 2 million people 34 and younger registered to vote between April 18 and May 22 — 20% higher than in the same period before last June’s EU referendum. Analysts said youth turnout could be key to the outcome.