British Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn said it was time for Prime Minister Theresa May to stand down after election results indicated she had lost votes, support and the confidence of voters.
“This election was called in order for the prime minister to gain a large majority in order for her to assert her authority,” he said in London.
“If there is a message from tonight’s results, it’s this: the Prime Minister called this election because she wanted a mandate,” Corbyn said.
“Well the mandate she’s got is lost Conservative seats, lost votes, lost support and lost confidence.”
“I would have thought that’s enough to go, and make way for a government that will be truly representative of all of the people of this country.”
With no clear winner emerging from Thursday’s parliamentary election, a wounded May signaled she would fight on, despite being on course to lose her majority in the House of Commons. Her Labour rival Jeremy Corbyn said she should step down.
An updated BBC forecast predicted May’s Conservatives would win 318 of the 650 seats, eight short of a majority, while Corbyn’s left-wing Labour would take 267 — producing a “hung parliament” and potential deadlock.
Sky News predicted May would score somewhere between 315 and 325 seats.
With talks of unprecedented complexity on Britain’s departure from the European Union due to start in just 10 days’ time, there was uncertainty over who would form the next government and over the fundamental direction Brexit would take.
“At this time, more than anything else this country needs a period of stability,” a grim-faced May said after winning her own parliamentary seat of Maidenhead, near London.
“If … the Conservative Party has won the most seats and probably the most votes then it will be incumbent on us to ensure that we have that period of stability and that is exactly what we will do.”
