British Prime Minister Theresa May was rushed away under heavy police guard on Friday as protesters shouted &quot;Shame on you&quot; after she met residents who live near a tower block in London where at least 30 people died in a fire.

May, already under pressure after a botched snap election, is facing widespread criticism for her response to the blaze. She has promised to set up a public inquiry and pledged 5 million pounds ($6.40 million) to help the victims.

Separately, hundreds of protesters stormed the local town hall chanting: &quot;We want justice.&quot;

May has outlined a series of measures to help those left homeless by the devastating fire which engulfed the 24-storey apartment block on Wednesday.

But fury has grown in the local community at what people say is the slow response from authorities to the fire and a failure to inform families and friends about the fate of loved ones.

Media reports have said about 70 people are expected to have been killed, although police have not confirmed this.

Local residents also say they are angry that their safety concerns had been ignored and that people had been told to stay in their flats in the event of a fire.

May, who on Thursday met emergency services at the fire site but did not meet locals, visited residents, volunteers and community leaders at a nearby church on Friday and was rushed away afterwards by police as an angry crowd outside shouted &quot;Coward&quot; and &quot;You&#39;re not wanted&quot;.

A couple of miles away in west London, several hundred protesters stormed Kensington and Chelsea council town hall.

The protesters barged their way through an automatic door at and sought to gain entry to an upper floor. Police barred their way and scuffles broke out, a Reuters reporter said.

The protesters chanted: &quot;We want justice&quot;, &quot;bring them out&quot; and &quot;shame on you&quot;. The protesters were angered when no one from the council came out to address their concerns, reporters said.

The local authority, which owns the tower block where families rent their homes, says it is doing all it can to support the victims and to help the relief operation.

It issued a statement before the protest to try to address the concerns of residents. &quot;We entirely support the calling of the public inquiry and will cooperate in whatever way we can with it so that local people have all the answers about what has happened,&quot; the council, the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, said.

Divided Society

While the deadly blaze at the Grenfell Tower in north Kensington has prompted an outpouring of generosity, it has also unleashed rage at the authorities as the charred tower was cast as a deadly symbol of a divided society.

The block, which housed some 600 people in about 120 apartments, is in a low-rent housing estate next to one of the most affluent areas of Britain.

There have been demands for answers as to how the blaze was able to engulf the building, trapping many on the upper floors. Exterior cladding that was added during a recent refurbishment might have played a part, local residents have said.

The fire broke out less than a week after a election in which May lost her parliamentary majority.

The criticism over the blaze has added to pressure on May who is trying to strike a deal with a Northern Irish party to stay in power. Her government is also due to launch difficult Brexit talks with the European Union on Monday.

Earlier on Friday, May met victims privately at a central London hospital.

&quot;I spoke with people who ran from the fire in only the clothes they were wearing,&quot; she said in a statement. &quot;They have been left with nothing &ndash; no bank cards, no money, no means of caring for their children or relatives. One woman told me she had escaped in only her top and underwear.&quot;

She has promised those left homeless by the blaze would be rehoused locally within weeks, and the 5 million pound fund would pay for emergency supplies, food, clothes and other costs.

But even those within her own party said May should have faced the locals herself earlier.

&quot;She should have been there with the residents. You have to be prepared to receive people&#39;s emotions, and not be so frightened about people,&quot; former Conservative cabinet minister Michael Portillo told the BBC.

Queen Visits

London Mayor Sadiq Khan wrote to May on Friday, saying residents felt increasingly enraged and frustrated by the slow response from the authorities.

&quot;The local community feels their grief has been made worse by the lack of information about their missing family members and friends,&quot; he wrote. Residents in other blocks with the same exterior cladding as Grenfell Tower were concerned, he wrote.

&quot;People are terrified that the same thing could happen to them,&quot; said Khan.

However, Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson, who was London mayor until last year, took to Facebook to attack opposition Labour politicians for &quot;political game playing&quot;.

Queen Elizabeth, 91, and her grandson Prince William also visited residents and emergency workers on Friday.

&quot;That&#39;s one of the most terrible things I have ever seen,&quot; William said of the tower&#39;s blackened shell.

Some desperate residents pleaded to speak to the queen and her grandson about their plight and the fate of missing children as they left the site, with William promising he would return.

London police said an investigation, led by a detective from its homicide and major crime unit, would examine whether criminal offences had been committed although they said there was nothing to suggest the fire was started deliberately.

Commander Stuart Cundy said they had been able to remove the remains of only 12 victims from the building.

&quot;Sadly, it is expected that the total will rise and it is not expected that any survivors will be found,&quot; he said. Police have said it could take months to search the building and some victims might never be identified.

Protesters shouted 'Shame on you' after she met residents who live near a tower block in London where at least 30 people died in a fire

British Prime Minister Theresa May was rushed away under heavy police guard on Friday as protesters shouted "Shame on you" after she met residents who live near a tower block in London where at least 30 people died in a fire. May, already under pressure after a botched snap election, is facing widespread criticism for her response to the blaze. She has promised to set up a public inquiry and pledged 5 million pounds ($6.40 million) to help the victims. Separately, hundreds of protesters stormed the local town hall chanting: "We want justice." May has outlined a series of measures to help those left homeless by the devastating fire which engulfed the 24-storey apartment block on Wednesday. But fury has grown in the local community at what people say is the slow response from authorities to the fire and a failure to inform families and friends about the fate of loved ones. Media reports have said about 70 people are expected to have been killed, although police have not confirmed this. Local residents also say they are angry that their safety concerns had been ignored and that people had been told to stay in their flats in the event of a fire. May, who on Thursday met emergency services at the fire site but did not meet locals, visited residents, volunteers and community leaders at a nearby church on Friday and was rushed away afterwards by police as an angry crowd outside shouted "Coward" and "You're not wanted". A couple of miles away in west London, several hundred protesters stormed Kensington and Chelsea council town hall. The protesters barged their way through an automatic door at and sought to gain entry to an upper floor. Police barred their way and scuffles broke out, a Reuters reporter said. The protesters chanted: "We want justice", "bring them out" and "shame on you". The protesters were angered when no one from the council came out to address their concerns, reporters said. The local authority, which owns the tower block where families rent their homes, says it is doing all it can to support the victims and to help the relief operation. It issued a statement before the protest to try to address the concerns of residents. "We entirely support the calling of the public inquiry and will cooperate in whatever way we can with it so that local people have all the answers about what has happened," the council, the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, said. Divided Society While the deadly blaze at the Grenfell Tower in north Kensington has prompted an outpouring of generosity, it has also unleashed rage at the authorities as the charred tower was cast as a deadly symbol of a divided society. The block, which housed some 600 people in about 120 apartments, is in a low-rent housing estate next to one of the most affluent areas of Britain. There have been demands for answers as to how the blaze was able to engulf the building, trapping many on the upper floors. Exterior cladding that was added during a recent refurbishment might have played a part, local residents have said. The fire broke out less than a week after a election in which May lost her parliamentary majority. The criticism over the blaze has added to pressure on May who is trying to strike a deal with a Northern Irish party to stay in power. Her government is also due to launch difficult Brexit talks with the European Union on Monday. Earlier on Friday, May met victims privately at a central London hospital. "I spoke with people who ran from the fire in only the clothes they were wearing," she said in a statement. "They have been left with nothing – no bank cards, no money, no means of caring for their children or relatives. One woman told me she had escaped in only her top and underwear." She has promised those left homeless by the blaze would be rehoused locally within weeks, and the 5 million pound fund would pay for emergency supplies, food, clothes and other costs. But even those within her own party said May should have faced the locals herself earlier. "She should have been there with the residents. You have to be prepared to receive people's emotions, and not be so frightened about people," former Conservative cabinet minister Michael Portillo told the BBC. Queen Visits London Mayor Sadiq Khan wrote to May on Friday, saying residents felt increasingly enraged and frustrated by the slow response from the authorities. "The local community feels their grief has been made worse by the lack of information about their missing family members and friends," he wrote. Residents in other blocks with the same exterior cladding as Grenfell Tower were concerned, he wrote. "People are terrified that the same thing could happen to them," said Khan. However, Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson, who was London mayor until last year, took to Facebook to attack opposition Labour politicians for "political game playing". Queen Elizabeth, 91, and her grandson Prince William also visited residents and emergency workers on Friday. "That's one of the most terrible things I have ever seen," William said of the tower's blackened shell. Some desperate residents pleaded to speak to the queen and her grandson about their plight and the fate of missing children as they left the site, with William promising he would return. London police said an investigation, led by a detective from its homicide and major crime unit, would examine whether criminal offences had been committed although they said there was nothing to suggest the fire was started deliberately. Commander Stuart Cundy said they had been able to remove the remains of only 12 victims from the building. "Sadly, it is expected that the total will rise and it is not expected that any survivors will be found," he said. Police have said it could take months to search the building and some victims might never be identified.

Theresa May rushed from area of London fire after protests

Firefighters and police officials were still looking through the destroyed rubble in search of bodies after a 24-storey&nbsp;residential tower in west London was destroyed by a fire. So far 17&nbsp;bodies have been discovered, a&nbsp;number&nbsp;expected to rise.

&quot;Sadly I can confirm that the number of people that have died is now 17,&quot; London police commander Stuart Cundy told reporters.

Hundreds of people have called a number created especially to report loves ones missing following the inferno, which gutted the Grenfell Tower.

Commander Stuart Cundy of the Metropolitan police said, while a full search of the building is under way, it is not expected that survivors will be found anywhere inside the building, <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2017/jun/14/fire-24-storey-grenfell-tower-block-white-city-latimer-road-london" target="_blank">The Guardian</a> reports.&nbsp;

&quot;The thoughts of all of us from the emergency services...and from all of London, our thoughts will be with those so affected by a fire on a scale that is unprecedented,&quot; said Cundy.

While the cause of the fire has yet to be determined, residents are reportedly angry, saying that concerns and complaints about the building&#39;s level of safety have been ignored for years, even during a 10 million pound refurbishing, by the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, the managing company in charge of the block.

London ambulance service has said that 68 patients were being treated in six hospitals, and that 18 were in critical care wards, The Guardian reports.

Meanwhile, UK Prime Minister Theresa May said pledged there would be&nbsp;a &quot;proper investigation&quot;, and that &quot;action will be taken&quot;.

&nbsp;

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An overnight fire in London has killed at least 6 people and sent more than 64 people to local hospitals. Many are in critical condition (WION)
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(WION)

68 patients were being treated in six hospitals, 18 in critical care wards

Firefighters and police officials were still looking through the destroyed rubble in search of bodies after a 24-storey residential tower in west London was destroyed by a fire. So far 17 bodies have been discovered, a number expected to rise. "Sadly I can confirm that the number of people that have died is now 17," London police commander Stuart Cundy told reporters. Hundreds of people have called a number created especially to report loves ones missing following the inferno, which gutted the Grenfell Tower. Commander Stuart Cundy of the Metropolitan police said, while a full search of the building is under way, it is not expected that survivors will be found anywhere inside the building, The Guardian reports. "The thoughts of all of us from the emergency services...and from all of London, our thoughts will be with those so affected by a fire on a scale that is unprecedented," said Cundy. While the cause of the fire has yet to be determined, residents are reportedly angry, saying that concerns and complaints about the building's level of safety have been ignored for years, even during a 10 million pound refurbishing, by the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, the managing company in charge of the block. London ambulance service has said that 68 patients were being treated in six hospitals, and that 18 were in critical care wards, The Guardian reports. Meanwhile, UK Prime Minister Theresa May said pledged there would be a "proper investigation", and that "action will be taken". An overnight fire in London has killed at least 6 people and sent more than 64 people to local hospitals. Many are in critical condition (WION) × (WION)

London tower fire: Death toll rises to 17

Prime Minister Theresa&nbsp;May&nbsp;on Tuesday said talks with Northern Ireland&#39;s DUP about a deal to support her minority government had been &quot;productive&quot;, and confirmed that Brexit negotiations would begin next week.

May&nbsp;met with Northern Ireland&#39;s Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) earlier on Tuesday to thrash out a deal that would see the DUP support&nbsp;May&nbsp;in government after she failed to win an outright majority at an election last week.&nbsp;

&quot;What we&#39;re doing in relation to the talks that we&#39;re holding, the productive talks we&#39;re holding with the Democratic Unionist Party, is ensuring that it is possible to, with their support, give the stability to the UK government that I think is necessary at this time,&quot;&nbsp;May&nbsp;told a news conference in Paris following a meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron.

&quot;I confirmed to President Macron that the timetable for the Brexit negotiation remains on course and will begin next week.&quot;

&nbsp;

&nbsp;

&nbsp;

&nbsp;

&nbsp;

May?met with the?Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) on Tuesday to discuss?a deal that would see the DUP support?her in government after she failed to win a?majority in last week's election?

Prime Minister Theresa May on Tuesday said talks with Northern Ireland's DUP about a deal to support her minority government had been "productive", and confirmed that Brexit negotiations would begin next week. May met with Northern Ireland's Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) earlier on Tuesday to thrash out a deal that would see the DUP support May in government after she failed to win an outright majority at an election last week. "What we're doing in relation to the talks that we're holding, the productive talks we're holding with the Democratic Unionist Party, is ensuring that it is possible to, with their support, give the stability to the UK government that I think is necessary at this time," May told a news conference in Paris following a meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron. "I confirmed to President Macron that the timetable for the Brexit negotiation remains on course and will begin next week."

May says minority government talks 'productive', Brexit negotiation starts next week

On the Andrew Marr show on 11 June, the former Chancellor of the Exchequer, George Osborne described the Prime Minister, Theresa May as a &lsquo;dead woman walking&rsquo;. Osborne had his own reasons for glee at May&rsquo;s terrible miscalculation in calling a snap election on 8 June, having been previously sacked from the Cabinet, as May cosied up to the party&rsquo;s Eurosceptics for a &lsquo;hard Brexit&rsquo;. The latter would mean a departure from both the Single Market and the Customs Union &ndash; a move that, May sensed, required a greater parliamentary majority and legitimacy for herself and her party. It was the logical outcome of the Conservative Party&rsquo;s shift to the right, the supposedly acceptable response to the resurgence of xenophobic populism in the UK.

&nbsp;

But Osborne&rsquo;s necrotic comments were not hyperbole. Predictions at the start of the election campaign were that May might increase her majority in Parliament from 17 to upwards of 100. On Friday 9 June morning, against all expectations and most pollsters, Jeremy Corbyn, the allegedly &lsquo;unelectable&rsquo; leftist, had added 30 new seats for Labour. Better than any leader since Clement Atlee, he had increased the party&rsquo;s share of the popular vote to over 40 per cent. The Conservatives lost a total of 13 seats, missing an overall majority in the House of Commons by 8 seats. Far from achieving a &lsquo;strong and stable&rsquo; basis for Brexit, May had unwittingly set up one of the most spectacular and important electoral upsets in modern British history.

&nbsp;

Theresa May&rsquo;s robotic mantra of the need for &lsquo;strong and stable&rsquo; government summarises, in almost comic fashion, the many ways in which this election turned the UK on its head. Because if there is one expression you could never use for a &lsquo;hung parliament&rsquo; where no party holds a majority, it is &lsquo;stability&rsquo;. But there were other ironies which showed how the results had global implications. Throughout the election campaign which was accompanied by two serious terrorist attacks in Manchester and London, the parties of the right made a play of Corbyn&rsquo;s historical conversations with members of the IRA. Yet two days after the election, May was building an alliance with the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) of Northern Ireland, whose 10 seats would allow her to govern. The DUP had strong links to Protestant paramilitary forces, principally the Ulster Volunteer Force, from the mid-1980s. And in forging a relationship with the DUP, May threatened to undo British government neutrality in Northern Ireland, which was key to peace via the Good Friday agreement. Overnight, Corbyn&rsquo;s insistence that radical extremism needed to be tackled not with the suppression of rights, but by understanding its root international causes in UK colonial/postcolonial intervention, seemed to make perfect sense. And his logic was supported further by the publicised connections between MI6 and the Libyan bomber in Manchester, and by the UK&rsquo;s continued arms deals with Saudi Arabia.

&nbsp;

At least the DUP, reflecting Northern Ireland&rsquo;s overwhelming support in the EU referendum for Remain, was likely to argue May should follow a softer Brexit line. In other ways then, and against all claims of &lsquo;stability&rsquo;, the government&rsquo;s Brexit negotiations are thrown into disarray and further uncertainty. It is clear that the majority in the House of Commons would no longer back the &lsquo;hard&rsquo; Brexit that May had nurtured on the back of post-imperial sentiments and a nod to popular xenophobia. The entire Brexit strategy has been premised so far on her penchant for being a &lsquo;difficult woman&rsquo; in Brussels negotiations. But the only element of the election that allows May to hang on to power at all, are the newly won Conservative seats in Scotland. Furthermore, Ruth Davidson, the Conservative leader in Scotland, is strongly in favour of a &lsquo;soft&rsquo; Brexit, remaining if possible in the Single Market.

&nbsp;

Negotiators on the EU side will now look at the UK with uncertainty. May seems illegitimate both in the UK, and in the context of changing international relations. There are suggestions that not only could the negotiations themselves be delayed, but that the 27 EU states might even entertain a total reconsideration of Brexit itself, should the UK government choose to revoke the signing of article 50 and stay in the Union. The 2016 referendum, after all, was legally only &lsquo;advisory&rsquo;. And there is no doubt that the surge of dissatisfaction with Theresa May&rsquo;s Conservatives on 8 June was driven, in part, by the &lsquo;48%&rsquo; &ndash; the relatively well educated, demographically younger, and more left-wing supporters of Remain.

&nbsp;

The constituency that feels most cheated are the 18 to 25-years-olds &ndash; the population of the UK that is perhaps most clearly connected to promises of overseas work, whose horizons are increasingly global, being connected to the like-minded like never before via social media and travel. Although denigrated by the right-wing tabloids as a man who would take Britain &lsquo;back to the 1970s&rsquo; via old-fashioned socialism, Jeremy Corbyn managed to harness this constituency in a way that made a remarkable difference to the outcome of the election. It has also had a knock-on effect elsewhere in the world. Donald Trump, whose diminutive hand held that of Theresa May&#39;s, has now postponed his planned visit to the UK for fear of protests led by the very same constituencies that came out to vote for Corbyn. The &lsquo;special relationship&rsquo; too then, between the USA and UK, like Anglophone influence in the EU, has never seemed more uncertain.

&nbsp;

Perhaps the 2017 General Election in the UK shows something broader. Political scientists and commentators have looked at the rise of authoritarian populism in the USA, UK, India, Russia and Turkey as part of a possible global shift towards anti-cosmopolitanism, in the face of global economic crisis. The UK election of June 2017, alongside the Presidential elections in France of this year, suggest that important parts of Europe, at least, are bucking this trend. Most importantly, they show that a younger generation of voters and leaders are emerging to contest this global shift to the right, and to lay the possible foundations for a new kind of politics.

Jeremy Corbyn's success came from successfully appealing to the young adults of Britain who suffered most from Brexit

On the Andrew Marr show on 11 June, the former Chancellor of the Exchequer, George Osborne described the Prime Minister, Theresa May as a ‘dead woman walking’. Osborne had his own reasons for glee at May’s terrible miscalculation in calling a snap election on 8 June, having been previously sacked from the Cabinet, as May cosied up to the party’s Eurosceptics for a ‘hard Brexit’. The latter would mean a departure from both the Single Market and the Customs Union – a move that, May sensed, required a greater parliamentary majority and legitimacy for herself and her party. It was the logical outcome of the Conservative Party’s shift to the right, the supposedly acceptable response to the resurgence of xenophobic populism in the UK. But Osborne’s necrotic comments were not hyperbole. Predictions at the start of the election campaign were that May might increase her majority in Parliament from 17 to upwards of 100. On Friday 9 June morning, against all expectations and most pollsters, Jeremy Corbyn, the allegedly ‘unelectable’ leftist, had added 30 new seats for Labour. Better than any leader since Clement Atlee, he had increased the party’s share of the popular vote to over 40 per cent. The Conservatives lost a total of 13 seats, missing an overall majority in the House of Commons by 8 seats. Far from achieving a ‘strong and stable’ basis for Brexit, May had unwittingly set up one of the most spectacular and important electoral upsets in modern British history. Theresa May’s robotic mantra of the need for ‘strong and stable’ government summarises, in almost comic fashion, the many ways in which this election turned the UK on its head. Because if there is one expression you could never use for a ‘hung parliament’ where no party holds a majority, it is ‘stability’. But there were other ironies which showed how the results had global implications. Throughout the election campaign which was accompanied by two serious terrorist attacks in Manchester and London, the parties of the right made a play of Corbyn’s historical conversations with members of the IRA. Yet two days after the election, May was building an alliance with the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) of Northern Ireland, whose 10 seats would allow her to govern. The DUP had strong links to Protestant paramilitary forces, principally the Ulster Volunteer Force, from the mid-1980s. And in forging a relationship with the DUP, May threatened to undo British government neutrality in Northern Ireland, which was key to peace via the Good Friday agreement. Overnight, Corbyn’s insistence that radical extremism needed to be tackled not with the suppression of rights, but by understanding its root international causes in UK colonial/postcolonial intervention, seemed to make perfect sense. And his logic was supported further by the publicised connections between MI6 and the Libyan bomber in Manchester, and by the UK’s continued arms deals with Saudi Arabia. At least the DUP, reflecting Northern Ireland’s overwhelming support in the EU referendum for Remain, was likely to argue May should follow a softer Brexit line. In other ways then, and against all claims of ‘stability’, the government’s Brexit negotiations are thrown into disarray and further uncertainty. It is clear that the majority in the House of Commons would no longer back the ‘hard’ Brexit that May had nurtured on the back of post-imperial sentiments and a nod to popular xenophobia. The entire Brexit strategy has been premised so far on her penchant for being a ‘difficult woman’ in Brussels negotiations. But the only element of the election that allows May to hang on to power at all, are the newly won Conservative seats in Scotland. Furthermore, Ruth Davidson, the Conservative leader in Scotland, is strongly in favour of a ‘soft’ Brexit, remaining if possible in the Single Market. Negotiators on the EU side will now look at the UK with uncertainty. May seems illegitimate both in the UK, and in the context of changing international relations. There are suggestions that not only could the negotiations themselves be delayed, but that the 27 EU states might even entertain a total reconsideration of Brexit itself, should the UK government choose to revoke the signing of article 50 and stay in the Union. The 2016 referendum, after all, was legally only ‘advisory’. And there is no doubt that the surge of dissatisfaction with Theresa May’s Conservatives on 8 June was driven, in part, by the ‘48%’ – the relatively well educated, demographically younger, and more left-wing supporters of Remain. The constituency that feels most cheated are the 18 to 25-years-olds – the population of the UK that is perhaps most clearly connected to promises of overseas work, whose horizons are increasingly global, being connected to the like-minded like never before via social media and travel. Although denigrated by the right-wing tabloids as a man who would take Britain ‘back to the 1970s’ via old-fashioned socialism, Jeremy Corbyn managed to harness this constituency in a way that made a remarkable difference to the outcome of the election. It has also had a knock-on effect elsewhere in the world. Donald Trump, whose diminutive hand held that of Theresa May's, has now postponed his planned visit to the UK for fear of protests led by the very same constituencies that came out to vote for Corbyn. The ‘special relationship’ too then, between the USA and UK, like Anglophone influence in the EU, has never seemed more uncertain. Perhaps the 2017 General Election in the UK shows something broader. Political scientists and commentators have looked at the rise of authoritarian populism in the USA, UK, India, Russia and Turkey as part of a possible global shift towards anti-cosmopolitanism, in the face of global economic crisis. The UK election of June 2017, alongside the Presidential elections in France of this year, suggest that important parts of Europe, at least, are bucking this trend. Most importantly, they show that a younger generation of voters and leaders are emerging to contest this global shift to the right, and to lay the possible foundations for a new kind of politics.

Revolution of the young: The 2017 Election in the UK

Prime Minister Theresa May&#39;s office said on Sunday there had been no change to plans for US&nbsp;President Donald Trump&#39;s to come to Britain on a state visit, after the Guardian newspaper <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/fearing-public-protests-trump-puts-uk-visit-on-hold-16700" target="_blank">reported </a>the trip had been postponed.

The paper, citing an unidentified adviser at May&#39;s Downing Street office who was in the room at the time, reported Trump had told May by telephone in recent weeks that he did not want to come if there were likely to be large-scale protests.

&quot;We aren&rsquo;t going to comment on speculation about the contents of private phone conversations,&quot; a spokeswoman for May&#39;s office said. &quot;The queen extended an invitation to President Trump to visit the UK and there is no change to those plans.&quot;

&nbsp;

Meanwhile, the White House also denied the Guardian report,&nbsp;with an administration official telling Reuters, &quot;The subject never came up on the call.&quot;

No date has been set for the visit, which was agreed during May&#39;s visit to Washington in January, but British media had reported it was planned for October.

May&#39;s hold on power has been significantly weakened since the results of a snap election last week cost her Conservative Party a parliamentary majority. In a bid to save her position, May has been trying to form a government with Northern Ireland&#39;s Democratic Unionist Party, or DUP,&nbsp;a small faction of social conservatives.

She needs eight seats to form a majority, and the DUP hold ten. British politics is going through an upheaval just a week before talks begin on Britain&#39;s exit from the European Union, set for 2019.

Trump&#39;s public criticism this month of London Mayor Sadiq Khan&#39;s response to an attack by Islamist militants in London was condemned in Britain. May found herself forced to defend Khan, who is from the opposition Labour party.

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Pathetic excuse by London Mayor Sadiq Khan who had to think fast on his &quot;no reason to be alarmed&quot; statement. MSM is working hard to sell it!
&mdash; Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/871725780535062528">June 5, 2017</a></blockquote>
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At that time, Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson said there was no reason to cancel the visit, while White House spokesman Sean Spicer said that Trump intended to go and that &quot;he appreciates Her Majesty&#39;s gracious invitation&quot;.

Trump said he was unwilling&nbsp;to explicitly endorse a candidate in the UK election, but he had&nbsp;<a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/01/27/theresa-may-meets-donald-trump-white-house-live/" target="_blank">appeared</a> with pro-Brexit Theresa May, holding hands in late January. After the election, where May lost her majority but retained power in the UK, Trump called to offer his &quot;warm support&quot;.

Bernie Sanders called to congratulate the Labour Party&#39;s Jeremy Corbyn, May&#39;s opponent, who while not coming into power gained important seats and achieved a large and surprising success.

(With inputs from Reuters)

The White House denied a report saying Trump told May on the phone that he wouldn't visit the UK, fearing large-scale protests

Prime Minister Theresa May's office said on Sunday there had been no change to plans for US President Donald Trump's to come to Britain on a state visit, after the Guardian newspaper reported the trip had been postponed. The paper, citing an unidentified adviser at May's Downing Street office who was in the room at the time, reported Trump had told May by telephone in recent weeks that he did not want to come if there were likely to be large-scale protests. "We aren’t going to comment on speculation about the contents of private phone conversations," a spokeswoman for May's office said. "The queen extended an invitation to President Trump to visit the UK and there is no change to those plans." Meanwhile, the White House also denied the Guardian report, with an administration official telling Reuters, "The subject never came up on the call." No date has been set for the visit, which was agreed during May's visit to Washington in January, but British media had reported it was planned for October. May's hold on power has been significantly weakened since the results of a snap election last week cost her Conservative Party a parliamentary majority. In a bid to save her position, May has been trying to form a government with Northern Ireland's Democratic Unionist Party, or DUP, a small faction of social conservatives. She needs eight seats to form a majority, and the DUP hold ten. British politics is going through an upheaval just a week before talks begin on Britain's exit from the European Union, set for 2019. Trump's public criticism this month of London Mayor Sadiq Khan's response to an attack by Islamist militants in London was condemned in Britain. May found herself forced to defend Khan, who is from the opposition Labour party. Pathetic excuse by London Mayor Sadiq Khan who had to think fast on his "no reason to be alarmed" statement. MSM is working hard to sell it! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 5, 2017 × At that time, Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson said there was no reason to cancel the visit, while White House spokesman Sean Spicer said that Trump intended to go and that "he appreciates Her Majesty's gracious invitation". Trump said he was unwilling to explicitly endorse a candidate in the UK election, but he had appeared with pro-Brexit Theresa May, holding hands in late January. After the election, where May lost her majority but retained power in the UK, Trump called to offer his "warm support". Bernie Sanders called to congratulate the Labour Party's Jeremy Corbyn, May's opponent, who while not coming into power gained important seats and achieved a large and surprising success. (With inputs from Reuters)

Will Trump visit UK? May, White House deny Guardian report, say trip still on

A British author ate his book during a live TV show after his prediction that the opposition Labour party would poll less than 38 per cent votes went wrong.

Matthew Goodwin, 35, a professor of politics at the University of Kent, is the co-author of &#39;Brexit: Why Britain voted to leave the European Union&#39;.

He said in a tweet last month that he did not think Jeremy Corbyn&#39;s Labour party would poll 38 per cent in the general election on June 8. However, the Labour party won 40.3 per cent of the vote.

&quot;I&#39;m saying this out loud. I do not believe that Labour, under Jeremy Corbyn, will poll 38%. I will happily eat my new Brexit book if they do,&quot; he had tweeted.

After the results came in, Goodwin was trolled by Labour supporters for his tweet.

Appearing on Sky News yesterday, he was asked if he is a man of his word, to which he replied: &quot;Well indeed I am. I was surprised that Jeremy Corbyn got two percentage points more than I had expected, and I did say that I would eat this book,&quot; Metro news reported.

&quot;Two percentage points makes a big difference, I am a man of my word, so what I am going to do is just sit here and eat my book, while you guys carry on,&quot; he said as he began eating pages of his book, the report said.

Goodwin scrunched up a piece of paper and uncomfortably shoved it into his mouth and said: &quot;It is actually a hardback, there are lots of chemicals but I have got to get through the whole thing.&quot;

He then gave a slightly sad thumbs up to the camera. Later, a Sky News producer tweeted that Goodwin did not swallow the page he was munching on, the report added.

(PTI)&nbsp;

After underestimating Corbyn's success by 2%, Goodwin delivered on his promise and chewed pages from his Brexit book

A British author ate his book during a live TV show after his prediction that the opposition Labour party would poll less than 38 per cent votes went wrong. Matthew Goodwin, 35, a professor of politics at the University of Kent, is the co-author of 'Brexit: Why Britain voted to leave the European Union'. He said in a tweet last month that he did not think Jeremy Corbyn's Labour party would poll 38 per cent in the general election on June 8. However, the Labour party won 40.3 per cent of the vote. "I'm saying this out loud. I do not believe that Labour, under Jeremy Corbyn, will poll 38%. I will happily eat my new Brexit book if they do," he had tweeted. After the results came in, Goodwin was trolled by Labour supporters for his tweet. Appearing on Sky News yesterday, he was asked if he is a man of his word, to which he replied: "Well indeed I am. I was surprised that Jeremy Corbyn got two percentage points more than I had expected, and I did say that I would eat this book," Metro news reported. "Two percentage points makes a big difference, I am a man of my word, so what I am going to do is just sit here and eat my book, while you guys carry on," he said as he began eating pages of his book, the report said. Goodwin scrunched up a piece of paper and uncomfortably shoved it into his mouth and said: "It is actually a hardback, there are lots of chemicals but I have got to get through the whole thing." He then gave a slightly sad thumbs up to the camera. Later, a Sky News producer tweeted that Goodwin did not swallow the page he was munching on, the report added. (PTI)

Author eats his book on live TV after incorrect UK poll prediction

British Prime Minister Theresa May&#39;s two closest aides announced their resignations Saturday after a crushing electoral setback that left her authority in tatters.

Senior members of the ruling Conservative party had reportedly made the departure of Nick Timothy and Fiona Hill a condition of allowing May to stay on after losing her parliamentary majority in Thursday&#39;s vote.

But it will be another blow to the prime minister, who has been heavily reliant on their advice and support since her previous job at the interior ministry.

Timothy said he had resigned on Friday after the result was confirmed, and took responsibility for the Conservative manifesto, including a botched plan for elderly social care that caused a major backlash.

But he wrote on the ConservativeHome website: &quot;The reason for the disappointing result was not the absence of support for Theresa May and the Conservatives but an unexpected surge in support for Labour.&quot;

A party spokesman confirmed Hill had also resigned.

Timothy and Hill have been accused of creating a &quot;toxic&quot; atmosphere in Downing Street.

May&#39;s former director of communications, Katie Perrior, had earlier recounted the &quot;terrible&quot; atmosphere at meetings attended by the pair, whom she said showed no respect for other staff or even ministers.

&quot;I felt what the prime minister needs when you&#39;re going through a tough time like negotiating Brexit is diplomats, not street fighters,&quot; Perrior, who quit before the election, told BBC radio.&nbsp;

&quot;They really only know one way to operate and that&#39;s to have enemies and I&#39;m sure I&#39;m one of those this morning.&quot;

&#39;Furtive&#39;&nbsp;

The Conservative-backing Daily Telegraph newspaper had earlier warned: &quot;Mrs May must accept that the result is an indictment of the furtive way she does business.

&quot;She needs to be more collegiate, seeking the advice of the cabinet and backbench MPs while reducing her almost total reliance on a tiny cadre of advisors.&quot;

Timothy had been widely blamed for the social care plan, over which May was forced to backtrack in the middle of the election campaign following signs it was hitting the party&#39;s core support.

Hill has also made enemies with her combative style, confronting anyone -- including staff, ministers and journalists -- who seemed less than loyal to her boss.

Sky News anchor Adam Bolton read out a text message she had sent to him live on air after he mentioned the health of the prime minister, who has diabetes.

&quot;Tell Bunter (Bolton) that he should watch what he says about my boss&#39;s health. Utterly unfounded and untrue. We will be making a formal complaint,&quot; she wrote.

Last December, Hill also told senior Conservative lawmaker Nicky Morgan to keep away from Downing Street after criticising the premier for her expensive leather trousers.

(AFP)

Nick Timothy and Fiona Hill resigned as their presence in May's coterie was viewed by many party insiders as toxic

British Prime Minister Theresa May's two closest aides announced their resignations Saturday after a crushing electoral setback that left her authority in tatters. Senior members of the ruling Conservative party had reportedly made the departure of Nick Timothy and Fiona Hill a condition of allowing May to stay on after losing her parliamentary majority in Thursday's vote. But it will be another blow to the prime minister, who has been heavily reliant on their advice and support since her previous job at the interior ministry. Timothy said he had resigned on Friday after the result was confirmed, and took responsibility for the Conservative manifesto, including a botched plan for elderly social care that caused a major backlash. But he wrote on the ConservativeHome website: "The reason for the disappointing result was not the absence of support for Theresa May and the Conservatives but an unexpected surge in support for Labour." A party spokesman confirmed Hill had also resigned. Timothy and Hill have been accused of creating a "toxic" atmosphere in Downing Street. May's former director of communications, Katie Perrior, had earlier recounted the "terrible" atmosphere at meetings attended by the pair, whom she said showed no respect for other staff or even ministers. "I felt what the prime minister needs when you're going through a tough time like negotiating Brexit is diplomats, not street fighters," Perrior, who quit before the election, told BBC radio. "They really only know one way to operate and that's to have enemies and I'm sure I'm one of those this morning." 'Furtive' The Conservative-backing Daily Telegraph newspaper had earlier warned: "Mrs May must accept that the result is an indictment of the furtive way she does business. "She needs to be more collegiate, seeking the advice of the cabinet and backbench MPs while reducing her almost total reliance on a tiny cadre of advisors." Timothy had been widely blamed for the social care plan, over which May was forced to backtrack in the middle of the election campaign following signs it was hitting the party's core support. Hill has also made enemies with her combative style, confronting anyone -- including staff, ministers and journalists -- who seemed less than loyal to her boss. Sky News anchor Adam Bolton read out a text message she had sent to him live on air after he mentioned the health of the prime minister, who has diabetes. "Tell Bunter (Bolton) that he should watch what he says about my boss's health. Utterly unfounded and untrue. We will be making a formal complaint," she wrote. Last December, Hill also told senior Conservative lawmaker Nicky Morgan to keep away from Downing Street after criticising the premier for her expensive leather trousers. (AFP)

Theresa May's two closest aides step down amid poll setback

BBC journalist David Dimbleby was &#39;struck&#39; by a fly on air today as he was announcing the British election results.

Dimbleby quickly swatted the fly away on air saying,&quot;there is a fly in the studio which is rather irritating me, it has been irritating me for the last three days but it still keeps coming around and flies into my ears.&quot;

The fly began trending on social media with the Twitter handle @BBCElectionFly, the bio read: &quot;Trolling David Dimbleby&#39;s head. Live on TV. Getting a good buzz&quot;

&nbsp;

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David, we can hear you...
&mdash; BBC Election Fly (@BBCElectionFly) <a href="https://twitter.com/BBCElectionFly/status/872972399179943936">June 9, 2017</a></blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
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Watch the Video:<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="480" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/fZ9Q1rmAQao" width="854"></iframe>

BBC journalist David Dimbleby was 'struck' by a fly on air today as he was announcing the British election results

BBC journalist David Dimbleby was 'struck' by a fly on air today as he was announcing the British election results. Dimbleby quickly swatted the fly away on air saying,"there is a fly in the studio which is rather irritating me, it has been irritating me for the last three days but it still keeps coming around and flies into my ears." The fly began trending on social media with the Twitter handle @BBCElectionFly, the bio read: "Trolling David Dimbleby's head. Live on TV. Getting a good buzz" David, we can hear you... — BBC Election Fly (@BBCElectionFly) June 9, 2017 × Watch the Video:

Fly 'trolls' BBC journalist David Dimbleby on air

UK Elections 2017 has been a tight race between the Conservatives and Labour party candidates. While PM Theresa May was sure of making it to the finished line with a majority, Jeremy Corbyn has managed to pull a masterstroke.&nbsp;

Jeremy Bernard Corbyn, 68, the grand old man of British politics had a different game plan from the beginning. His policies and the Labour party&#39;s manifesto stood its ground on local and domestic issues that made a connect with the British citizens. Corbyn was able to shave off Theresa May&#39;s lead in the popularity polls in the last two weeks. His focus on education, security, income tax and importantly his stance on Brexit clearly touched a chord while May and her party did not have a solid post-Brexit roadmap for UK citizens.&nbsp;

Corbyn has served as Leader of the Labour Party and Leader of the Opposition since 12 September 2015. He was born in Chippenham and is the youngest of the four sons in the family.&nbsp;

Always a crusader, while still in&nbsp;school, he became active in The Wrekin constituency Young Socialists, his local Labour Party, and the League Against Cruel Sports.&nbsp; 
He joined the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND) in 1966 whilst at school and later became one of its three vice-chairs.

&nbsp;

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Whatever the final result, our positive campaign has changed politics for the better. <a href="https://t.co/EHLta2rnIW">pic.twitter.com/EHLta2rnIW</a>
&mdash; Jeremy Corbyn (@jeremycorbyn) <a href="https://twitter.com/jeremycorbyn/status/872975310249230336">June 9, 2017</a></blockquote>
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&nbsp;

Brexit:

Corbyn has consistently spoken for Britain to remain as an EU member but after the referendum result, Corbyn over the last two weeks of campaigning has maintained that the &ldquo;result must be respected&rdquo; and a &quot;close new relationship with the EU&quot; should be targeted. He said that one of his first acts as Britain&#39;s prime minister would be to call German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Emmanuel Macron to chalk out a plan for Brexit. He also promised to guarantee the rights of EU citizens based in the UK while&nbsp;rejecting the idea of &#39;no deal&#39; in EU negotiations.

<h3>&nbsp;</h3>

Education:

What also added&nbsp;to his popularity&nbsp;is his commitment to education and providing for the youth by announcing the scrapping of tuition fees for universities. He also announced&nbsp;the scrapping of upfront costs for colleges and further education courses while reintroducing maintenance grants for students. He also wooed&nbsp;new mothers by plugging the gap in childcare after maternity leave helping them to come back to work with the aid of National Education Service.

<h3>&nbsp;</h3>

Terrorism:

In the wake of London Bridge terror attacks, both May and Corbyn differ on opinions. Corbyn chose to not support counter-terrorism legislation as a parliamentarian. He promised to reverse the cutting of around 20,000 police officers since 2010. He also vowed his support for Trident, that is&nbsp;UK&rsquo;s Vanguard fleet of submarines carrying nuclear missiles. Corbyn has however been a strong opponent of&nbsp;nuclear weapons.

<h3>&nbsp;</h3>

Income Tax:

Motivated to ensure that the national debt is reduced, Corbyn in his party&rsquo;s manifesto looked&nbsp;to raise tax revenues from the top earners in the country. For those earning above &pound;80,000 ($103,544), income tax rate would increase 45 per cent for earnings above the amount and then to 50 pence in each pound for people with an income of more than &pound;123,000.

<h3>&nbsp;</h3>

Trump:

Before Trump had withdrawn from the Paris climate accord and talks were still on, Corbyn spoke about calling US President Donald Trump and urging him to not withdraw from the accord. He continuously criticised May&rsquo;s approach in dealing with Trump calling it &quot;dereliction of duty&quot; when she failed to sign a joint statement with other EU leaders condemning the US administration.&nbsp;

<h3>&nbsp;</h3>

Iraq War:

Corbyn identifies himself as an anti-war activist. In October 2001, Corbyn was elected to the steering committee of the Stop the War Coalition, which was formed to oppose the Afghanistan War. He also opposed the Iraq War in 2003 and spoke at anti-war rallies in Britain and overseas. He helped organise the February anti-Iraq War protest which was claimed to be the largest such protest in British political history. In 2006, Corbyn was one of 12 Labour MPs to support Plaid Cymru and the Scottish National Party&#39;s call for a parliamentary inquiry into the Iraq War.&nbsp; 
 
(WION) 
&nbsp;

Labour party leader Jeremy Corbyn almost singlehandedly chipped PM Theresa May's political capital

UK Elections 2017 has been a tight race between the Conservatives and Labour party candidates. While PM Theresa May was sure of making it to the finished line with a majority, Jeremy Corbyn has managed to pull a masterstroke. Jeremy Bernard Corbyn, 68, the grand old man of British politics had a different game plan from the beginning. His policies and the Labour party's manifesto stood its ground on local and domestic issues that made a connect with the British citizens. Corbyn was able to shave off Theresa May's lead in the popularity polls in the last two weeks. His focus on education, security, income tax and importantly his stance on Brexit clearly touched a chord while May and her party did not have a solid post-Brexit roadmap for UK citizens. Corbyn has served as Leader of the Labour Party and Leader of the Opposition since 12 September 2015. He was born in Chippenham and is the youngest of the four sons in the family. Always a crusader, while still in school, he became active in The Wrekin constituency Young Socialists, his local Labour Party, and the League Against Cruel Sports. He joined the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND) in 1966 whilst at school and later became one of its three vice-chairs. Whatever the final result, our positive campaign has changed politics for the better. pic.twitter.com/EHLta2rnIW — Jeremy Corbyn (@jeremycorbyn) June 9, 2017 × Brexit: Corbyn has consistently spoken for Britain to remain as an EU member but after the referendum result, Corbyn over the last two weeks of campaigning has maintained that the “result must be respected” and a "close new relationship with the EU" should be targeted. He said that one of his first acts as Britain's prime minister would be to call German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Emmanuel Macron to chalk out a plan for Brexit. He also promised to guarantee the rights of EU citizens based in the UK while rejecting the idea of 'no deal' in EU negotiations. Education: What also added to his popularity is his commitment to education and providing for the youth by announcing the scrapping of tuition fees for universities. He also announced the scrapping of upfront costs for colleges and further education courses while reintroducing maintenance grants for students. He also wooed new mothers by plugging the gap in childcare after maternity leave helping them to come back to work with the aid of National Education Service. Terrorism: In the wake of London Bridge terror attacks, both May and Corbyn differ on opinions. Corbyn chose to not support counter-terrorism legislation as a parliamentarian. He promised to reverse the cutting of around 20,000 police officers since 2010. He also vowed his support for Trident, that is UK’s Vanguard fleet of submarines carrying nuclear missiles. Corbyn has however been a strong opponent of nuclear weapons. Income Tax: Motivated to ensure that the national debt is reduced, Corbyn in his party’s manifesto looked to raise tax revenues from the top earners in the country. For those earning above £80,000 ($103,544), income tax rate would increase 45 per cent for earnings above the amount and then to 50 pence in each pound for people with an income of more than £123,000. Trump: Before Trump had withdrawn from the Paris climate accord and talks were still on, Corbyn spoke about calling US President Donald Trump and urging him to not withdraw from the accord. He continuously criticised May’s approach in dealing with Trump calling it "dereliction of duty" when she failed to sign a joint statement with other EU leaders condemning the US administration. Iraq War: Corbyn identifies himself as an anti-war activist. In October 2001, Corbyn was elected to the steering committee of the Stop the War Coalition, which was formed to oppose the Afghanistan War. He also opposed the Iraq War in 2003 and spoke at anti-war rallies in Britain and overseas. He helped organise the February anti-Iraq War protest which was claimed to be the largest such protest in British political history. In 2006, Corbyn was one of 12 Labour MPs to support Plaid Cymru and the Scottish National Party's call for a parliamentary inquiry into the Iraq War. (WION)

How ?Corbyn strategy? stumped PM May

By Ankit Saproo

British PM Theresa May&#39;s decision to call for early snap elections in April was guided mainly by polls which pointed to a huge victory. However, as early results poured in it clearly revealed&nbsp;Britain was a different country two months ago.

Her political instinct was clearly out of sync with reality. A majority&nbsp;would have given her an entire five-year term to negotiate the Brexit process on her own terms.&nbsp;

In her speech announcing the early elections, May had said, &quot;It was with reluctance that I decided the country needs this election, but it is with strong conviction that I say it is necessary to secure the strong and stable leadership the country needs to see us through Brexit and beyond.&quot;

A confident May even suggested to&nbsp;the British people that they should vote for the Conservative party&nbsp;if they want Brexit to be a success.&nbsp;Unfortunately, the election results out today prove&nbsp;her political instincts were&nbsp;clearly out of sync with reality.

What led to the failure?

Just like her predecessor ex-prime minister David Cameron, May was against Brexit but remained silent during the entire campaign leading up to the referendum on June 23, 2016.

David Cameron resigned as the Prime Minister&nbsp;after Britain voted in favour of Brexit.&nbsp;Theresa May, who was home secretary in the Cameron government, took over as the next Prime Minister and quickly became a votary of Brexit saying that it is what the people wanted. In the end, it was her &#39;Great Switch&#39; which was rejected by the British people.&nbsp;

On March 29, 2016, she won a major victory in the UK Parliament when the European Union Bill was passed by a huge majority with the support of the Labour party. The Scottish National Party and the Liberal Democrats had opposed the bill.

With the bipartisan support for the bill to initiate the process of UK&#39;s exit, Theresa May activated Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty. This was a major victory for the Theresa May-led government and gave her the confidence to go for what has been described as &quot;Hard Brexit&quot;.

In a <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/british-pm-theresa-may-signs-letter-that-will-start-brexit-13913">letter to the European Council President Donald Tusk</a>, Theresa May said that the Brexit referendum &quot;was a vote to restore, as we see it, our national self-determination&quot;.

Donald Tusk urged Theresa May not to let &quot;emotions&quot;&nbsp;get in the way of the negotiating process as it would lead to talks collapsing even before they start.

The appeal from the European Council President came after Theresa May accused Brussels of meddling in the election process and undermining British stance on the terms of negotiations governing Brexit.&nbsp;With her allegedly hard position on Brexit negotiations, she alienated most of UK&#39;s allies in the European Union.&nbsp;

What next?

With&nbsp;the Conservative party losing the majority in the House of Commons&nbsp;Theresa May is clearly handicapped, almost a lame duck when she leads the Brexit talks.

In fact, analysts are already hinting at the possibility of a new referendum on Brexit. The House is clearly divided after this historic verdict. Is this the beginning of the end of Brexit or end of a&nbsp;new beginning? &nbsp; &nbsp;

(WION)&nbsp;

May even went to the extent of suggesting that the British people should vote the Conservatives to power if they want Brexit to be a success, a report in The Guardian said

By Ankit Saproo British PM Theresa May's decision to call for early snap elections in April was guided mainly by polls which pointed to a huge victory. However, as early results poured in it clearly revealed Britain was a different country two months ago. Her political instinct was clearly out of sync with reality. A majority would have given her an entire five-year term to negotiate the Brexit process on her own terms. In her speech announcing the early elections, May had said, "It was with reluctance that I decided the country needs this election, but it is with strong conviction that I say it is necessary to secure the strong and stable leadership the country needs to see us through Brexit and beyond." A confident May even suggested to the British people that they should vote for the Conservative party if they want Brexit to be a success. Unfortunately, the election results out today prove her political instincts were clearly out of sync with reality. What led to the failure? Just like her predecessor ex-prime minister David Cameron, May was against Brexit but remained silent during the entire campaign leading up to the referendum on June 23, 2016. David Cameron resigned as the Prime Minister after Britain voted in favour of Brexit. Theresa May, who was home secretary in the Cameron government, took over as the next Prime Minister and quickly became a votary of Brexit saying that it is what the people wanted. In the end, it was her 'Great Switch' which was rejected by the British people. On March 29, 2016, she won a major victory in the UK Parliament when the European Union Bill was passed by a huge majority with the support of the Labour party. The Scottish National Party and the Liberal Democrats had opposed the bill. With the bipartisan support for the bill to initiate the process of UK's exit, Theresa May activated Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty. This was a major victory for the Theresa May-led government and gave her the confidence to go for what has been described as "Hard Brexit". In a letter to the European Council President Donald Tusk, Theresa May said that the Brexit referendum "was a vote to restore, as we see it, our national self-determination". Donald Tusk urged Theresa May not to let "emotions" get in the way of the negotiating process as it would lead to talks collapsing even before they start. The appeal from the European Council President came after Theresa May accused Brussels of meddling in the election process and undermining British stance on the terms of negotiations governing Brexit. With her allegedly hard position on Brexit negotiations, she alienated most of UK's allies in the European Union. What next? With the Conservative party losing the majority in the House of Commons Theresa May is clearly handicapped, almost a lame duck when she leads the Brexit talks. In fact, analysts are already hinting at the possibility of a new referendum on Brexit. The House is clearly divided after this historic verdict. Is this the beginning of the end of Brexit or end of a new beginning? (WION)

Theresa May's gamble and why it failed

British voters spent Friday frantically Googling the name of a small Northern Irish party whose 290,000 votes and 10 seats in parliament hold the balance of power in the national parliament representing the United Kingdom&#39;s 65 million people.&nbsp;

As Britons awoke to news that Prime Minister Theresa May would have to turn to the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) for support after unexpectedly losing her parliamentary majority in an election, the Northern Irish party&#39;s website crashed under the weight of curiosity.

A giant screen on Sky News asked &quot;WHO ARE THE DUP?&quot; and data from Google showed searches spiked significantly in the hours after the election results emerged.

Some remembered it as the party of Ian Paisley, the firebrand Protestant cleric who once heckled the Pope himself, calling him the antichrist.

The DUP forged its combative brand of British nationalism in the Protestant areas of 1970s Belfast as the bloody &quot;Troubles&quot; pitched hardline unionists fighting to remain part of Britain against mainly Catholic nationalists seeking a united Ireland.

Others noted that the party now was one of the most socially conservative in Europe, having sought to maintain some of the continent&#39;s strictest restrictions on abortion and consistently opposed gay marriage.

It recently backed the right of a Belfast bakery to refuse to make a cake with a gay rights slogan and proposed a law to allow religious business people to refuse to serve people where that would conflict with their religious beliefs.

At least one senior party member has defended creationism, the theory that the world was created by God 10,000 years ago.

And Paisley once declared the country and western style of dancing as &quot;sinful&quot;.

Same sex

In a pointed Twitter post linking to a speech describing the legalisation of same-sex marriage as life-changing, the openly gay Scottish Conservative leader Ruth Davidson reminded the potential new partners of the government that she was a &quot;Protestant Unionist about to marry an Irish Catholic.&quot;

Davidson&#39;s Scottish Conservatives went from one seat to 13 in the election, giving the national party one of its few success stories on the night.&nbsp;

On Facebook, a post by a group calling for a protest against the Conserative-DUP tie-up attracted the interest of over 3,000 people.

May&#39;s former cabinet colleague George Osborne also could not resist a dig with a cartoon in the Evening Standard newspaper he edits which made an unflattering reference to the Orange Order, the group founded in 1795 who march the streets of Northern Ireland every year to protect Protestant interests.

The cartoon showed a member of the order in a trademark black bowler hat and orange sash with a tiny, angry-looking May in his front pocket.

&nbsp;

&nbsp;

A giant screen on Sky News asked "WHO ARE THE DUP?" and data from Google showed searches spiked significantly in the hours after the election results emerged

British voters spent Friday frantically Googling the name of a small Northern Irish party whose 290,000 votes and 10 seats in parliament hold the balance of power in the national parliament representing the United Kingdom's 65 million people. As Britons awoke to news that Prime Minister Theresa May would have to turn to the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) for support after unexpectedly losing her parliamentary majority in an election, the Northern Irish party's website crashed under the weight of curiosity. A giant screen on Sky News asked "WHO ARE THE DUP?" and data from Google showed searches spiked significantly in the hours after the election results emerged. Some remembered it as the party of Ian Paisley, the firebrand Protestant cleric who once heckled the Pope himself, calling him the antichrist. The DUP forged its combative brand of British nationalism in the Protestant areas of 1970s Belfast as the bloody "Troubles" pitched hardline unionists fighting to remain part of Britain against mainly Catholic nationalists seeking a united Ireland. Others noted that the party now was one of the most socially conservative in Europe, having sought to maintain some of the continent's strictest restrictions on abortion and consistently opposed gay marriage. It recently backed the right of a Belfast bakery to refuse to make a cake with a gay rights slogan and proposed a law to allow religious business people to refuse to serve people where that would conflict with their religious beliefs. At least one senior party member has defended creationism, the theory that the world was created by God 10,000 years ago. And Paisley once declared the country and western style of dancing as "sinful". Same sex In a pointed Twitter post linking to a speech describing the legalisation of same-sex marriage as life-changing, the openly gay Scottish Conservative leader Ruth Davidson reminded the potential new partners of the government that she was a "Protestant Unionist about to marry an Irish Catholic." Davidson's Scottish Conservatives went from one seat to 13 in the election, giving the national party one of its few success stories on the night. On Facebook, a post by a group calling for a protest against the Conserative-DUP tie-up attracted the interest of over 3,000 people. May's former cabinet colleague George Osborne also could not resist a dig with a cartoon in the Evening Standard newspaper he edits which made an unflattering reference to the Orange Order, the group founded in 1795 who march the streets of Northern Ireland every year to protect Protestant interests. The cartoon showed a member of the order in a trademark black bowler hat and orange sash with a tiny, angry-looking May in his front pocket.

British voters ask 'Who are the DUP?'

&nbsp;

Stuart Wilks-Heeg, head of politics, University of Liverpool

Theresa May is in deep, deep trouble. We know why she called the election; she wanted a bigger majority and a strong mandate ahead of the Brexit negotiations. At the time, it looked like she couldn&rsquo;t fail, and now it seems that she has failed spectacularly. The campaign has fatally undermined her leadership, and the one thing that could have saved her &ndash; if she came through with a strong majority for the Conservative party &ndash; hasn&rsquo;t happened. I think she is finished politically &ndash; whether she resigns, or is pushed out by her own party remains to be seen.

Kathryn Simpson, lecturer in politics and public services, Manchester Metropolitan University

Dubbed the Brexit election, this general election provided very little clarity and specific details on what Brexit negotiations would be and what a post-Brexit UK would look like. And the electorate has recognised this.

There will not be the <a href="https://theconversation.com/strong-and-stable-leadership-inside-the-conservatives-election-slogan-77121">strong and stable government</a> by the time Brexit negotations begin on June 19. That will have a robust impact on Brexit.

The Brexit clock started ticking when May triggered Article 50 in March. Taking six weeks out of the <a href="https://blogs.surrey.ac.uk/politics/2017/03/24/an-article-50-timeline-infographic/">two-year Brexit negotiating window</a> to conduct a general election was risky, as it has eaten into the time available to deal with the EU. Now, with so much uncertainty about how the next government will be formed, more time will inevitably be lost.

Daniel Fitzpatrick, lecturer in politics, Aston University

In an election called to secure a clear mandate for Brexit, the result is no obvious mandate for any party. The mandate for the Conservative version of hard Brexit is in tatters, while a second independence referendum in Scotland is moot given the swing away from the SNP towards the unionist parties &ndash; the Scottish Conservatives particularly.

Political commentators are fond of naming elections, as a shorthand for the dominant issue of the day: the 1983 &ldquo;Falklands&rdquo; election, the 2005 &ldquo;Iraq&rdquo; election. Psephologists will tell you that such retrospective rationalisations do little to convey the complexities of voting behaviour.

But, rarely has an election been characterised so one-dimensionally before the campaign even begun. Although labelled the &ldquo;Brexit election&rdquo; by the Conservatives, Theresa May did little to establish that narrative beyond her supposed leadership credentials, which, to put it mildly, faltered. It figured surprisingly little in the election campaigns of the other mainstream parties, except for the Liberal Democrats.

Taking a largely ambivalent stance on EU, Labour has gained Remain seats in London and the South East and retained and won back marginal Leave seats in the North. It looks like neither the so-called Leave or Remain vote offers a reliable indication of the new electoral map. It has figured in certain parts of the country, but nowhere near as decisive as imagined.

William McDougall, lecturer in politics, Glasgow Caledonian University

The Conservative party are performing much better in Scotland than anywhere else. In that sense, Scotland is again having its own election, different from the rest of the UK. This is probably due to the fact that the Scottish Conservatives have been able to run a separate campaign, disassociating themselves from Theresa May and the poor campaign the Conservatives have run in the UK as a whole. They&rsquo;ve been able to focus on an anti-independence, anti-SNP message. But that does mean that it&rsquo;s less clear what else the Scottish Conservative MPs stand for. Once they start voting in Westminster, we&rsquo;ll have a clearer idea of where they stand on other policies.

The Scottish Conservatives could now play quite a vital role in the Westminster parliament. It could make all the difference for May as she attempts to hold on to power. It&rsquo;s ironic: people often say that Scotland never gets to influence UK election results, and now it could be the Scottish Conservatives who keep the party on top. It puts Ruth Davidson in a strong position within the Conservative party, although it might not have an impact on the direction of Brexit: the new Scottish Conservative MPs are likely to behave themselves in that respect.

John Garry, professor of political behaviour, Queen&rsquo;s University Belfast

It seems that the two big parties have swept away all the others in Northern Ireland. Apart from an independent unionist candidate retaining her seat, the hardline unionist party, the Democratic Unionist Party, have had a great electoral night at the expense of the Ulster Unionist Party, which has lost its two seats. On the nationalist side, it has been a dreadful election for the moderate Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP), which has lost its three seats. The more hardline nationalists, Sinn Fein, have dramatically increased their support.

With the cross-party Alliance also winning no seats, the overall picture emerging is of a more polarised politics in Northern Ireland. This bodes ill for the kind of compromise and conciliation that will be needed to re-establish a power sharing government &ndash; a process that was effectively put on hold once Theresa May called this snap Westminster election.

It is ironic that both the DUP and Sinn Fein, which are finding it difficult to form a government in Northern Ireland, were regarded as potentially key players in the election night commentary on government formation at Westminster. Would Sinn Fein change its policy of abstention and possibly prop up a Jeremy Corbyn premiership? &ldquo;No&rdquo;, was <a href="https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/3758550/gerry-adams-congratulates-jeremy-corbyn-after-shock-election-2017-exit-poll-result/">the quick response</a> from the Sinn Fein leadership. It&rsquo;s more plausible that the DUP could play a crucial role in sustaining a Conservative administration.

Darren Lilleker, associate professor of political communication, Bournemouth University

Exit polls have generally been fairly accurate in recent UK elections. If that is the case in 2017, the result is cataclysmic for the Conservatives. Labour would not only have increased its number of seats in parliament but also undermined the stranglehold of the neo-liberal societal narrative on public attitudes. This could represent a sea-change in the nation&rsquo;s politics.

Labour supporters are somewhat triumphalist. It is still a bit early. It will be almost impossible for Labour to have a majority, and it&rsquo;s still unknown if the Conservatives will be the majority party in a minority government. But if the rumours are true, Labour have the momentum.

Why might this be? This is the most interesting question. It would appear that the Conservative message of offering strong and stable government may well have failed, whereas the more nebulous &ndash; but <a href="https://theconversation.com/manifesto-check-do-labour-party-tax-and-spending-plans-add-up-77883">also unproven</a> &ndash; Labour platform has traction. What&rsquo;s more, the UKIP vote has collapsed, while at the same time we see the emergence of the two-party state. UKIP voters have not exclusively moved to the Conservatives while other party voters seem dispersed &ndash; the electoral terrain never seemed less certain.

Todd K. Hartman, lecturer in quantitative social science, University of Sheffield

After catching their breath, the first question most people were asking was whether they could trust the results of this exit poll.

The <a href="https://theconversation.com/uk-election-exit-poll-puts-conservatives-short-of-a-majority-experts-react-79169">short answer is yes</a>. While the official seat count may differ in either direction due to sampling error, exit polls have provided reliable estimates in past elections.

Exit polling is done at selected polling stations within constituencies with sufficiently large samples to reduce uncertainty around the estimates. They include responses from tens of thousands of voters, while most national opinion polls have sample sizes of around 1,200.

The exit polls only include responses from actual voters. Opinion polls must rely on vote intentions and the likelihood that a particular respondent will actually cast their ballot on election day.

However, like most opinion polls, exit polls are not based on probability samples and are thus not entirely representative of the voting public. This process of sampling introduces error, which is why the exit poll estimates may be different than the certified seat counts.

James Tilley, professor of politics, University of Oxford

Poll leads for the Conservatives over the past couple of weeks have varied enormously. Much of the variation, although by no means all, has been due to the way that the pollsters predicted people&rsquo;s likelihood to turnout.

The polls with the highest leads for the Conservatives tended to predict low voting rates among younger people and people in working class jobs. We&rsquo;ve seen this pattern of non-voting for the past few elections, arguably because these groups had become disillusioned with Labour. The polls with the lowest leads for the Conservatives assumed that these two groups would turn out to vote at higher levels than in 2015. The argument here was that Labour under Jeremy Corbyn is a more attractive proposition to more economically left-wing people. So who was right?

Obviously, we won&rsquo;t know the actual result and we won&rsquo;t know exact rates of turnout by age and social class for several months until the British Election Survey reports back, but the exit poll does seem to suggest that young people have turned out in larger numbers than at the past few elections.

Generally campaigns are not thought to matter enormously, but this may be the exception that proves the rule. Labour has evidently either converted some people who said they would vote Conservative a few months ago, or mobilised people who said that they wouldn&rsquo;t vote.

<img alt="The Conversation" height="1" src="https://counter.theconversation.edu.au/content/79169/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" width="1" />It&rsquo;s likely that both conversion and particularly mobilisation have been higher among younger voters. While it&rsquo;s not a successful night for Labour in that it is still predicted to have 50 fewer seats than the Conservatives, at this stage it appears a clear success for the Labour campaign strategy.

&nbsp;

This article was originally published on <a href="http://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a>. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/uk-election-results-stun-conservatives-outcome-hangs-in-balance-experts-react-79169">original article</a>.

&nbsp;

It appears Theresa May?s snap election gamble has backfired

Stuart Wilks-Heeg, head of politics, University of Liverpool Theresa May is in deep, deep trouble. We know why she called the election; she wanted a bigger majority and a strong mandate ahead of the Brexit negotiations. At the time, it looked like she couldn’t fail, and now it seems that she has failed spectacularly. The campaign has fatally undermined her leadership, and the one thing that could have saved her – if she came through with a strong majority for the Conservative party – hasn’t happened. I think she is finished politically – whether she resigns, or is pushed out by her own party remains to be seen. Kathryn Simpson, lecturer in politics and public services, Manchester Metropolitan University Dubbed the Brexit election, this general election provided very little clarity and specific details on what Brexit negotiations would be and what a post-Brexit UK would look like. And the electorate has recognised this. There will not be the strong and stable government by the time Brexit negotations begin on June 19. That will have a robust impact on Brexit. The Brexit clock started ticking when May triggered Article 50 in March. Taking six weeks out of the two-year Brexit negotiating window to conduct a general election was risky, as it has eaten into the time available to deal with the EU. Now, with so much uncertainty about how the next government will be formed, more time will inevitably be lost. Daniel Fitzpatrick, lecturer in politics, Aston University In an election called to secure a clear mandate for Brexit, the result is no obvious mandate for any party. The mandate for the Conservative version of hard Brexit is in tatters, while a second independence referendum in Scotland is moot given the swing away from the SNP towards the unionist parties – the Scottish Conservatives particularly. Political commentators are fond of naming elections, as a shorthand for the dominant issue of the day: the 1983 “Falklands” election, the 2005 “Iraq” election. Psephologists will tell you that such retrospective rationalisations do little to convey the complexities of voting behaviour. But, rarely has an election been characterised so one-dimensionally before the campaign even begun. Although labelled the “Brexit election” by the Conservatives, Theresa May did little to establish that narrative beyond her supposed leadership credentials, which, to put it mildly, faltered. It figured surprisingly little in the election campaigns of the other mainstream parties, except for the Liberal Democrats. Taking a largely ambivalent stance on EU, Labour has gained Remain seats in London and the South East and retained and won back marginal Leave seats in the North. It looks like neither the so-called Leave or Remain vote offers a reliable indication of the new electoral map. It has figured in certain parts of the country, but nowhere near as decisive as imagined. William McDougall, lecturer in politics, Glasgow Caledonian University The Conservative party are performing much better in Scotland than anywhere else. In that sense, Scotland is again having its own election, different from the rest of the UK. This is probably due to the fact that the Scottish Conservatives have been able to run a separate campaign, disassociating themselves from Theresa May and the poor campaign the Conservatives have run in the UK as a whole. They’ve been able to focus on an anti-independence, anti-SNP message. But that does mean that it’s less clear what else the Scottish Conservative MPs stand for. Once they start voting in Westminster, we’ll have a clearer idea of where they stand on other policies. The Scottish Conservatives could now play quite a vital role in the Westminster parliament. It could make all the difference for May as she attempts to hold on to power. It’s ironic: people often say that Scotland never gets to influence UK election results, and now it could be the Scottish Conservatives who keep the party on top. It puts Ruth Davidson in a strong position within the Conservative party, although it might not have an impact on the direction of Brexit: the new Scottish Conservative MPs are likely to behave themselves in that respect. John Garry, professor of political behaviour, Queen’s University Belfast It seems that the two big parties have swept away all the others in Northern Ireland. Apart from an independent unionist candidate retaining her seat, the hardline unionist party, the Democratic Unionist Party, have had a great electoral night at the expense of the Ulster Unionist Party, which has lost its two seats. On the nationalist side, it has been a dreadful election for the moderate Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP), which has lost its three seats. The more hardline nationalists, Sinn Fein, have dramatically increased their support. With the cross-party Alliance also winning no seats, the overall picture emerging is of a more polarised politics in Northern Ireland. This bodes ill for the kind of compromise and conciliation that will be needed to re-establish a power sharing government – a process that was effectively put on hold once Theresa May called this snap Westminster election. It is ironic that both the DUP and Sinn Fein, which are finding it difficult to form a government in Northern Ireland, were regarded as potentially key players in the election night commentary on government formation at Westminster. Would Sinn Fein change its policy of abstention and possibly prop up a Jeremy Corbyn premiership? “No”, was the quick response from the Sinn Fein leadership. It’s more plausible that the DUP could play a crucial role in sustaining a Conservative administration. Darren Lilleker, associate professor of political communication, Bournemouth University Exit polls have generally been fairly accurate in recent UK elections. If that is the case in 2017, the result is cataclysmic for the Conservatives. Labour would not only have increased its number of seats in parliament but also undermined the stranglehold of the neo-liberal societal narrative on public attitudes. This could represent a sea-change in the nation’s politics. Labour supporters are somewhat triumphalist. It is still a bit early. It will be almost impossible for Labour to have a majority, and it’s still unknown if the Conservatives will be the majority party in a minority government. But if the rumours are true, Labour have the momentum. Why might this be? This is the most interesting question. It would appear that the Conservative message of offering strong and stable government may well have failed, whereas the more nebulous – but also unproven – Labour platform has traction. What’s more, the UKIP vote has collapsed, while at the same time we see the emergence of the two-party state. UKIP voters have not exclusively moved to the Conservatives while other party voters seem dispersed – the electoral terrain never seemed less certain. Todd K. Hartman, lecturer in quantitative social science, University of Sheffield After catching their breath, the first question most people were asking was whether they could trust the results of this exit poll. The short answer is yes. While the official seat count may differ in either direction due to sampling error, exit polls have provided reliable estimates in past elections. Exit polling is done at selected polling stations within constituencies with sufficiently large samples to reduce uncertainty around the estimates. They include responses from tens of thousands of voters, while most national opinion polls have sample sizes of around 1,200. The exit polls only include responses from actual voters. Opinion polls must rely on vote intentions and the likelihood that a particular respondent will actually cast their ballot on election day. However, like most opinion polls, exit polls are not based on probability samples and are thus not entirely representative of the voting public. This process of sampling introduces error, which is why the exit poll estimates may be different than the certified seat counts. James Tilley, professor of politics, University of Oxford Poll leads for the Conservatives over the past couple of weeks have varied enormously. Much of the variation, although by no means all, has been due to the way that the pollsters predicted people’s likelihood to turnout. The polls with the highest leads for the Conservatives tended to predict low voting rates among younger people and people in working class jobs. We’ve seen this pattern of non-voting for the past few elections, arguably because these groups had become disillusioned with Labour. The polls with the lowest leads for the Conservatives assumed that these two groups would turn out to vote at higher levels than in 2015. The argument here was that Labour under Jeremy Corbyn is a more attractive proposition to more economically left-wing people. So who was right? Obviously, we won’t know the actual result and we won’t know exact rates of turnout by age and social class for several months until the British Election Survey reports back, but the exit poll does seem to suggest that young people have turned out in larger numbers than at the past few elections. Generally campaigns are not thought to matter enormously, but this may be the exception that proves the rule. Labour has evidently either converted some people who said they would vote Conservative a few months ago, or mobilised people who said that they wouldn’t vote. It’s likely that both conversion and particularly mobilisation have been higher among younger voters. While it’s not a successful night for Labour in that it is still predicted to have 50 fewer seats than the Conservatives, at this stage it appears a clear success for the Labour campaign strategy. This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article.

UK election results stun Conservatives: Experts react

&nbsp;

By&nbsp;Rajendra K. Jain*

In calling for a snap UK elections on 8 June 2017 &ndash; the third one in two years &ndash;Prime Minister Theresa May hoped to &ldquo;guarantee certainty and security for years ahead&rdquo; by significantly increasing her majority in Parliament. What she sought was a &ldquo;strong and stable&rdquo; mandate to steer Britain through an uncertain period and ending 44 years of association with the European Union. With a significant 20-point lead, her logic seemed almost infallible at the time of the announcement.

&nbsp;

In the desultory six-week electoral campaign, there was no serious discussion on either Brexit or the key bread-and-butter issues confronting the country. Theresa May ran a dismal campaign. She increasingly came across as an uninspiring, insipid leader who was media-shy and clearly uncomfortable when confronted with difficult questions. She was assailed for making a major policy U-turn on care for the elderly. She also came under severe criticism for her poor handling of recent terror attacks in Manchester and London and for her role as Home Secretary when she oversaw cuts to the police force. On the eve of elections, her significant lead had declined to around 7 per cent.

&nbsp;

The results of recent general elections represent one of the biggest political upsets in British history and a hung parliament for the seventh time since the beginning of the 20th century. In what became a two-party contest, both the Green Party and the right-wing, Euroskeptic United Kingdom Independence Party (UKIP) were wiped out.

&nbsp;

With 649 of 650 seats declared so far, the Conservative Party won 318 seats and loss of a clear majority (down from 331 seats and a majority of 17 seats). The Jeremy Corbyn-led Labour Party got 261 seats for the Labour Party (a gain of 31 seats and a larger voice in Parliament). The smaller parties won Scottish National Party (35 seats), Liberal Democrats (12 seats), and Democratic Union Party (10 seats).

&nbsp;

Theresa May, therefore, grossly miscalculated and ended in a worse situation than in what she was before the elections. By hindsight, the snap general elections seem almost foolhardy: there was no need whatsoever as Theresa May and her party would have remained in office until 2020 if they had not been held.

&nbsp;

As the leader of the largest party with the greatest voting share, Theresa May is making efforts to cobble together a government with the support of the Northern Ireland-based Democratic Unionist Party (DUP).

&nbsp;

While the President of the European Commission Jean-Claude Juncker expressed hope that the election result would have &ldquo;no major impact&rdquo; on Brexit negotiations, and that divorce talks could start as per schedule on 19th June. The EU&rsquo;s chief negotiator Michel Barnier also tweeted that the &ldquo;timetable and EU positions are clear&rdquo; and negotiations should start &ldquo;when the UK is ready&rdquo;. Negotiations will have to be concluded by April 2019, i.e. two years after Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty was triggered. This is fixed in treaty law.

&nbsp;

The EU-27 have mandated a two-stage process: first negotiating the terms of divorce and exit formalities prior to envisaging the architecture of future relations with the UK. London, however, would prefer simultaneous or parallel discussions on divorce terms and future or transitional arrangements in place. There may not be enough time to successfully complete both things.

&nbsp;

Brexit is irreversible. But still, there is no clarity whether it would be a &ldquo;hard&rdquo; or &ldquo;soft&rdquo; Brexit. The former would result in the UK giving up full access to the European single market and customs union, regaining control over borders (and thereby immigration) and freedom to negotiate new trade deals and apply laws within its own territory.

&nbsp;

A &ldquo;soft&rdquo; Brexit, on the other hand, would result in the UK retaining as much of the existing arrangements as possible with unfettered access to the single market. However, London would not get a voice in EU decision-making: no seat in the European Council, no MEPs in the European Parliament and no Commissioner. Such an arrangement would be somewhat like the one that Norway has.

&nbsp;

One of the biggest obstacles to a smooth Brexit is the hardening position of the EU about Britain&rsquo;s Brexit bill. Brussels&rsquo; opening demand has recently been significantly enhanced from the initial &euro;60 billion to &euro;100 billion to cover post-Brexit farm payments and EU administration fees in 2019 and 2010.

&nbsp;

Other difficult questions which need to be addressed include the role of the European Court of Justice during transitional arrangements and whether the UK should stay in all or none of the EU&rsquo;s regulatory regimes.

&nbsp;

Election results will make already complex negotiations more difficult. With a hung parliament and a weak prime minister, it would now become extremely difficult to make the kind of painful and controversial compromises necessary for a Brexit deal. It also leaves the new prime minister with very little wriggling room in dealing with right-wingers in her party. She will be compelled to constantly negotiate on most crucial issues both within the party and with the DUP, which prefers soft borders between the north and south of Ireland.

&nbsp;

Europe has clearly been shocked by the UK election results. We are heading towards a period of greater uncertainty. There is, as Commissioner G&uuml;nther Oettinger put it, a real danger that &ldquo;negotiations will turn out badly for both sides&rdquo;. Plagued as the EU has been with recurrent crises, the continent would like to concentrate on other pressing problems and revive hope in the future of the European project. Brexit is not merely about the future of the UK, but about the future of Europe as well.

&nbsp;

Jain is&nbsp;Professor of European Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi.

Election results will make already complex negotiations on Brexit more difficult

By Rajendra K. Jain* In calling for a snap UK elections on 8 June 2017 – the third one in two years –Prime Minister Theresa May hoped to “guarantee certainty and security for years ahead” by significantly increasing her majority in Parliament. What she sought was a “strong and stable” mandate to steer Britain through an uncertain period and ending 44 years of association with the European Union. With a significant 20-point lead, her logic seemed almost infallible at the time of the announcement. In the desultory six-week electoral campaign, there was no serious discussion on either Brexit or the key bread-and-butter issues confronting the country. Theresa May ran a dismal campaign. She increasingly came across as an uninspiring, insipid leader who was media-shy and clearly uncomfortable when confronted with difficult questions. She was assailed for making a major policy U-turn on care for the elderly. She also came under severe criticism for her poor handling of recent terror attacks in Manchester and London and for her role as Home Secretary when she oversaw cuts to the police force. On the eve of elections, her significant lead had declined to around 7 per cent. The results of recent general elections represent one of the biggest political upsets in British history and a hung parliament for the seventh time since the beginning of the 20th century. In what became a two-party contest, both the Green Party and the right-wing, Euroskeptic United Kingdom Independence Party (UKIP) were wiped out. With 649 of 650 seats declared so far, the Conservative Party won 318 seats and loss of a clear majority (down from 331 seats and a majority of 17 seats). The Jeremy Corbyn-led Labour Party got 261 seats for the Labour Party (a gain of 31 seats and a larger voice in Parliament). The smaller parties won Scottish National Party (35 seats), Liberal Democrats (12 seats), and Democratic Union Party (10 seats). Theresa May, therefore, grossly miscalculated and ended in a worse situation than in what she was before the elections. By hindsight, the snap general elections seem almost foolhardy: there was no need whatsoever as Theresa May and her party would have remained in office until 2020 if they had not been held. As the leader of the largest party with the greatest voting share, Theresa May is making efforts to cobble together a government with the support of the Northern Ireland-based Democratic Unionist Party (DUP). While the President of the European Commission Jean-Claude Juncker expressed hope that the election result would have “no major impact” on Brexit negotiations, and that divorce talks could start as per schedule on 19th June. The EU’s chief negotiator Michel Barnier also tweeted that the “timetable and EU positions are clear” and negotiations should start “when the UK is ready”. Negotiations will have to be concluded by April 2019, i.e. two years after Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty was triggered. This is fixed in treaty law. The EU-27 have mandated a two-stage process: first negotiating the terms of divorce and exit formalities prior to envisaging the architecture of future relations with the UK. London, however, would prefer simultaneous or parallel discussions on divorce terms and future or transitional arrangements in place. There may not be enough time to successfully complete both things. Brexit is irreversible. But still, there is no clarity whether it would be a “hard” or “soft” Brexit. The former would result in the UK giving up full access to the European single market and customs union, regaining control over borders (and thereby immigration) and freedom to negotiate new trade deals and apply laws within its own territory. A “soft” Brexit, on the other hand, would result in the UK retaining as much of the existing arrangements as possible with unfettered access to the single market. However, London would not get a voice in EU decision-making: no seat in the European Council, no MEPs in the European Parliament and no Commissioner. Such an arrangement would be somewhat like the one that Norway has. One of the biggest obstacles to a smooth Brexit is the hardening position of the EU about Britain’s Brexit bill. Brussels’ opening demand has recently been significantly enhanced from the initial €60 billion to €100 billion to cover post-Brexit farm payments and EU administration fees in 2019 and 2010. Other difficult questions which need to be addressed include the role of the European Court of Justice during transitional arrangements and whether the UK should stay in all or none of the EU’s regulatory regimes. Election results will make already complex negotiations more difficult. With a hung parliament and a weak prime minister, it would now become extremely difficult to make the kind of painful and controversial compromises necessary for a Brexit deal. It also leaves the new prime minister with very little wriggling room in dealing with right-wingers in her party. She will be compelled to constantly negotiate on most crucial issues both within the party and with the DUP, which prefers soft borders between the north and south of Ireland. Europe has clearly been shocked by the UK election results. We are heading towards a period of greater uncertainty. There is, as Commissioner Günther Oettinger put it, a real danger that “negotiations will turn out badly for both sides”. Plagued as the EU has been with recurrent crises, the continent would like to concentrate on other pressing problems and revive hope in the future of the European project. Brexit is not merely about the future of the UK, but about the future of Europe as well. Jain is Professor of European Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi.

Electoral Mayhem: The UK, Brexit and Europe

Theresa May said on Friday she will form a new British government with backing from the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) after losing the majority in the UK general elections. 
&nbsp; 
May says she will form a government that will provide certainty. 
&nbsp; 
&quot;I have just been to see Her Majesty the Queen and I will now form a government -- a government that can provide certainty and lead Britain forward at this critical time for our country,&quot; she said after returning from Buckingham Palace to her Downing Street office in London.

Also Read:&nbsp;<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/uk-election-preet-gill-first-female-sikh-mp-tanmanjeet-singh-first-turbaned-lawmaker-16628">UK election: Preet Gill first female Sikh MP, Tanmanjeet Singh first turbaned lawmaker</a> 
&nbsp; 
She also said she&#39;ll stick to the timetable for Britain to leave the European Union. 
&nbsp; 
May&rsquo;s Conservative party won most seats in Thursday&#39;s general election but lost its parliamentary majority. 
&nbsp; 
Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn who was expected to lose badly has made a huge comeback strengthening his claim over his party.&nbsp; 
&nbsp; 
Earlier, May visited the Buckingham Palace to seek permission from Queen Elizabeth II to form a new government.

Also Read:&nbsp;<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/uk-elections-corbyn-led-labour-ensures-hung-parliament-theresa-may-loses-majority-16604">Corbyn-led Labour ensures hung Parliament, Theresa May loses majority</a>.

 
&nbsp;

May said on Friday she will form a new British government with backing from the Democratic Unionist Party after losing majority in the UK general elections

Theresa May said on Friday she will form a new British government with backing from the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) after losing the majority in the UK general elections. May says she will form a government that will provide certainty. "I have just been to see Her Majesty the Queen and 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 after returning from Buckingham Palace to her Downing Street office in London. Also Read: UK election: Preet Gill first female Sikh MP, Tanmanjeet Singh first turbaned lawmaker She also said she'll stick to the timetable for Britain to leave the European Union. May’s Conservative party won most seats in Thursday's general election but lost its parliamentary majority. Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn who was expected to lose badly has made a huge comeback strengthening his claim over his party. Earlier, May visited the Buckingham Palace to seek permission from Queen Elizabeth II to form a new government. Also Read: Corbyn-led Labour ensures hung Parliament, Theresa May loses majority.

Theresa May says she will form new UK government

Prime Minister Theresa May is poised to win Britain&#39;s snap election but lose her parliamentary majority, a shock exit poll suggested Thursday, in what would be a major blow for her leadership as Brexit talks loom.

The ruling Conservatives were predicted to fall from 330 to 314 seats, short of an overall majority in the 650-seat House of Commons, after a troubled campaign overshadowed by two deadly terror attacks.

The main opposition Labour party, led by leftist Jeremy Corbyn, was on course to increase its number of seats from 229 to 266, according to the joint exit poll by Sky, the BBC and ITV.

The election comes at a pivotal time in British history as it negotiates a complicated exit from the European Union, the first country to leave the bloc.

The pound immediately tumbled, trading at $1.2751, down 1.5 percent from the day-before level, amid speculation that May would now struggle to govern.

Formal Brexit talks are due to open around June 19, but there are now questions over whether May will still even in office by then.

&quot;It&#39;s a disaster for Theresa May,&quot; said Iain Begg, a professor of politics at the London School of Economics (LSE).&nbsp;

&quot;Her leadership will be called into question and she will be under pressure to resign if these results stay as they are.

&quot;This is going to disrupt British politics quite fundamentally.&quot;

Newcastle in northeast England was the first seat to declare its result -- a hold for Labour -- but the picture is not likely to become clear until early on Friday morning.

The exit poll predicts the pro-European Liberal Democrats, who have campaigned for a second referendum that could keep Britain in the EU, would increase their seats from nine to 14.

In Scotland, where First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has called for independence to avoid a &quot;hard Brexit&quot;, her Scottish National Party was tipped to lose up to 20 of its 54 seats.

May had warned repeatedly during the campaign that if she lost only a few seats then Corbyn could take office, presiding over a &quot;coalition of chaos&quot; involving the SNP and Lib Dems.

It seemed an empty threat when she called the election in April, when her popularity was running high, Labour was plagued by divisions and Corbyn&#39;s personal ratings were at rock bottom.

But May&#39;s botched announcement of a reform in funding for elderly care, a strong grassroots campaign by Corbyn and the terror attacks, which increased scrutiny of her time as interior minister, changed the game.

&quot;If these figures are correct, it will be difficult to govern,&quot; said Wyn Grant, politics professor at the University of Warwick.

&#39;Bloody difficult woman&#39;&nbsp; 
 
May has said victory in the election would strengthen her hand in Brexit negotiations, and officials in Brussels were hopeful it will allow her to make compromises in the talks.

But the prospect of a hung parliament, where no party has an overall majority, has raised further uncertainty.

&quot;A hung parliament is the worst outcome from a markets perspective as it creates another layer of uncertainty ahead of the Brexit negotiations and chips away at what is already a short timeline to secure a deal for Britain,&quot; said Craig Erlam, senior market analyst at OANDA currency traders.

May, who took over after last year&#39;s Brexit referendum, began the formal two-year process of leaving the EU on March 29.

She wants to take Britain out of Europe&#39;s single market in order to control immigration -- but has warned that Britain could withdraw with no deal than accept unsatisfactory terms.

Despite campaigning against Brexit, Labour has accepted the result but promised to avoid a &quot;hard Brexit&quot;, focusing on maintaining economic ties with the bloc.

Early obstacles include the divorce bill, put by one estimate at up to 100 billion euros ($112 billion), and the status of EU citizens living in Britain and Britons living elsewhere in the EU.

May sharpened her rhetoric on the campaign trail and boasted she would be a &quot;bloody difficult woman&quot; in Brussels, saying that &quot;no deal is better than a bad deal&quot;.

But the vicar&#39;s daughter was criticised for a robotic performance on the campaign trail, and will now face serious questions about her decision to call the vote three years early, putting at risk the Conservatives&#39; 17-seat majority.

Terror in the campaign

Britain has been hit with three terror attacks since March, and campaigning was twice suspended.&nbsp;

A suicide bomber blew himself up outside a pop concert in Manchester on May 22, killing 22 people.

Last Saturday, three assailants wearing fake suicide vests mowed down pedestrians and launched a stabbing rampage around London Bridge, killing eight people before being shot dead by police.

The attacks led to scrutiny over May&#39;s time as interior minister from 2010 to 2016, particularly since it emerged that some of the attackers had been known to police and security services.

Labour seized on radical cuts in police numbers implemented as part of a Conservative austerity programme, although May insisted that she had protected funding for counter-terrorism.

At a polling station in Hackney in east London, a Labour stronghold, 41-year-old Simon Bolton said he had favoured May because he was confident that she would get the &quot;best possible deal for Brexit&quot;.

But voters who supported the Labour party said they were concerned about the impact of seven years of austerity on the National Health Service (NHS) and schools.

&quot;The Tories have just been devastating,&quot;, said Ben Thomas Smetton, a 28-year-old doctor voting in a building near the scene of last Saturday&#39;s terror attack. 
 
(AFP) 
&nbsp;

The Conservatives were set to win 314 seats, followed by Labour on 266, the Scottish National Party on 34 and the Liberal Democrats on 14, the poll for the BBC, Sky and ITV showed

Prime Minister Theresa May is poised to win Britain's snap election but lose her parliamentary majority, a shock exit poll suggested Thursday, in what would be a major blow for her leadership as Brexit talks loom. The ruling Conservatives were predicted to fall from 330 to 314 seats, short of an overall majority in the 650-seat House of Commons, after a troubled campaign overshadowed by two deadly terror attacks. The main opposition Labour party, led by leftist Jeremy Corbyn, was on course to increase its number of seats from 229 to 266, according to the joint exit poll by Sky, the BBC and ITV. The election comes at a pivotal time in British history as it negotiates a complicated exit from the European Union, the first country to leave the bloc. The pound immediately tumbled, trading at $1.2751, down 1.5 percent from the day-before level, amid speculation that May would now struggle to govern. Formal Brexit talks are due to open around June 19, but there are now questions over whether May will still even in office by then. "It's a disaster for Theresa May," said Iain Begg, a professor of politics at the London School of Economics (LSE). "Her leadership will be called into question and she will be under pressure to resign if these results stay as they are. "This is going to disrupt British politics quite fundamentally." Newcastle in northeast England was the first seat to declare its result -- a hold for Labour -- but the picture is not likely to become clear until early on Friday morning. The exit poll predicts the pro-European Liberal Democrats, who have campaigned for a second referendum that could keep Britain in the EU, would increase their seats from nine to 14. In Scotland, where First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has called for independence to avoid a "hard Brexit", her Scottish National Party was tipped to lose up to 20 of its 54 seats. May had warned repeatedly during the campaign that if she lost only a few seats then Corbyn could take office, presiding over a "coalition of chaos" involving the SNP and Lib Dems. It seemed an empty threat when she called the election in April, when her popularity was running high, Labour was plagued by divisions and Corbyn's personal ratings were at rock bottom. But May's botched announcement of a reform in funding for elderly care, a strong grassroots campaign by Corbyn and the terror attacks, which increased scrutiny of her time as interior minister, changed the game. "If these figures are correct, it will be difficult to govern," said Wyn Grant, politics professor at the University of Warwick. 'Bloody difficult woman' May has said victory in the election would strengthen her hand in Brexit negotiations, and officials in Brussels were hopeful it will allow her to make compromises in the talks. But the prospect of a hung parliament, where no party has an overall majority, has raised further uncertainty. "A hung parliament is the worst outcome from a markets perspective as it creates another layer of uncertainty ahead of the Brexit negotiations and chips away at what is already a short timeline to secure a deal for Britain," said Craig Erlam, senior market analyst at OANDA currency traders. May, who took over after last year's Brexit referendum, began the formal two-year process of leaving the EU on March 29. She wants to take Britain out of Europe's single market in order to control immigration -- but has warned that Britain could withdraw with no deal than accept unsatisfactory terms. Despite campaigning against Brexit, Labour has accepted the result but promised to avoid a "hard Brexit", focusing on maintaining economic ties with the bloc. Early obstacles include the divorce bill, put by one estimate at up to 100 billion euros ($112 billion), and the status of EU citizens living in Britain and Britons living elsewhere in the EU. May sharpened her rhetoric on the campaign trail and boasted she would be a "bloody difficult woman" in Brussels, saying that "no deal is better than a bad deal". But the vicar's daughter was criticised for a robotic performance on the campaign trail, and will now face serious questions about her decision to call the vote three years early, putting at risk the Conservatives' 17-seat majority. Terror in the campaign Britain has been hit with three terror attacks since March, and campaigning was twice suspended. A suicide bomber blew himself up outside a pop concert in Manchester on May 22, killing 22 people. Last Saturday, three assailants wearing fake suicide vests mowed down pedestrians and launched a stabbing rampage around London Bridge, killing eight people before being shot dead by police. The attacks led to scrutiny over May's time as interior minister from 2010 to 2016, particularly since it emerged that some of the attackers had been known to police and security services. Labour seized on radical cuts in police numbers implemented as part of a Conservative austerity programme, although May insisted that she had protected funding for counter-terrorism. At a polling station in Hackney in east London, a Labour stronghold, 41-year-old Simon Bolton said he had favoured May because he was confident that she would get the "best possible deal for Brexit". But voters who supported the Labour party said they were concerned about the impact of seven years of austerity on the National Health Service (NHS) and schools. "The Tories have just been devastating,", said Ben Thomas Smetton, a 28-year-old doctor voting in a building near the scene of last Saturday's terror attack. (AFP)

Theresa May ahead but set to lose majority in UK election: Exit poll

It&rsquo;s going to be a long night as the UK goes to the polls for its snap 2017 general election. So should you stay up all night or take a democracy nap? Here are the key moments to look out for and the seats which might indicate early on whether Theresa May has secured the thumping majority she originally envisaged.

The polls close at 10 pm

The doors will shut and ballot boxes will be sealed up and transported to one of the counting centres across the UK. In some places, this involves travelling a significant distance, so delays can occur. In Scotland, helicopters have been used to transfer boxes from remote islands to the mainland.

Counting clerks will then work through the night to count the votes in most cases. If you&rsquo;re feeling tired by this point, remember that many of these officials will have begun work at 6.30am (or earlier) setting up the poll.

Will there be an exit poll and will it be reliable?

IPSOS-Mori&rsquo;s exit poll will be reported on the BBC and Sky News at 10 pm as soon as polls close.

At the last election, the <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/election-2015-32428768">exit poll</a> caused quite a stir. Announced on the BBC at 10 pm, it forecast that the Conservatives would be the largest party. It took an immediate bashing with Paddy Ashdown infamously stating that he would &ldquo;eat his hat&rdquo; if it was correct. He had to eat his hat.

As it turned out, that poll was much closer to the eventual reality than polls that took place before the election. The exit poll is, therefore, a crucial clue as to how things will unfold.

We should nevertheless take exit polls with a pinch of salt. They&rsquo;ve been wrong before, as they were in <a href="http://www.conservativehome.com/video/2012/04/the-1992-election-bbc-exit-poll-predicts-a-hung-parliament.html">1992</a>. They are based on samples which may not be representative of the whole population, but exit polls do have the advantage of asking people what they really did, rather than what they intend to do at some point in the future.

When might we expect local results?

A local returning officer is responsible for the counts in their area and declarations will drip through during the early hours of the morning.

<a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/0/does-sunderland-always-declare-election-results-first/">Sunderland</a> traditionally works hard to make its announcement first. Constituents in Houghton &amp; Sunderland South might hear their result as early as 11 pm. The result in Sunderland Central generally comes an hour later. After that, things will go quiet. Then there will be a rush of results between 3 am and 5 am. A handful of constituencies will be as late as noon on Friday.

The distribution of estimated declaration times

<figure class="align-center zoomable"><a href="https://cdn.theconversation.com/files/172325/area14mp/file-20170605-16877-1nfxak5.png"><img alt="" src="https://cdn.theconversation.com/files/172325/width754/file-20170605-16877-1nfxak5.png" /></a>

<figcaption>When to expect results, based on information from the Press Association. Author provided</figcaption>
</figure>

<h2>&nbsp;</h2>

When will we know who has won?

Ah, that&rsquo;s the million dollar question. &ldquo;Winning&rdquo; usually means getting 326 seats. This would allow the party leader to have a majority of the seats in parliament. They would then be able to form a government and pass policies without needing the support of another party.

There won&rsquo;t be enough declarations for a party to have won 326 seats until 4 am. And as many seats will go in different directions, it will be much later before a party has won enough constituencies to form a government.

But political scientists and the media will be identifying underlying trends from the early results to get a sense of the overall outcome. Armed with information about the underlying demographic and political makeup of constituencies, we can expect changes in voting patterns to be similar in similar constituencies (on average).

My University of East Anglia colleague Chris Hanretty estimated that Remain had only a 0.03 probability of winning the Brexit referendum by 2:03 am. It was zero by 3 am. That was long before the politicians (and media channels) cottoned on to what was unfolding. Watch for such forecasts again.

When will we know who the next PM is?

If there is decisive victory with one party winning an overall majority, then that party leader will be quickly confirmed as prime minister on Friday morning. 
But if no party reaches the magic 326 seats, then there might be some wait. Negotiations will begin between parties about whether they could form a coalition to take them over that threshold. In 2010, it took five days for the Cameron-Clegg coalition to form. There was some surprise in Britain that this process took so long. But in some countries it takes much longer &ndash; 541 days after the <a href="http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0261379411001430">Belgian elections</a> which took place at around the same time.

And what if Theresa May wins a majority &ndash; but a much less handsome one than David Cameron in 2015? Given that a landslide was originally predicted for this election, she might even face an internal coup.

Could any seats give an early indication?

If the Conservative party shows signs of winning seats off other parties then they are on track to stay in government. Chris Hanretty has helpfully identified a list of those predicted gains for the Conservatives.

The table below lists the first 25 of these to be called. If they turn blue as expected, Theresa May will be on course to stay in power with an enhanced majority (and 365 seats, according the <a href="http://www.electionforecast.co.uk">electionforecast.co.uk</a> predictions).

<iframe allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" allowtransparency="true" frameborder="0" height="1000" mozallowfullscreen="mozallowfullscreen" msallowfullscreen="msallowfullscreen" oallowfullscreen="oallowfullscreen" scrolling="yes" src="https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/Ptot9/1/" webkitallowfullscreen="webkitallowfullscreen" width="100%"></iframe>So should I stay up &hellip; or go to bed?

<img alt="The Conversation" height="1" src="https://counter.theconversation.edu.au/content/78822/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" width="1" />The hard-core psephologist stays up and stays the course. The more sensible, normal person stays up for the 10 pm exit poll, necks a hot chocolate and gets some kip. Be up early for 4 am and you should still have plenty to see. But then again, British politics has been rather unpredictable lately.

This article was originally published on <a href="http://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a>. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/to-sleep-or-not-to-sleep-everything-you-need-to-know-about-ge2017-election-night-78822">original article</a>.

Key moments to look out for and the seats which might indicate early on whether Theresa May has secured the thumping majority she originally envisaged

It’s going to be a long night as the UK goes to the polls for its snap 2017 general election. So should you stay up all night or take a democracy nap? Here are the key moments to look out for and the seats which might indicate early on whether Theresa May has secured the thumping majority she originally envisaged. The polls close at 10 pm The doors will shut and ballot boxes will be sealed up and transported to one of the counting centres across the UK. In some places, this involves travelling a significant distance, so delays can occur. In Scotland, helicopters have been used to transfer boxes from remote islands to the mainland. Counting clerks will then work through the night to count the votes in most cases. If you’re feeling tired by this point, remember that many of these officials will have begun work at 6.30am (or earlier) setting up the poll. Will there be an exit poll and will it be reliable? IPSOS-Mori’s exit poll will be reported on the BBC and Sky News at 10 pm as soon as polls close. At the last election, the exit poll caused quite a stir. Announced on the BBC at 10 pm, it forecast that the Conservatives would be the largest party. It took an immediate bashing with Paddy Ashdown infamously stating that he would “eat his hat” if it was correct. He had to eat his hat. As it turned out, that poll was much closer to the eventual reality than polls that took place before the election. The exit poll is, therefore, a crucial clue as to how things will unfold. We should nevertheless take exit polls with a pinch of salt. They’ve been wrong before, as they were in 1992. They are based on samples which may not be representative of the whole population, but exit polls do have the advantage of asking people what they really did, rather than what they intend to do at some point in the future. When might we expect local results? A local returning officer is responsible for the counts in their area and declarations will drip through during the early hours of the morning. Sunderland traditionally works hard to make its announcement first. Constituents in Houghton & Sunderland South might hear their result as early as 11 pm. The result in Sunderland Central generally comes an hour later. After that, things will go quiet. Then there will be a rush of results between 3 am and 5 am. A handful of constituencies will be as late as noon on Friday. The distribution of estimated declaration times When to expect results, based on information from the Press Association. Author provided When will we know who has won? Ah, that’s the million dollar question. “Winning” usually means getting 326 seats. This would allow the party leader to have a majority of the seats in parliament. They would then be able to form a government and pass policies without needing the support of another party. There won’t be enough declarations for a party to have won 326 seats until 4 am. And as many seats will go in different directions, it will be much later before a party has won enough constituencies to form a government. But political scientists and the media will be identifying underlying trends from the early results to get a sense of the overall outcome. Armed with information about the underlying demographic and political makeup of constituencies, we can expect changes in voting patterns to be similar in similar constituencies (on average). My University of East Anglia colleague Chris Hanretty estimated that Remain had only a 0.03 probability of winning the Brexit referendum by 2:03 am. It was zero by 3 am. That was long before the politicians (and media channels) cottoned on to what was unfolding. Watch for such forecasts again. When will we know who the next PM is? If there is decisive victory with one party winning an overall majority, then that party leader will be quickly confirmed as prime minister on Friday morning. But if no party reaches the magic 326 seats, then there might be some wait. Negotiations will begin between parties about whether they could form a coalition to take them over that threshold. In 2010, it took five days for the Cameron-Clegg coalition to form. There was some surprise in Britain that this process took so long. But in some countries it takes much longer – 541 days after the Belgian elections which took place at around the same time. And what if Theresa May wins a majority – but a much less handsome one than David Cameron in 2015? Given that a landslide was originally predicted for this election, she might even face an internal coup. Could any seats give an early indication? If the Conservative party shows signs of winning seats off other parties then they are on track to stay in government. Chris Hanretty has helpfully identified a list of those predicted gains for the Conservatives. The table below lists the first 25 of these to be called. If they turn blue as expected, Theresa May will be on course to stay in power with an enhanced majority (and 365 seats, according the electionforecast.co.uk predictions). So should I stay up … or go to bed? The hard-core psephologist stays up and stays the course. The more sensible, normal person stays up for the 10 pm exit poll, necks a hot chocolate and gets some kip. Be up early for 4 am and you should still have plenty to see. But then again, British politics has been rather unpredictable lately. This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article.

Everything you need to know about UK election

Britain went to the polls on Thursday for a snap election called by Prime Minister Theresa May ahead of Brexit after a campaign shadowed by terrorism.

May called the vote in April, when opinion poll ratings for her and her centre-right Conservative party were sky high, presenting herself as the strong leader to take Britain into Brexit talks.

But Islamist attacks in London and Manchester have put her under pressure over her six years as interior minister, while campaign missteps have dented her reputation as a safe pair of hands.

Meanwhile opposition Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, an anti-war campaigner deemed unelectable by a majority of his own lawmakers, has run an energetic campaign, promising change and an end to austerity.

While May has been touring target seats around the country, delivering slogan-heavy speeches to small groups of hand-picked activists, Corbyn has drawn large crowds to open-air rallies.

Speaking to reporters on her plane during a final burst of campaigning on Wednesday, May insisted she had no regrets about calling the vote three years early.

&quot;I&#39;ve enjoyed the campaign,&quot; she said. &quot;There is a very clear choice for people when they come to vote.&quot;

Asked what would constitute success, the 60-year-old vicar&#39;s daughter said: &quot;I never predict election results.&quot;

Corbyn, a 68-year-old leftwinger who has never held ministerial office and defied the odds to win the Labour leadership two years ago, urged supporters in Glasgow to think big.

&quot;Wouldn&#39;t it be great if on Friday we woke up to... a Labour government that will be a government for all of our communities across the whole of the country,&quot; he said.

&#39;Little confidence&#39;&nbsp;

It is the third time Britain has gone to the polls in two years, twice for a general election and once for the EU referendum, and voter fatigue appeared to be an issue among the early voters.

&quot;I don&#39;t think it has really been a campaign, we don&#39;t know anything about what they are going to do about Brexit, it&#39;s been pointless really,&quot; said Joe Kerney, 53, at a polling station in Hackney, east London.

&quot;I have little confidence in anybody,&quot; added voter Simon Bolton, 41. &quot;I think we lack quality in terms of who we can choose, it is very limited.&quot;

The election is May&#39;s first since taking office after Britons voted by 52 percent to leave the European Union.

May has accused Corbyn of being unprepared for negotiations set to begin on June 19, and unwilling to curb mass migration -- a key driver of the Brexit vote.

But her government&#39;s record on cutting funding for health and education have also featured strongly in the campaign, to the benefit of Labour.

The Conservatives were also damaged by a manifesto plan for elderly care that would see some pay more.

Then came the suicide bombing at a Manchester concert on May 22, which killed 22 people including seven children, followed by Saturday&#39;s knife and van attack in London, which left eight dead.

Campaigning was twice suspended in the aftermath of the attacks, which May blamed on &quot;evil&quot; Islamist ideology.

The Conservatives have always been strong on defence and security, and they have sought to exploit Corbyn&#39;s anti-nuclear stance and his alleged past support for Irish paramilitaries.

But May also faced uncomfortable questions over cuts to police numbers during her time as interior minister, amid accusations that the attackers in Manchester and London Bridge had slipped through the intelligence net.

Security tightened&nbsp;

Security on voting day was reviewed following the London attack, with the city&#39;s Metropolitan Police force implementing a &quot;specialist and highly flexible operation&quot; which it said could be deployed as needed.

Polling stations, many located in schools and community centres, opened at 7:00am (0600 GMT) and will close at 10:00pm, with 49.6 million registered voters electing a total of 650 MPs to parliament.

Overall turnout in the 2015 general election was 66.4 percent.

An exit poll will give an indication of the outcome, although final results will not emerge until early Friday.

As the Conservatives and Labour trade blows, the smaller pro-European Liberal Democrats and the pro-Brexit UK Independence Party (UKIP) have failed to gain much traction.

Britain went to the polls on Thursday for a snap election called by Prime Minister Theresa May ahead of Brexit after a campaign shadowed by terrorism.

Britain went to the polls on Thursday for a snap election called by Prime Minister Theresa May ahead of Brexit after a campaign shadowed by terrorism. May called the vote in April, when opinion poll ratings for her and her centre-right Conservative party were sky high, presenting herself as the strong leader to take Britain into Brexit talks. But Islamist attacks in London and Manchester have put her under pressure over her six years as interior minister, while campaign missteps have dented her reputation as a safe pair of hands. Meanwhile opposition Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, an anti-war campaigner deemed unelectable by a majority of his own lawmakers, has run an energetic campaign, promising change and an end to austerity. While May has been touring target seats around the country, delivering slogan-heavy speeches to small groups of hand-picked activists, Corbyn has drawn large crowds to open-air rallies. Speaking to reporters on her plane during a final burst of campaigning on Wednesday, May insisted she had no regrets about calling the vote three years early. "I've enjoyed the campaign," she said. "There is a very clear choice for people when they come to vote." Asked what would constitute success, the 60-year-old vicar's daughter said: "I never predict election results." Corbyn, a 68-year-old leftwinger who has never held ministerial office and defied the odds to win the Labour leadership two years ago, urged supporters in Glasgow to think big. "Wouldn't it be great if on Friday we woke up to... a Labour government that will be a government for all of our communities across the whole of the country," he said. 'Little confidence' It is the third time Britain has gone to the polls in two years, twice for a general election and once for the EU referendum, and voter fatigue appeared to be an issue among the early voters. "I don't think it has really been a campaign, we don't know anything about what they are going to do about Brexit, it's been pointless really," said Joe Kerney, 53, at a polling station in Hackney, east London. "I have little confidence in anybody," added voter Simon Bolton, 41. "I think we lack quality in terms of who we can choose, it is very limited." The election is May's first since taking office after Britons voted by 52 percent to leave the European Union. May has accused Corbyn of being unprepared for negotiations set to begin on June 19, and unwilling to curb mass migration -- a key driver of the Brexit vote. But her government's record on cutting funding for health and education have also featured strongly in the campaign, to the benefit of Labour. The Conservatives were also damaged by a manifesto plan for elderly care that would see some pay more. Then came the suicide bombing at a Manchester concert on May 22, which killed 22 people including seven children, followed by Saturday's knife and van attack in London, which left eight dead. Campaigning was twice suspended in the aftermath of the attacks, which May blamed on "evil" Islamist ideology. The Conservatives have always been strong on defence and security, and they have sought to exploit Corbyn's anti-nuclear stance and his alleged past support for Irish paramilitaries. But May also faced uncomfortable questions over cuts to police numbers during her time as interior minister, amid accusations that the attackers in Manchester and London Bridge had slipped through the intelligence net. Security tightened Security on voting day was reviewed following the London attack, with the city's Metropolitan Police force implementing a "specialist and highly flexible operation" which it said could be deployed as needed. Polling stations, many located in schools and community centres, opened at 7:00am (0600 GMT) and will close at 10:00pm, with 49.6 million registered voters electing a total of 650 MPs to parliament. Overall turnout in the 2015 general election was 66.4 percent. An exit poll will give an indication of the outcome, although final results will not emerge until early Friday. As the Conservatives and Labour trade blows, the smaller pro-European Liberal Democrats and the pro-Brexit UK Independence Party (UKIP) have failed to gain much traction.

In shadow of terror, Britons vote in key election

UK PM Theresa May looks set to win the general elections with a thumping majority over rival Jeremy Corbyn, a final poll for <a href="http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/election-poll-latest-tory-win-results-corbyn-theresa-may-a7777781.html">The Independent</a> reveals.

Projections by the ComRes poll point to a 74-seat majority for the May-led Conservatives, the largest they have secured since the days of Margaret Thatcher.&nbsp;

Concerns that the &quot;country would be unable to pay for everything that the new government wants to do&quot; are the reason for Corbyn&#39;s unpopularity on that parameter, with 62% people voting against Corbyn and 38% voting against Theresa May.

Forty five per cent of the people voted they would be worried about national security if Theresa May won, while 55 per cent people said they would be worried about security&nbsp;under Corbyn&#39;s leadership.

Political forecasting website Electoral Calculus predicts that May is likely to win 362 seats in the House of Commons, 31 more than her party currently enjoys. The Labour would be left with 212, 20 fewer than they have now. The website also predicts that the Liberal Democrats and Scottish National Party would lose seats.&nbsp;

The Tories are tipped to win 44 per cent of the vote, Labour 34 per cent, the Liberal Democrats 9 per cent, Ukip 5 per cent and the Greens on 2 per cent, the ComRes poll predicts. 
 
(WION)

 
&nbsp;

Projections by the ComRes poll point to a 74-seat majority for the May-led Conservatives, the largest they have secured since the days of Margaret Thatcher

UK PM Theresa May looks set to win the general elections with a thumping majority over rival Jeremy Corbyn, a final poll for The Independent reveals. Projections by the ComRes poll point to a 74-seat majority for the May-led Conservatives, the largest they have secured since the days of Margaret Thatcher. Concerns that the "country would be unable to pay for everything that the new government wants to do" are the reason for Corbyn's unpopularity on that parameter, with 62% people voting against Corbyn and 38% voting against Theresa May. Forty five per cent of the people voted they would be worried about national security if Theresa May won, while 55 per cent people said they would be worried about security under Corbyn's leadership. Political forecasting website Electoral Calculus predicts that May is likely to win 362 seats in the House of Commons, 31 more than her party currently enjoys. The Labour would be left with 212, 20 fewer than they have now. The website also predicts that the Liberal Democrats and Scottish National Party would lose seats. The Tories are tipped to win 44 per cent of the vote, Labour 34 per cent, the Liberal Democrats 9 per cent, Ukip 5 per cent and the Greens on 2 per cent, the ComRes poll predicts. (WION)

Theresa May poised to win biggest Tory landslide since Thatcher: Report

Prime Minister Theresa May said Britain must be tougher in stamping out Islamist extremism after attackers killed at least seven people by ramming a van into pedestrians on London Bridge and stabbing revellers in nearby bars.

After the third militant attack in Britain in less than three months, May said Thursday&#39;s national election would go ahead. But she proposed regulating cyberspace and said Britain had been far too tolerant of extremism.

&quot;It is time to say enough is enough,&quot; the Conservative leader said outside her Downing Street office, where British flags flew at half-staff.

&quot;We cannot and must not pretend that things can continue as they are,&quot; May said, adding that Britain was under attack from a new breed of crude copycat militants.

Islamic State, which is losing territory in Syria and Iraq to an offensive backed by a US-led coalition, said its militants were responsible for the attack, the group&#39;s media agency Amaq said in a statement monitored in Cairo.

One French national and one Canadian were among those killed. At least 48 people were injured in the attack. Australia said one of its citizens was among the injured.

Police shot dead the three male assailants in the Borough Market area near London Bridge within eight minutes of receiving the first emergency call shortly after 10 pm. (2100 GMT).

Mark Rowley, head of counter-terrorism police, said eight officers had fired about 50 bullets to stop the attackers, who appeared to be suicide bombers because they were wearing what turned out to be fake suicide vests.

&quot;The situation these officers were confronted with was critical: a matter of life and death,&quot; Rowley said. &quot;I am humbled by the bravery of an officer who will rush towards a potential suicide bomber thinking only of protecting others.&quot;

A member of the public received non-critical gunshot wounds. Police did not release the names of the attackers.

London police arrested 12 people in the Barking district of east London in connection with the attack and raids were continuing there, the force said. A Reuters photographer saw another raid take place in nearby East Ham.

Less than two weeks ago, a suicide bomber killed 22 children and adults at a concert by US&nbsp;singer Ariana Grande in Manchester in northern England. In March, in an attack similar to Saturday&#39;s, five people died after a man drove into pedestrians on Westminster Bridge in central London and stabbed a policeman.

May said the series of attacks were not connected in terms of planning and execution but were inspired by what she called a &quot;single, evil ideology of Islamist extremism&quot; that represented a perversion of Islam and of the truth.

She said this ideology had to be confronted both abroad and at home, adding that the internet and big internet companies provided the space for such extremism to breed.

Facebook said it wanted to make its social media platform a &quot;hostile environment&quot; for terrorists. Twitter also said it was working to tackle the spread of militant propaganda.

After the Manchester attack, Britain raised its threat level to &quot;critical&quot; - meaning an attack is expected imminently - but downgraded it back to &quot;severe&quot;, which means an attack is highly likely, on May 27.

Harrowing scenes

Witnesses described harrowing scenes as the attackers&#39; white van veered on and off the bridge sidewalk, hitting people along the way, and the three men then ran into an area packed with bars and restaurants, stabbing people indiscriminately.

Accounts emerged of people trying to barricade themselves in a pub while others tried throwing tables and other objects to fend off the attackers.

One eyewitness said the attackers screamed &quot;this is for Allah&quot; as they stabbed people.

England&#39;s health authority said on Sunday afternoon that 36 of those injured remained in hospital, of whom 21 were in a critical condition.

May made a private visit to staff and patients at King&#39;s College Hospital, where some of the injured were being treated, a spokeswoman said.

The government announced that a nationwide minute of silence would be held at 1000 GMT on Tuesday to pay respect to the victims of the attack and flags would remain at half-mast on government buildings until Tuesday evening.

A Reuters photographer saw four women being removed from an apartment block in Barking, shielding their faces as they stepped into police vans.

Islamic State militants had sent out a call on instant messaging service Telegram early on Saturday urging its followers to carry out attacks with trucks, knives and guns against &quot;Crusaders&quot; during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

Islamist militants have carried out scores of deadly attacks in Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Asia and the United States over the past two years.

&quot;We believe we are experiencing a new trend in the threat we face as terrorism breeds terrorism,&quot; May said.

&quot;Perpetrators are inspired to attack not only on the basis of carefully constructed plots ... and not even as lone attackers radicalised online but by copying one another and often using the crudest of means of attack.&quot;

&quot;Tolerance of extremism&quot;

May, who served as Britain&#39;s interior minister from 2010 to 2016, said there was too much tolerance of extremism in Britain.

&quot;While we have made significant progress in recent years, there is - to be frank - far too much tolerance of extremism in our country,&quot; she said, urging Britons to be more robust in stamping it out in the public sector and in wider society.

Opposition Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn said Britain needed to have difficult conversations with Saudi Arabia and other Gulf states about the funding of Islamist extremism.

US&nbsp;President Donald Trump, taking to Twitter on Sunday, urged the world to stop being &quot;politically correct&quot; in order to ensure public security against terrorism.

Most of the main political parties suspended election campaigning on Sunday, but May said this would resume on Monday. The anti-European Union UK Independence Party said it would not suspend its campaign because disrupting democracy was what the extremists wanted.

London Bridge is a transport hub and nearby Borough Market is a fashionable warren of alleyways leavened with bars and restaurants that is always bustling on a Saturday night.

The area remained cordoned off and patrolled by armed police and counter-terrorism officers on Sunday, with train stations closed. Forensic investigators could be seen working on the bridge, where buses and taxis stood abandoned.

At several points outside the cordon, people laid flowers and messages of grief and solidarity.

Ariana Grande and other music stars were giving a benefit concert at Manchester&#39;s Old Trafford cricket ground on Sunday evening to raise funds for victims of the concert bombing and their families.

&quot;Today&#39;s One Love Manchester benefit concert will not only continue but will do so with greater purpose,&quot; Grande&#39;s manager, Scooter Braun, said on Twitter after the London attack.

London Mayor Sadiq Khan said the official threat level in Britain remained at severe, meaning a militant attack is highly likely. It had been raised to critical after the Manchester attack, then lowered again days later.

&quot;One of the things we can do is show that we aren&#39;t going to be cowed is by voting on Thursday and making sure that we understand the importance of our democracy, our civil liberties and our human rights,&quot; Khan said.

In tweets, Trump offered help to Britain but also levelled apparent criticism of Khan for saying there was no need to be alarmed. Khan had earlier said Londoners would see an increased police presence on the streets of the city and people should not be alarmed by that.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel, French President Emmanuel Macron and Russian President Vladimir Putin were among those who sent messages of condolence and made statements of solidarity.

The Manchester bombing on May 22 was the deadliest attack in Britain since July 2005, when four British Muslim suicide bombers killed 52 people in coordinated assaults on London&#39;s transport network.

(Reuters)

After the third militant attack in Britain in less than three months, May said Thursday's national election would go ahead

Prime Minister Theresa May said Britain must be tougher in stamping out Islamist extremism after attackers killed at least seven people by ramming a van into pedestrians on London Bridge and stabbing revellers in nearby bars. After the third militant attack in Britain in less than three months, May said Thursday's national election would go ahead. But she proposed regulating cyberspace and said Britain had been far too tolerant of extremism. "It is time to say enough is enough," the Conservative leader said outside her Downing Street office, where British flags flew at half-staff. "We cannot and must not pretend that things can continue as they are," May said, adding that Britain was under attack from a new breed of crude copycat militants. Islamic State, which is losing territory in Syria and Iraq to an offensive backed by a US-led coalition, said its militants were responsible for the attack, the group's media agency Amaq said in a statement monitored in Cairo. One French national and one Canadian were among those killed. At least 48 people were injured in the attack. Australia said one of its citizens was among the injured. Police shot dead the three male assailants in the Borough Market area near London Bridge within eight minutes of receiving the first emergency call shortly after 10 pm. (2100 GMT). Mark Rowley, head of counter-terrorism police, said eight officers had fired about 50 bullets to stop the attackers, who appeared to be suicide bombers because they were wearing what turned out to be fake suicide vests. "The situation these officers were confronted with was critical: a matter of life and death," Rowley said. "I am humbled by the bravery of an officer who will rush towards a potential suicide bomber thinking only of protecting others." A member of the public received non-critical gunshot wounds. Police did not release the names of the attackers. London police arrested 12 people in the Barking district of east London in connection with the attack and raids were continuing there, the force said. A Reuters photographer saw another raid take place in nearby East Ham. Less than two weeks ago, a suicide bomber killed 22 children and adults at a concert by US singer Ariana Grande in Manchester in northern England. In March, in an attack similar to Saturday's, five people died after a man drove into pedestrians on Westminster Bridge in central London and stabbed a policeman. May said the series of attacks were not connected in terms of planning and execution but were inspired by what she called a "single, evil ideology of Islamist extremism" that represented a perversion of Islam and of the truth. She said this ideology had to be confronted both abroad and at home, adding that the internet and big internet companies provided the space for such extremism to breed. Facebook said it wanted to make its social media platform a "hostile environment" for terrorists. Twitter also said it was working to tackle the spread of militant propaganda. After the Manchester attack, Britain raised its threat level to "critical" - meaning an attack is expected imminently - but downgraded it back to "severe", which means an attack is highly likely, on May 27. Harrowing scenes Witnesses described harrowing scenes as the attackers' white van veered on and off the bridge sidewalk, hitting people along the way, and the three men then ran into an area packed with bars and restaurants, stabbing people indiscriminately. Accounts emerged of people trying to barricade themselves in a pub while others tried throwing tables and other objects to fend off the attackers. One eyewitness said the attackers screamed "this is for Allah" as they stabbed people. England's health authority said on Sunday afternoon that 36 of those injured remained in hospital, of whom 21 were in a critical condition. May made a private visit to staff and patients at King's College Hospital, where some of the injured were being treated, a spokeswoman said. The government announced that a nationwide minute of silence would be held at 1000 GMT on Tuesday to pay respect to the victims of the attack and flags would remain at half-mast on government buildings until Tuesday evening. A Reuters photographer saw four women being removed from an apartment block in Barking, shielding their faces as they stepped into police vans. Islamic State militants had sent out a call on instant messaging service Telegram early on Saturday urging its followers to carry out attacks with trucks, knives and guns against "Crusaders" during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. Islamist militants have carried out scores of deadly attacks in Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Asia and the United States over the past two years. "We believe we are experiencing a new trend in the threat we face as terrorism breeds terrorism," May said. "Perpetrators are inspired to attack not only on the basis of carefully constructed plots ... and not even as lone attackers radicalised online but by copying one another and often using the crudest of means of attack." "Tolerance of extremism" May, who served as Britain's interior minister from 2010 to 2016, said there was too much tolerance of extremism in Britain. "While we have made significant progress in recent years, there is - to be frank - far too much tolerance of extremism in our country," she said, urging Britons to be more robust in stamping it out in the public sector and in wider society. Opposition Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn said Britain needed to have difficult conversations with Saudi Arabia and other Gulf states about the funding of Islamist extremism. US President Donald Trump, taking to Twitter on Sunday, urged the world to stop being "politically correct" in order to ensure public security against terrorism. Most of the main political parties suspended election campaigning on Sunday, but May said this would resume on Monday. The anti-European Union UK Independence Party said it would not suspend its campaign because disrupting democracy was what the extremists wanted. London Bridge is a transport hub and nearby Borough Market is a fashionable warren of alleyways leavened with bars and restaurants that is always bustling on a Saturday night. The area remained cordoned off and patrolled by armed police and counter-terrorism officers on Sunday, with train stations closed. Forensic investigators could be seen working on the bridge, where buses and taxis stood abandoned. At several points outside the cordon, people laid flowers and messages of grief and solidarity. Ariana Grande and other music stars were giving a benefit concert at Manchester's Old Trafford cricket ground on Sunday evening to raise funds for victims of the concert bombing and their families. "Today's One Love Manchester benefit concert will not only continue but will do so with greater purpose," Grande's manager, Scooter Braun, said on Twitter after the London attack. London Mayor Sadiq Khan said the official threat level in Britain remained at severe, meaning a militant attack is highly likely. It had been raised to critical after the Manchester attack, then lowered again days later. "One of the things we can do is show that we aren't going to be cowed is by voting on Thursday and making sure that we understand the importance of our democracy, our civil liberties and our human rights," Khan said. In tweets, Trump offered help to Britain but also levelled apparent criticism of Khan for saying there was no need to be alarmed. Khan had earlier said Londoners would see an increased police presence on the streets of the city and people should not be alarmed by that. German Chancellor Angela Merkel, French President Emmanuel Macron and Russian President Vladimir Putin were among those who sent messages of condolence and made statements of solidarity. The Manchester bombing on May 22 was the deadliest attack in Britain since July 2005, when four British Muslim suicide bombers killed 52 people in coordinated assaults on London's transport network. (Reuters)

'Enough is enough' PM May says after London Bridge attack

British Prime Minister Theresa May on Sunday condemned the &quot;evil ideology of Islamist extremism&quot; as being behind three terror attacks in Britain since March, saying the perpetrators were &quot;copying one another&quot;.

While not part of the same plot, &quot;they are connected in one important sense. They are bound together by the evil ideology of Islamist extremism,&quot; she said, adding that the &quot;perpetrators are inspired to attack... by copying one another&quot;.

More to follow

(AFP)

She said the perpetrators are 'copying one another'

British Prime Minister Theresa May on Sunday condemned the "evil ideology of Islamist extremism" as being behind three terror attacks in Britain since March, saying the perpetrators were "copying one another". While not part of the same plot, "they are connected in one important sense. They are bound together by the evil ideology of Islamist extremism," she said, adding that the "perpetrators are inspired to attack... by copying one another". More to follow (AFP)

London attack: British PM May condemns 'evil ideology of Islamist extremism'

&nbsp;Until the Brexit referendum, Gary Hill had never voted.

Now the 58-year-old roofer plans to back Prime Minister Theresa May&#39;s Conservatives in Thursday&#39;s election because he wants Britain out of the European Union.

The EU divorce has broken the mould of British politics, luring new voters like Hill to the ballot box and deeply eroding old party loyalties. That makes turnout - and the election result - all the harder to call.

May, who last year campaigned quietly to stay in the European Union, is now leading the march for the exit. If she can poach Brexit-supporting voters from the opposition Labour Party and the United Kingdom Independence Party, her big gamble on a snap election could pay off.

In contrast, if opposition Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn - who voted against EU membership in 1975 - can entice enough younger pro-EU supporters out to vote Labour in the hope of a &quot;softer&quot; Brexit, he could be in with a chance.

&quot;As long as they get us out of Europe I&#39;m not bothered&quot; about other issues, Hill, perched on a wall below Wakefield&#39;s imposing cathedral, told Reuters.

&quot;I&#39;ve never agreed with Europe. They&#39;ve got too much power over us now - we need to get it back.&quot;

Nearly 3 million more people voted in the referendum than at the 2015 national election, with the biggest increases in leave-supporting areas, like Wakefield in northern England.

The city, held by the Labour Party since 1932, voted 66 percent in favour of leaving the EU. Turnout was more than 10 percentage points higher in the referendum than in the 2015 election.

&quot;The big unknown&quot;

Whether people like Hill will turn out again, and how far socialist leader Corbyn will succeed in attracting his own cohort of new voters, is driving uncertainty about the election result.

Since May called the election in April, her party&#39;s poll lead has narrowed. But different polling methods have produced a dramatically wide range of forecasts - from May losing her majority in parliament to winning a landslide victory.

&quot;(Turnout) is the big unknown, it is one of the reasons why there is a difference between all the polls at the moment,&quot; said Anthony Wells, director of political and social research at pollsters YouGov.

Wakefield&#39;s Brexit-supporting Conservative candidate Antony Calvert, hoping to overturn a 2,613-vote Labour majority, is aware he needs to get people like Hill to vote again on June 8.

&quot;These are not habitual voters, these are one-off voters. What we are seeing is people still talking about Brexit all the time, and we need to just ensure that is motivating people to the ballot box next Thursday,&quot; he said.

Wakefield is among the seats anti-EU UKIP is not contesting. It won 7,862 votes there in 2015.

May has made much of Brexit in the election campaign, pitching herself as the only leader capable of delivering a successful divorce. Corbyn has said the issue of Brexit is settled but many in his party oppose leaving the EU.

Tribal Politics

Gillian Cruise, a lifelong Labour voter in Wakefield until she switched to the Conservatives in 2015 because of their promise to hold the referendum, has now volunteered to campaign for May&#39;s party.

The 49-year-old is angry at the city&#39;s incumbent Labour lawmaker, who voted in parliament against starting the formal Brexit process.

&quot;We told her that we wanted to leave and she threw it back,&quot; said Cruise. Some are following her to the Conservatives, but others cannot bring themselves to abandon their roots.

&quot;There are still a lot that voted to leave the EU that just can&#39;t bring themselves to vote Conservative because it is so ingrained in them to vote Labour,&quot; she said.

&quot;Those are the people that I want to talk to.&quot;

Pro-EU group Open Britain is campaigning for candidates who will fight what it describes as May&#39;s &quot;hard, destructive&quot; Brexit. Gina Miller, whose legal action forced the government to give parliament a vote on triggering Brexit, is running a campaign to support pro-EU candidates.

In 41 seats, parties have stood aside to try to help a fellow &quot;progressive alliance&quot; candidate win.

But Wells said such attempts to encourage tactical voting would have little impact because of the collapse in support for smaller parties such as the Liberal Democrats, with most seats a straight race between Conservatives and Labour.

(Reuters)

If May is able to?poach Brexit-supporting voters from the opposition Labour Party and the United Kingdom Independence Party, her big gamble on a snap election could pay off

Until the Brexit referendum, Gary Hill had never voted. Now the 58-year-old roofer plans to back Prime Minister Theresa May's Conservatives in Thursday's election because he wants Britain out of the European Union. The EU divorce has broken the mould of British politics, luring new voters like Hill to the ballot box and deeply eroding old party loyalties. That makes turnout - and the election result - all the harder to call. May, who last year campaigned quietly to stay in the European Union, is now leading the march for the exit. If she can poach Brexit-supporting voters from the opposition Labour Party and the United Kingdom Independence Party, her big gamble on a snap election could pay off. In contrast, if opposition Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn - who voted against EU membership in 1975 - can entice enough younger pro-EU supporters out to vote Labour in the hope of a "softer" Brexit, he could be in with a chance. "As long as they get us out of Europe I'm not bothered" about other issues, Hill, perched on a wall below Wakefield's imposing cathedral, told Reuters. "I've never agreed with Europe. They've got too much power over us now - we need to get it back." Nearly 3 million more people voted in the referendum than at the 2015 national election, with the biggest increases in leave-supporting areas, like Wakefield in northern England. The city, held by the Labour Party since 1932, voted 66 percent in favour of leaving the EU. Turnout was more than 10 percentage points higher in the referendum than in the 2015 election. "The big unknown" Whether people like Hill will turn out again, and how far socialist leader Corbyn will succeed in attracting his own cohort of new voters, is driving uncertainty about the election result. Since May called the election in April, her party's poll lead has narrowed. But different polling methods have produced a dramatically wide range of forecasts - from May losing her majority in parliament to winning a landslide victory. "(Turnout) is the big unknown, it is one of the reasons why there is a difference between all the polls at the moment," said Anthony Wells, director of political and social research at pollsters YouGov. Wakefield's Brexit-supporting Conservative candidate Antony Calvert, hoping to overturn a 2,613-vote Labour majority, is aware he needs to get people like Hill to vote again on June 8. "These are not habitual voters, these are one-off voters. What we are seeing is people still talking about Brexit all the time, and we need to just ensure that is motivating people to the ballot box next Thursday," he said. Wakefield is among the seats anti-EU UKIP is not contesting. It won 7,862 votes there in 2015. May has made much of Brexit in the election campaign, pitching herself as the only leader capable of delivering a successful divorce. Corbyn has said the issue of Brexit is settled but many in his party oppose leaving the EU. Tribal Politics Gillian Cruise, a lifelong Labour voter in Wakefield until she switched to the Conservatives in 2015 because of their promise to hold the referendum, has now volunteered to campaign for May's party. The 49-year-old is angry at the city's incumbent Labour lawmaker, who voted in parliament against starting the formal Brexit process. "We told her that we wanted to leave and she threw it back," said Cruise. Some are following her to the Conservatives, but others cannot bring themselves to abandon their roots. "There are still a lot that voted to leave the EU that just can't bring themselves to vote Conservative because it is so ingrained in them to vote Labour," she said. "Those are the people that I want to talk to." Pro-EU group Open Britain is campaigning for candidates who will fight what it describes as May's "hard, destructive" Brexit. Gina Miller, whose legal action forced the government to give parliament a vote on triggering Brexit, is running a campaign to support pro-EU candidates. In 41 seats, parties have stood aside to try to help a fellow "progressive alliance" candidate win. But Wells said such attempts to encourage tactical voting would have little impact because of the collapse in support for smaller parties such as the Liberal Democrats, with most seats a straight race between Conservatives and Labour. (Reuters)

Theresa May's election gamble could depend on turnout in Brexit heartlands

Britain&#39;s Prime Minister Theresa May and Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn took diverging tacks over Brexit negotiations on Monday as they faced a live televised grilling ahead of June&#39;s general election.

Ten days before the snap polls on June 8, the two rivals separately faced wide-ranging questions from members of the public before interrogations by veteran bulldog broadcaster Jeremy Paxman.

May declined a face-to-face debate with Corbyn, whose opposition party has in recent days narrowed the gap in opinion polls, though the ruling Conservatives remain in front.

While Corbyn insisted he would &quot;make sure there&#39;s a deal&quot; with the European Union before Britain leaves the bloc, May said she was &quot;prepared to walk out&quot;.

&quot;No deal is better than a bad deal,&quot; the 60-year-old prime minister repeatedly said in the Sky News/Channel 4 &quot;Battle for Number 10&quot; broadcast.

&quot;We have to be prepared to walk out,&quot; the premier insisted, noting that some people in Europe were &quot;talking about punishing us&quot;.

Her 68-year-old rival Corbyn said the &quot;reality&quot; of last year&#39;s Brexit referendum result had to be respected and insisted: &quot;We will make sure there&#39;s a deal&quot;.

&quot;We won&#39;t start the negotiations with megaphone diplomacy, threatening Europe with some kind of offshore tax haven on the shores of Europe,&quot; he said in a dig at May&#39;s efforts to handle Brexit.

Both candidates officially supported staying in the EU before the referendum held last June, which saw 52 percent of British voters opt to leave the bloc.

Formal talks on Britain&#39;s withdrawal are due to start on June 19, just 11 days after the general election.

May triggered Article 50 -- the formal procedure for leaving the EU -- in late March, opening a two-year timetable for negotiations before withdrawal.

Security was also high on the agenda on Monday, in the wake of the Manchester suicide bombing a week ago which saw 22 people killed and led to brief suspension in political campaigning.

May, who was at times heckled by the audience during the televised questioning, was asked by a serving policeman about &quot;devastating&quot; cuts to police numbers during her six-year tenure as interior minister.

She said the government had had to ensure Britain was &quot;living within our means&quot; given &quot;the economic situation we had inherited&quot;.

She said budgets were currently being protected for both counter-terrorism forces and overall policing.&nbsp;

Corbyn meanwhile was grilled over his controversial relationship with the Irish Republican Army, nuclear deterrence and whether he would abolish the monarchy, given his republican stance.

&quot;It&#39;s not on anybody&#39;s agenda, it&#39;s certainly not on my agenda and, do you know what, I had a very nice chat with the Queen,&quot; he said.

Nigel Farage, former leader of the UK Independence Party and a leading Brexit campaigner, said in a surprise tweet that Corbyn came across in the broadcast as being &quot;totally sincere&quot;, although he did not agree with him.

&quot;Saying &#39;no deal is better than a bad deal&#39; 4 times will win May the election. But she is a weathercock who believes in very little,&quot; Farage said.

(AFP)

The two rivals separately faced wide-ranging questions from members of the public ten days before the snap polls on June 8

Britain's Prime Minister Theresa May and Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn took diverging tacks over Brexit negotiations on Monday as they faced a live televised grilling ahead of June's general election. Ten days before the snap polls on June 8, the two rivals separately faced wide-ranging questions from members of the public before interrogations by veteran bulldog broadcaster Jeremy Paxman. May declined a face-to-face debate with Corbyn, whose opposition party has in recent days narrowed the gap in opinion polls, though the ruling Conservatives remain in front. While Corbyn insisted he would "make sure there's a deal" with the European Union before Britain leaves the bloc, May said she was "prepared to walk out". "No deal is better than a bad deal," the 60-year-old prime minister repeatedly said in the Sky News/Channel 4 "Battle for Number 10" broadcast. "We have to be prepared to walk out," the premier insisted, noting that some people in Europe were "talking about punishing us". Her 68-year-old rival Corbyn said the "reality" of last year's Brexit referendum result had to be respected and insisted: "We will make sure there's a deal". "We won't start the negotiations with megaphone diplomacy, threatening Europe with some kind of offshore tax haven on the shores of Europe," he said in a dig at May's efforts to handle Brexit. Both candidates officially supported staying in the EU before the referendum held last June, which saw 52 percent of British voters opt to leave the bloc. Formal talks on Britain's withdrawal are due to start on June 19, just 11 days after the general election. May triggered Article 50 -- the formal procedure for leaving the EU -- in late March, opening a two-year timetable for negotiations before withdrawal. Security was also high on the agenda on Monday, in the wake of the Manchester suicide bombing a week ago which saw 22 people killed and led to brief suspension in political campaigning. May, who was at times heckled by the audience during the televised questioning, was asked by a serving policeman about "devastating" cuts to police numbers during her six-year tenure as interior minister. She said the government had had to ensure Britain was "living within our means" given "the economic situation we had inherited". She said budgets were currently being protected for both counter-terrorism forces and overall policing. Corbyn meanwhile was grilled over his controversial relationship with the Irish Republican Army, nuclear deterrence and whether he would abolish the monarchy, given his republican stance. "It's not on anybody's agenda, it's certainly not on my agenda and, do you know what, I had a very nice chat with the Queen," he said. Nigel Farage, former leader of the UK Independence Party and a leading Brexit campaigner, said in a surprise tweet that Corbyn came across in the broadcast as being "totally sincere", although he did not agree with him. "Saying 'no deal is better than a bad deal' 4 times will win May the election. But she is a weathercock who believes in very little," Farage said. (AFP)

May, Corbyn spar over Brexit in TV grilling

British Prime Minister Theresa May raised her concerns about intelligence leaks over the Manchester attacks with US President Donald Trump at the NATO summit Thursday, her spokesman said.

&quot;The prime minister raised the issue of the intelligence leaks with the president while they were waiting for the family photograph to be taken,&quot; May&#39;s spokesman said.&nbsp;

&quot;She expressed the view that the intelligence sharing relationship we have with the US is hugely important and valuable, but that the information that we share should be kept secure.&quot;

Will prosecute those responsible for intelligence leaks: Trump

Donald Trump described US intelligence leaks over the Manchester bombing as &quot;deeply troubling&quot; and threatened to prosecute those responsible, after an earlier&nbsp;warning by British Prime Minister Theresa May to keep shared data &quot;secure&quot;.

Arriving in Brussels, May warned that intelligence sharing with the United States was &quot;built on trust&quot;.

&quot;Part of that is knowing intelligence can be shared confidently and I will make clear to President Trump that intelligence shared with law enforcement agencies must be secure,&quot; she told reporters.

In a statement issued by the White House, as Trump joined May at a meeting of NATO allies, he said: &quot;There is no relationship we cherish more than the special relationship between the United States and the United Kingdom.&quot;

The British government has expressed its anger at the release in US media of details from the investigation into Monday&#39;s concert attack, including photographs of parts of the bomb which left 22 people dead, including children.

Visiting the military alliance&#39;s new $1.2 billion headquarters with fellow leaders later, Trump led a moment&#39;s silence for the victims of what he described as &quot;a barbaric and vicious attack on our civilisation&quot;.

In his statement, Trump -- who was already struggling domestically to stem a tide of damaging leaks from law enforcement agencies -- said the information coming out in the US media was &quot;deeply troubling&quot;.

&quot;These leaks have been going on for a long time and my administration will get to the bottom of this. The leaks of sensitive information pose a grave threat to our national security,&quot; he said.&nbsp;

&quot;I am asking the Department of Justice and other relevant agencies to launch a complete review of this matter, and if appropriate, the culprit should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.&quot;

The US President berated NATO allies for not doing enough on terrorism and spending, while stopping short of the public commitment to collective defence they had hoped for.

Trump said the Manchester bombing, claimed by the Islamic State group, showed that &quot;terrorism must be stopped in its tracks.&quot;

&quot;The NATO of the future must include a great focus on terrorism and immigration as well as threats from Russia and NATO&#39;s eastern and southern borders,&quot; the president said.

Trump denounced allies for not paying their fair share, saying that even if they met a commitment to allocate two percent of GDP to defence, it would still not be enough to meet the challenges.

&quot;Twenty-three of the 28 member nations are still not paying what they should be paying and what they&#39;re supposed to be paying for their defence,&quot; the president said.

&quot;This is not fair to the people and taxpayers of the United States. Many of these nations owe massive amounts of money from past years,&quot; repeating a charge he had raised constantly on the campaign trail.

Germany will not forget NATO&#39;s contribution: Angela Merkel

German Chancellor Angela Merkel struck an entirely different note as she unveiled a memorial made up of a section of the Berlin Wall to mark the end of the Cold War.

&quot;Germany will not forget the contribution NATO made in order to reunify our country. This is why we will indeed make our contribution to security and solidarity in the common alliance,&quot; she said.

The surprising mention of immigration was in line with one of Trump&#39;s key election promises to build a wall to keep out immigrants crossing into the United States from Mexico, a plan widely derided in Europe.

Trump&#39;s harsh words came despite NATO saying it would formally endorse joining the US-led coalition against IS at the summit, in the face of reservations in France and Germany about getting involved in another conflict.

His carefully choreographed visits to the EU and NATO in Brussels had been designed to heal divisions caused by the billionaire&#39;s harsh campaign criticisms of both institutions on the campaign trail.

He called NATO &quot;obsolete&quot; and praised Britain&#39;s Brexit vote to leave the EU.

But differences immediately emerged after his talks with the European Union&#39;s top officials Donald Tusk and Jean-Claude Juncker on climate change, trade, and above all Russia.

&quot;I&#39;m not 100 per cent sure that we can say today -- &#39;we&#39; means Mr President and myself -- that we have a common position, common opinion about Russia,&quot; former Polish prime minister Tusk said.

Trump on the campaign trail made restoring relations with Russia a key promise but he has faced bitter opposition in Washington and has since become embroiled in a scandal over alleged links to Moscow.

Tusk also called for &quot;Western values&quot; to be promoted, challenging former tycoon Trump&#39;s world view that self-interested deals best settle international problems.

Trump came to Brussels direct from a meeting with Pope Francis at the Vatican, after visiting Saudi Arabia, Israel and the Palestinian Territories.

On his arrival on Wednesday in Brussels, the city he once said had been turned into a &quot;hellhole&quot; by Muslim immigration, the president was greeted by around 9,000 protesters saying &quot;Trump not welcome.&quot;

(AFP)

Theresa May told Trump the intelligence sharing relationship Britain has with US should be kept secure

British Prime Minister Theresa May raised her concerns about intelligence leaks over the Manchester attacks with US President Donald Trump at the NATO summit Thursday, her spokesman said. "The prime minister raised the issue of the intelligence leaks with the president while they were waiting for the family photograph to be taken," May's spokesman said. "She expressed the view that the intelligence sharing relationship we have with the US is hugely important and valuable, but that the information that we share should be kept secure." Will prosecute those responsible for intelligence leaks: Trump Donald Trump described US intelligence leaks over the Manchester bombing as "deeply troubling" and threatened to prosecute those responsible, after an earlier warning by British Prime Minister Theresa May to keep shared data "secure". Arriving in Brussels, May warned that intelligence sharing with the United States was "built on trust". "Part of that is knowing intelligence can be shared confidently and I will make clear to President Trump that intelligence shared with law enforcement agencies must be secure," she told reporters. In a statement issued by the White House, as Trump joined May at a meeting of NATO allies, he said: "There is no relationship we cherish more than the special relationship between the United States and the United Kingdom." The British government has expressed its anger at the release in US media of details from the investigation into Monday's concert attack, including photographs of parts of the bomb which left 22 people dead, including children. Visiting the military alliance's new $1.2 billion headquarters with fellow leaders later, Trump led a moment's silence for the victims of what he described as "a barbaric and vicious attack on our civilisation". In his statement, Trump -- who was already struggling domestically to stem a tide of damaging leaks from law enforcement agencies -- said the information coming out in the US media was "deeply troubling". "These leaks have been going on for a long time and my administration will get to the bottom of this. The leaks of sensitive information pose a grave threat to our national security," he said. "I am asking the Department of Justice and other relevant agencies to launch a complete review of this matter, and if appropriate, the culprit should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law." The US President berated NATO allies for not doing enough on terrorism and spending, while stopping short of the public commitment to collective defence they had hoped for. Trump said the Manchester bombing, claimed by the Islamic State group, showed that "terrorism must be stopped in its tracks." "The NATO of the future must include a great focus on terrorism and immigration as well as threats from Russia and NATO's eastern and southern borders," the president said. Trump denounced allies for not paying their fair share, saying that even if they met a commitment to allocate two percent of GDP to defence, it would still not be enough to meet the challenges. "Twenty-three of the 28 member nations are still not paying what they should be paying and what they're supposed to be paying for their defence," the president said. "This is not fair to the people and taxpayers of the United States. Many of these nations owe massive amounts of money from past years," repeating a charge he had raised constantly on the campaign trail. Germany will not forget NATO's contribution: Angela Merkel German Chancellor Angela Merkel struck an entirely different note as she unveiled a memorial made up of a section of the Berlin Wall to mark the end of the Cold War. "Germany will not forget the contribution NATO made in order to reunify our country. This is why we will indeed make our contribution to security and solidarity in the common alliance," she said. The surprising mention of immigration was in line with one of Trump's key election promises to build a wall to keep out immigrants crossing into the United States from Mexico, a plan widely derided in Europe. Trump's harsh words came despite NATO saying it would formally endorse joining the US-led coalition against IS at the summit, in the face of reservations in France and Germany about getting involved in another conflict. His carefully choreographed visits to the EU and NATO in Brussels had been designed to heal divisions caused by the billionaire's harsh campaign criticisms of both institutions on the campaign trail. He called NATO "obsolete" and praised Britain's Brexit vote to leave the EU. But differences immediately emerged after his talks with the European Union's top officials Donald Tusk and Jean-Claude Juncker on climate change, trade, and above all Russia. "I'm not 100 per cent sure that we can say today -- 'we' means Mr President and myself -- that we have a common position, common opinion about Russia," former Polish prime minister Tusk said. Trump on the campaign trail made restoring relations with Russia a key promise but he has faced bitter opposition in Washington and has since become embroiled in a scandal over alleged links to Moscow. Tusk also called for "Western values" to be promoted, challenging former tycoon Trump's world view that self-interested deals best settle international problems. Trump came to Brussels direct from a meeting with Pope Francis at the Vatican, after visiting Saudi Arabia, Israel and the Palestinian Territories. On his arrival on Wednesday in Brussels, the city he once said had been turned into a "hellhole" by Muslim immigration, the president was greeted by around 9,000 protesters saying "Trump not welcome." (AFP)

British PM Theresa May raises Manchester leaks with Trump at NATO summit

&quot;Furious&quot; British officials scolded their US counterparts on Wednesday following repeated leaks of shared material about the investigation into the deadly Manchester terror attack.

British Home Secretary Amber Rudd roasted the US Department of Homeland Security and other intelligence branches after the bomber&#39;s identity and details of the probe leaked out to US media before British officials felt ready to disclose them.

But shortly after the interior minister complained, The New York Times newspaper again scooped British authorities and other media by publishing photographs from the scene of remnants of the bomb.

The pictures were apparently taken by police investigators and, according to British government ministry sources, leaked by US counterparts they had been shared with.

&quot;We are furious. This is completely unacceptable,&quot; a government ministry source said. &quot;These images leaked from inside the US system will be distressing for victims, their families and the wider public.

&quot;The issue is being raised at every relevant level by the British authorities with their US counterparts.&quot;

The row -- which goes to the heart of the close intelligence-sharing relationship between the two allies -- provides an awkward backdrop to Prime Minister Theresa May&#39;s meeting with US President Donald Trump at the NATO summit in Brussels on Thursday.

&nbsp;

&#39;It is irritating&#39;

Rudd revealed the frustration going on inside the probe to find the suspected network behind bomber Salman Abedi.

&quot;The British police have been very clear that they want to control the flow of information in order to protect operational integrity... the element of surprise,&quot; &nbsp;Rudd told BBC radio.

&quot;So it is irritating if it gets released from other sources and I have been very clear with our friends that that should not happen again.&quot;&nbsp;

Asked if the US authorities had compromised the investigation, she said: &quot;I wouldn&#39;t go that far. But I can say that they are perfectly clear about the situation and that it shouldn&#39;t happen again.&quot;

But the National Counter Terrorism Policing body said the investigation was being &quot;undermined&quot;.

&ldquo;We greatly value the important relationships we have with our trusted intelligence, law enforcement and security partners around the world,&quot; a spokesman said.

&quot;These relationships enable us to collaborate and share privileged and sensitive information.

&ldquo;When that trust is breached it undermines these relationships, and undermines our investigations and the confidence of victims, witnesses and their families.

&quot;This damage is even greater when it involves unauthorised disclosure of potential evidence in the middle of a major counter-terrorism investigation.&rdquo;

&nbsp;

Bomber identity leaked

Twenty-two people, including several children, were killed on Monday when a bomb went off at a concert by US pop star Ariana Grande in Manchester, northwest England.

British-born Abedi was identified as the suspected suicide bomber responsible. His name first surfaced in US media reports Tuesday, based on briefings given to US officials by their counterparts in London.

Earlier, US media, also quoting US security sources, identified the assailant as a suicide bomber, well before British authorities confirmed that publicly.

Department of Homeland Security spokesman David Lapan confirmed that Rudd, who spoke with DHS Secretary John Kelly by phone Wednesday, had raised the matter.

&quot;They communicated to DHS as well as other US government agencies their concern over leaks about their investigation into the incident in Manchester -- information that&#39;s gotten into the press and public through US sources when the UK was leading the investigation and wants to protect the information,&quot; Lapan said.

&quot;They&#39;ve asked all of us to better protect the information that we have so as not to impede their investigation. We&#39;ll do whatever we can to honour that.&quot;&nbsp;

DHS and intelligence agencies contacted by AFP would not comment on whether they were the ones who leaked the information.

(AFP)

US intelligence leaked the bomber's identity and details of the probe to US media before British officials felt ready to disclose them

"Furious" British officials scolded their US counterparts on Wednesday following repeated leaks of shared material about the investigation into the deadly Manchester terror attack. British Home Secretary Amber Rudd roasted the US Department of Homeland Security and other intelligence branches after the bomber's identity and details of the probe leaked out to US media before British officials felt ready to disclose them. But shortly after the interior minister complained, The New York Times newspaper again scooped British authorities and other media by publishing photographs from the scene of remnants of the bomb. The pictures were apparently taken by police investigators and, according to British government ministry sources, leaked by US counterparts they had been shared with. "We are furious. This is completely unacceptable," a government ministry source said. "These images leaked from inside the US system will be distressing for victims, their families and the wider public. "The issue is being raised at every relevant level by the British authorities with their US counterparts." The row -- which goes to the heart of the close intelligence-sharing relationship between the two allies -- provides an awkward backdrop to Prime Minister Theresa May's meeting with US President Donald Trump at the NATO summit in Brussels on Thursday. 'It is irritating' Rudd revealed the frustration going on inside the probe to find the suspected network behind bomber Salman Abedi. "The British police have been very clear that they want to control the flow of information in order to protect operational integrity... the element of surprise," Rudd told BBC radio. "So it is irritating if it gets released from other sources and I have been very clear with our friends that that should not happen again." Asked if the US authorities had compromised the investigation, she said: "I wouldn't go that far. But I can say that they are perfectly clear about the situation and that it shouldn't happen again." But the National Counter Terrorism Policing body said the investigation was being "undermined". “We greatly value the important relationships we have with our trusted intelligence, law enforcement and security partners around the world," a spokesman said. "These relationships enable us to collaborate and share privileged and sensitive information. “When that trust is breached it undermines these relationships, and undermines our investigations and the confidence of victims, witnesses and their families. "This damage is even greater when it involves unauthorised disclosure of potential evidence in the middle of a major counter-terrorism investigation.” Bomber identity leaked Twenty-two people, including several children, were killed on Monday when a bomb went off at a concert by US pop star Ariana Grande in Manchester, northwest England. British-born Abedi was identified as the suspected suicide bomber responsible. His name first surfaced in US media reports Tuesday, based on briefings given to US officials by their counterparts in London. Earlier, US media, also quoting US security sources, identified the assailant as a suicide bomber, well before British authorities confirmed that publicly. Department of Homeland Security spokesman David Lapan confirmed that Rudd, who spoke with DHS Secretary John Kelly by phone Wednesday, had raised the matter. "They communicated to DHS as well as other US government agencies their concern over leaks about their investigation into the incident in Manchester -- information that's gotten into the press and public through US sources when the UK was leading the investigation and wants to protect the information," Lapan said. "They've asked all of us to better protect the information that we have so as not to impede their investigation. We'll do whatever we can to honour that." DHS and intelligence agencies contacted by AFP would not comment on whether they were the ones who leaked the information. (AFP)

Britain 'furious' over US leaks on Manchester attack

Britain&#39;s armed forces will be deployed to boost security, Prime Minister Theresa May said on Tuesday, as the country raised its terror threat to the highest level of &quot;critical&quot; after a suicide attack in Manchester that killed 22 people, including children.

May said members of the armed forces would be positioned at key sites to free up police for patrols and military personnel might be deployed at public events such as concerts and sports events as a further attack was seen as potentially imminent.

May said the independent body which sets the threat level had recommended it be raised from &quot;severe&quot; after a man named by police as Salman Abedi set off an improvised bomb on Monday night as crowds streamed out of a concert.

&quot;It is now concluded on the basis of today&#39;s investigations that the threat level should be increased for the time being from severe to critical,&quot; she said in a televised statement after a meeting of the government&#39;s crisis response committee.

&quot;This means that their assessment is not only that an attack remains highly likely but that a further attack may be imminent.&quot;

Britain&#39;s international terror threat level was last at the critical level in June 2007.

May, who is due to contest a national election on June 8, said the man named by police as the attacker, Salman Abedi, was born and brought up in Britain and investigations into whether he was working alone were ongoing.

&quot;The work undertaken throughout the day has revealed that it is a possibility we cannot ignore that there is a wider group of individuals linked to this attack,&quot; she said.

(Reuters)

May said members of the armed forces would be positioned at key sites to free up police for patrols and military personnel might be deployed at public events

Britain's armed forces will be deployed to boost security, Prime Minister Theresa May said on Tuesday, as the country raised its terror threat to the highest level of "critical" after a suicide attack in Manchester that killed 22 people, including children. May said members of the armed forces would be positioned at key sites to free up police for patrols and military personnel might be deployed at public events such as concerts and sports events as a further attack was seen as potentially imminent. May said the independent body which sets the threat level had recommended it be raised from "severe" after a man named by police as Salman Abedi set off an improvised bomb on Monday night as crowds streamed out of a concert. "It is now concluded on the basis of today's investigations that the threat level should be increased for the time being from severe to critical," she said in a televised statement after a meeting of the government's crisis response committee. "This means that their assessment is not only that an attack remains highly likely but that a further attack may be imminent." Britain's international terror threat level was last at the critical level in June 2007. May, who is due to contest a national election on June 8, said the man named by police as the attacker, Salman Abedi, was born and brought up in Britain and investigations into whether he was working alone were ongoing. "The work undertaken throughout the day has revealed that it is a possibility we cannot ignore that there is a wider group of individuals linked to this attack," she said. (Reuters)

Britain's armed forces to be deployed to boost security: Theresa May

Theresa May faces her first nationwide electoral test as Britain&#39;s prime minister on Thursday, as she toughens her Brexit position just weeks before a crucial general election.

Britain will choose thousands of new local councillors in a vote that will be closely watched for proof of the strength of May&#39;s Conservatives, which opinion polls suggest are on course for a thumping victory in the June 8 parliamentary elections.

Nearly 5,000 local authority seats are being contested across England, Scotland and Wales on Thursday along with eight metropolitan mayoralties.

Experts warn against using the results to predict the outcome of next month&#39;s vote, noting that such elections are normally fought on local issues, and are often used to punish the sitting government.

But the proximity of the general election and the political upheaval caused by last year&#39;s shock Brexit referendum has created a unique context.

&#39;Threats against Britain&#39;

May invoked Britain&#39;s formal notice of its intention to leave the European Union on March 29.

Two weeks ago the prime minister called the surprise June general election to strengthen her mandate as she heads into EU negotiations, and she is well aware Brexit will be on many voters&#39; minds on Thursday.

Speaking outside her Downing Street office a day before the local elections, May took aim at Brussels for making &quot;threats against Britain&quot; over the divorce proceedings.

The two sides have clashed over the costs of the exit, prompting May to accuse the EU of toughening its stance in statements &quot;deliberately timed to affect the result of the general election&quot; in June.

Opposition leaders have claimed the prime minister is using the EU talks as a distraction from other issues, with Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn accusing May of &quot;playing party games with Brexit&quot;.

Labour sits more than 20 points behind the Conservatives, with the local polls expected to indicate the challenge facing Corbyn&#39;s party ahead of the general election.

&quot;They will provide some vital information about the pattern of support and where parties are performing particularly strongly or weakly,&quot; said Anthony Wells of polling company YouGov.

Local elections spillover

&quot;The Conservatives are doing very well and that is almost certainly likely to have some spillover into the local elections,&quot; said Roger Scully, a politics professor at the University of Cardiff.

But drawing a national picture from Thursday&#39;s vote will be made harder by the absence of council elections in England&#39;s biggest cities, where Labour is traditionally strong.

&quot;Let&#39;s see what happens. That might be an interesting measure of how things are going more generally, and how accurate the polling is,&quot; a senior Labour source said.

The smaller, pro-EU Liberal Democrats, who were almost wiped out in the 2015 general election after entering a coalition government with the Conservatives, are hoping to pick up some momentum for the June vote with gains on Thursday.

By contrast, the anti-EU, anti-mass immigration UK Independence Party is predicted to lose most of its council seats as it struggles to define itself now that its principal goal -- Brexit -- is on its way to being achieved.

Meanwhile, in Scotland, the local elections will indicate the strength of the ruling Scottish National Party, which has used the Brexit vote to call for a new referendum on independence.

(AFP)

Britain will choose thousands of new local councillors in a vote that will be closely watched for proof of the strength of May's Conservatives

Theresa May faces her first nationwide electoral test as Britain's prime minister on Thursday, as she toughens her Brexit position just weeks before a crucial general election. Britain will choose thousands of new local councillors in a vote that will be closely watched for proof of the strength of May's Conservatives, which opinion polls suggest are on course for a thumping victory in the June 8 parliamentary elections. Nearly 5,000 local authority seats are being contested across England, Scotland and Wales on Thursday along with eight metropolitan mayoralties. Experts warn against using the results to predict the outcome of next month's vote, noting that such elections are normally fought on local issues, and are often used to punish the sitting government. But the proximity of the general election and the political upheaval caused by last year's shock Brexit referendum has created a unique context. 'Threats against Britain' May invoked Britain's formal notice of its intention to leave the European Union on March 29. Two weeks ago the prime minister called the surprise June general election to strengthen her mandate as she heads into EU negotiations, and she is well aware Brexit will be on many voters' minds on Thursday. Speaking outside her Downing Street office a day before the local elections, May took aim at Brussels for making "threats against Britain" over the divorce proceedings. The two sides have clashed over the costs of the exit, prompting May to accuse the EU of toughening its stance in statements "deliberately timed to affect the result of the general election" in June. Opposition leaders have claimed the prime minister is using the EU talks as a distraction from other issues, with Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn accusing May of "playing party games with Brexit". Labour sits more than 20 points behind the Conservatives, with the local polls expected to indicate the challenge facing Corbyn's party ahead of the general election. "They will provide some vital information about the pattern of support and where parties are performing particularly strongly or weakly," said Anthony Wells of polling company YouGov. Local elections spillover "The Conservatives are doing very well and that is almost certainly likely to have some spillover into the local elections," said Roger Scully, a politics professor at the University of Cardiff. But drawing a national picture from Thursday's vote will be made harder by the absence of council elections in England's biggest cities, where Labour is traditionally strong. "Let's see what happens. That might be an interesting measure of how things are going more generally, and how accurate the polling is," a senior Labour source said. The smaller, pro-EU Liberal Democrats, who were almost wiped out in the 2015 general election after entering a coalition government with the Conservatives, are hoping to pick up some momentum for the June vote with gains on Thursday. By contrast, the anti-EU, anti-mass immigration UK Independence Party is predicted to lose most of its council seats as it struggles to define itself now that its principal goal -- Brexit -- is on its way to being achieved. Meanwhile, in Scotland, the local elections will indicate the strength of the ruling Scottish National Party, which has used the Brexit vote to call for a new referendum on independence. (AFP)

May takes tough Brexit stance as UK holds local elections

Ben Stokes hammered an unbeaten 103 under pressure to lead Rising Pune Supergiant to a five-wicket win over Gujarat Lions that consolidated their fourth position in the&nbsp;IPL, here tonight. 
 
Chasing a modest 162 to win, the hosts were reeling at 42 for four when the England batsman came out firing on all cylinders to ensure that the good job done by the bowlers does not go waste. 
 
Stokes braved cramps towards the end of the chase and batted with determination to help RPS take two points and enhance their Play-offs chances. 
 
Leg-spinner Imran Tahir had rocked the Lions&#39; batting order with a three-wicket burst to help his side bundle out the rivals for a modest 161 in 19.5 overs. 
 
The Lions were off to a flying start with Brendon McCullum (45) and Ishan Kishan (31) adding 55 quick runs for the first wicket but lost wickets in a heap to lose way. 
 
Tahir not only broke the opening stand but also got rid of Aaron Finch (13) and Dwyane Smith (0) in successive balls. The South African spinner conceded 27 runs in his four overs. 
 
Lions could not exploit a good batting wicket and if it was not for Dinesh Karthik&#39;s sensible 29-run knock, they would not have put on board a respectable total. 
 
Paceman Jaydev Unadkat (3/29) also took three wickets to wipe off the tail. 
 
Left-arm paceman Pradeep Sangwan provided the Lions a perfect start by scalping dismissing both Ajinkya Rahane (4) and Steve Smith (4) in the very first over. 
 
Soon it came 42 for four when Manoj Tiwary (0) was trapped by Basil Tahmpi and Rahul Tripathi (6) was run out. 
 
From here, Stokes joined forces with MS Dhoni and the duo added 76 runs for the fifth-wicket to frustrate the Lions. 
 
Stokes&#39; onslaught began when he smashed Ravindra Jadeja for two sixes to collect 15 runs from the 10th over and never looked back. Dhoni played the second-fiddle as the former India captain was happy rotating the strike and finding a boundary here and there. 
 
RPS needed 60 off the final five overs. Stokes creamed off 16 runs from Dwayne Smith&#39;s 16th over but Dhoni hit one straight to McCullum in the next over by Thampi. 
 
Stokes, though, stayed till the end to take the side to finish line. His 103 came off 63 balls with seven fours and six sixes. 
 
RPS now have 12 points from 10 matches to be in fourth spot while Lions are sixth with six points. 
 
Earlier, Kishan took some time to get his eye in but made up for the dot balls by hitting a few big shots quite&nbsp;comfortably.

On&nbsp;the other end, McCulllum was on fire from the beginning, treating both spinners and pacers with disdain.&nbsp;Kishan lofted Jaydev Unadkat and Washington Sundar for sixes in the square leg region. Ben Stokes was introduced early into the attack but McCullum had no problems in finding boundaries. 
 
Lions raced to fifty in the sixth over but leg-spinner Imran Tahir, who bowled the last over in PowerPlay, brought relief for the hosts by scalping Kishan. 
 
The South African also succeeded in creating pressure on Lions batsmen by bowling dot balls and soon rival captain Suresh Raina was run out. 
 
Finch decided to take on Tahir and hammered him for a six over mid-wicket but the bowler had the last laugh as he caught and bowled the Australian. Tahir clean bowled Dwayne Smith with a googly in the next ball to stun the rival camp. 
 
Lions had 94 runs on the board at half-way mark but had lost four key batsmen. McCullum was being troubled by Ben Stokes and was hit on the shoulder. The Kiwi was though dismissed by Shardul Thakur after miscuing one off paceman. 
After that, James Faulkner (6) and Jadeja (19) too departed soon to leave Lions struggling.&nbsp; 
 
(PTI)

By law, parliament is dissolved 25 working days before an election takes place

Ben Stokes hammered an unbeaten 103 under pressure to lead Rising Pune Supergiant to a five-wicket win over Gujarat Lions that consolidated their fourth position in the IPL, here tonight. Chasing a modest 162 to win, the hosts were reeling at 42 for four when the England batsman came out firing on all cylinders to ensure that the good job done by the bowlers does not go waste. Stokes braved cramps towards the end of the chase and batted with determination to help RPS take two points and enhance their Play-offs chances. Leg-spinner Imran Tahir had rocked the Lions' batting order with a three-wicket burst to help his side bundle out the rivals for a modest 161 in 19.5 overs. The Lions were off to a flying start with Brendon McCullum (45) and Ishan Kishan (31) adding 55 quick runs for the first wicket but lost wickets in a heap to lose way. Tahir not only broke the opening stand but also got rid of Aaron Finch (13) and Dwyane Smith (0) in successive balls. The South African spinner conceded 27 runs in his four overs. Lions could not exploit a good batting wicket and if it was not for Dinesh Karthik's sensible 29-run knock, they would not have put on board a respectable total. Paceman Jaydev Unadkat (3/29) also took three wickets to wipe off the tail. Left-arm paceman Pradeep Sangwan provided the Lions a perfect start by scalping dismissing both Ajinkya Rahane (4) and Steve Smith (4) in the very first over. Soon it came 42 for four when Manoj Tiwary (0) was trapped by Basil Tahmpi and Rahul Tripathi (6) was run out. From here, Stokes joined forces with MS Dhoni and the duo added 76 runs for the fifth-wicket to frustrate the Lions. Stokes' onslaught began when he smashed Ravindra Jadeja for two sixes to collect 15 runs from the 10th over and never looked back. Dhoni played the second-fiddle as the former India captain was happy rotating the strike and finding a boundary here and there. RPS needed 60 off the final five overs. Stokes creamed off 16 runs from Dwayne Smith's 16th over but Dhoni hit one straight to McCullum in the next over by Thampi. Stokes, though, stayed till the end to take the side to finish line. His 103 came off 63 balls with seven fours and six sixes. RPS now have 12 points from 10 matches to be in fourth spot while Lions are sixth with six points. Earlier, Kishan took some time to get his eye in but made up for the dot balls by hitting a few big shots quite comfortably. On the other end, McCulllum was on fire from the beginning, treating both spinners and pacers with disdain. Kishan lofted Jaydev Unadkat and Washington Sundar for sixes in the square leg region. Ben Stokes was introduced early into the attack but McCullum had no problems in finding boundaries. Lions raced to fifty in the sixth over but leg-spinner Imran Tahir, who bowled the last over in PowerPlay, brought relief for the hosts by scalping Kishan. The South African also succeeded in creating pressure on Lions batsmen by bowling dot balls and soon rival captain Suresh Raina was run out. Finch decided to take on Tahir and hammered him for a six over mid-wicket but the bowler had the last laugh as he caught and bowled the Australian. Tahir clean bowled Dwayne Smith with a googly in the next ball to stun the rival camp. Lions had 94 runs on the board at half-way mark but had lost four key batsmen. McCullum was being troubled by Ben Stokes and was hit on the shoulder. The Kiwi was though dismissed by Shardul Thakur after miscuing one off paceman. After that, James Faulkner (6) and Jadeja (19) too departed soon to leave Lions struggling. (PTI)

UK Parliament officially dissolved before elections

Britain has protested to Twitter over restricting the government&#39;s access to data, a spokesman for Prime Minister Theresa May said on Wednesday.

The Telegraph newspaper, citing industry sources, said Twitter had withdrawn access to information which helped the police and intelligence agencies identify plots as part of the social media firm&#39;s efforts to stop user data being used for surveillance.

&quot;We are protesting this decision. We are in talks with Twitter on getting access to this data,&quot; the spokesman told reporters. He added that social media companies needed to play a role in the government&#39;s fight against terrorism. Twitter was not immediately available for comment.

Twitter has a history of resisting government demands for information about its users.

The company early this month filed a suit against the US government, asking a court to back its refusal to hand over the identities of users claiming to be dissenting federal employees.

The lawsuit revealed that the Department of Homeland Security and US Customs and Border Protection had sought the unmasking of the @ALT_USCIS account holder who had been criticising President Donald Trump&#39;s administration.

Twitter has been forced to temper its approach over the past two years in the face of government pressure to crack down on incitements to violence and user complaints about rampant hate speech and harassment.

(WION)

Twitter has a history of resisting government demands for information about its users

Britain has protested to Twitter over restricting the government's access to data, a spokesman for Prime Minister Theresa May said on Wednesday. The Telegraph newspaper, citing industry sources, said Twitter had withdrawn access to information which helped the police and intelligence agencies identify plots as part of the social media firm's efforts to stop user data being used for surveillance. "We are protesting this decision. We are in talks with Twitter on getting access to this data," the spokesman told reporters. He added that social media companies needed to play a role in the government's fight against terrorism. Twitter was not immediately available for comment. Twitter has a history of resisting government demands for information about its users. The company early this month filed a suit against the US government, asking a court to back its refusal to hand over the identities of users claiming to be dissenting federal employees. The lawsuit revealed that the Department of Homeland Security and US Customs and Border Protection had sought the unmasking of the @ALT_USCIS account holder who had been criticising President Donald Trump's administration. Twitter has been forced to temper its approach over the past two years in the face of government pressure to crack down on incitements to violence and user complaints about rampant hate speech and harassment. (WION)

UK complains to Twitter over withdrawal of access to user data

Prime Minister Theresa May won parliament&#39;s backing for an early election on Wednesday, a vote she said would strengthen her hand in divorce talks with the European Union and help heal divisions in Britain.

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
BREAKING: UK lawmakers vote 522-13 to back prime minister&#39;s call for June 8 election.
&mdash; The Associated Press (@AP) <a href="https://twitter.com/AP/status/854693130985254917">April 19, 2017</a></blockquote>
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May surprised allies and opponents on Tuesday when she announced her plan to bring forward an election that was not due until 2020, saying she needed to avoid a clash of priorities in the sensitive final stages of the two-year Brexit talks.

After addressing a rowdy session of the House of Commons, May won the support of 522 lawmakers in the 650-seat parliament for an election on June 8, an easy victory for the prime minister who could see her majority increase by at least 100 seats in the poll.

&quot;I believe that at this moment of enormous national significance there should be unity here in Westminster, not division,&quot; May told parliament.

&quot;A general election will provide the country with five years of strong and stable leadership to see us through the negotiations and ensure we are able to go on to make a success as a result, and that is crucial.&quot;

The former interior minister, who became prime minister without an election when her predecessor David Cameron quit after last year&#39;s referendum vote for Brexit, enjoys a runaway lead over the main opposition Labour Party in opinion polls.

She has also played up the strength of the British economy, which has so far defied predictions of a slowdown - a key campaign theme that her Conservative Party will use to try to undermine Labour in the election.

A victory would give May a powerful mandate extending until 2022, long enough to cover the Brexit negotiations plus a possible transition period into new trading arrangements with the EU - a prospect that has strengthened the pound.

The Sun, Britain&#39;s top-selling newspaper, splashed the headline &quot;Blue Murder&quot; - a reference to the Conservatives&#39; colour branding and the prospect of Labour losing dozens of seats.

Reluctant

May formally notified the European Union on March 29 of Britain&#39;s intention to leave, and has said she is confident of reaching a deal on the terms of withdrawal in the two years available.

She said on Tuesday she had &quot;reluctantly&quot; come to the decision to call for an early election because of political division in Westminster, criticising opposition parties for trying to thwart her plans for leaving the EU.

&quot;What do we know that the leader of the Labour Party, the leader of the Liberal Democrats and the leader of the Scottish nationalists have in common?&quot; she asked parliament.

&quot;They want to unite together to divide our country and we will not let them do it.&quot;

But for Scotland&#39;s first minister, Nicola Sturgeon, the move was a &quot;huge political miscalculation&quot; that could help the Scottish National Party&#39;s efforts to hold an independence vote.

&quot;If the SNP wins this election in Scotland and the Tories (Conservatives) don&#39;t, then Theresa May&#39;s attempt to block our mandate to give the people of Scotland a choice over their own future when the time is right will crumble to dust,&quot; said Sturgeon, who heads Scotland&#39;s devolved government.

May, who has described herself as &quot;not a showy politician&quot;, also said she would not take part in television debates before the election, preferring to talk directly to voters.

&quot;I will be debating these issues publicly across the country,&quot; she told parliament. &quot;We will be taking a proud record of a Conservative government, but more than that we will taking our plans for the future of this country.&quot;

(Reuters)

The parliament voted by 522 to 13 on Wednesday in favour of Prime Minister Theresa May's plan to hold an early national election

Prime Minister Theresa May won parliament's backing for an early election on Wednesday, a vote she said would strengthen her hand in divorce talks with the European Union and help heal divisions in Britain. BREAKING: UK lawmakers vote 522-13 to back prime minister's call for June 8 election. — The Associated Press (@AP) April 19, 2017 × May surprised allies and opponents on Tuesday when she announced her plan to bring forward an election that was not due until 2020, saying she needed to avoid a clash of priorities in the sensitive final stages of the two-year Brexit talks. After addressing a rowdy session of the House of Commons, May won the support of 522 lawmakers in the 650-seat parliament for an election on June 8, an easy victory for the prime minister who could see her majority increase by at least 100 seats in the poll. "I believe that at this moment of enormous national significance there should be unity here in Westminster, not division," May told parliament. "A general election will provide the country with five years of strong and stable leadership to see us through the negotiations and ensure we are able to go on to make a success as a result, and that is crucial." The former interior minister, who became prime minister without an election when her predecessor David Cameron quit after last year's referendum vote for Brexit, enjoys a runaway lead over the main opposition Labour Party in opinion polls. She has also played up the strength of the British economy, which has so far defied predictions of a slowdown - a key campaign theme that her Conservative Party will use to try to undermine Labour in the election. A victory would give May a powerful mandate extending until 2022, long enough to cover the Brexit negotiations plus a possible transition period into new trading arrangements with the EU - a prospect that has strengthened the pound. The Sun, Britain's top-selling newspaper, splashed the headline "Blue Murder" - a reference to the Conservatives' colour branding and the prospect of Labour losing dozens of seats. Reluctant May formally notified the European Union on March 29 of Britain's intention to leave, and has said she is confident of reaching a deal on the terms of withdrawal in the two years available. She said on Tuesday she had "reluctantly" come to the decision to call for an early election because of political division in Westminster, criticising opposition parties for trying to thwart her plans for leaving the EU. "What do we know that the leader of the Labour Party, the leader of the Liberal Democrats and the leader of the Scottish nationalists have in common?" she asked parliament. "They want to unite together to divide our country and we will not let them do it." But for Scotland's first minister, Nicola Sturgeon, the move was a "huge political miscalculation" that could help the Scottish National Party's efforts to hold an independence vote. "If the SNP wins this election in Scotland and the Tories (Conservatives) don't, then Theresa May's attempt to block our mandate to give the people of Scotland a choice over their own future when the time is right will crumble to dust," said Sturgeon, who heads Scotland's devolved government. May, who has described herself as "not a showy politician", also said she would not take part in television debates before the election, preferring to talk directly to voters. "I will be debating these issues publicly across the country," she told parliament. "We will be taking a proud record of a Conservative government, but more than that we will taking our plans for the future of this country." (Reuters)

British parliament votes in favour of early election on June 8

British Prime Minister Theresa May on Sunday insisted that she would &quot;never&quot; allow Gibraltar to slip from British control against the wishes of Gibraltarians as the issue took centre-stage in early Brexit wranglings.

May told Chief Minister of Gibraltar Fabian Picardo that &quot;we will never enter into arrangements under which the people of Gibraltar would pass under the sovereignty of another state against their freely and democratically expressed wishes.&quot;

Her comments came as Spain pledged it would not close its border post-Brexit with the 6.7-square-kilometre (2.6-square-mile) British overseas territory on the southern tip of Spain.

On matters of trade, the European Union has said that Spain would have to agree to extend any deal between the bloc and Britain to also cover Gibraltar.

This means that Madrid could potentially block Gibraltar&#39;s access to any trade deal, and politicians in &quot;the Rock&quot; fear that Madrid will use the veto to seek sovereignty over the peninsula.

May told Picardo that she would never &quot;enter into a process of sovereignty negotiations with which Gibraltar is not content,&quot; according to a readout of the phone call released by her Downing Street office.

&quot;The UK remains steadfastly committed to our support for Gibraltar, its people and its economy,&quot; it added.

&quot;We remain absolutely dedicated to working with Gibraltar for the best possible outcome on Brexit, and will continue to involve them fully in the process.&quot;

British foreign minister Boris Johnson earlier Sunday stressed that the territory &quot;will not be bargained away&quot;.

&quot;Gibraltar is not for sale. Gibraltar cannot be traded. Gibraltar will not be bargained away,&quot; Johnson wrote in the Sunday Telegraph.

Johnson wrote that the policy of the government &quot;remains fixed and firm. The sovereignty of Gibraltar cannot be changed without the express consent of the UK and the people of Gibraltar.&quot;

&quot;The status of Gibraltar has been unchanged since 1713. It made no difference when the UK joined the Common Market in 1973 and when Spain was not yet a member. It should make no difference today.&quot;

&nbsp;&#39;No intention&#39; to close border with Gibraltar: Spain 
 
The peninsula is home to about 33,000 people, with a key electronic gambling industry and offshore finance sector that deals with the whole of Europe.

Spain said Sunday it had no post-Brexit plans to close its border with the territory, which depends on the crossing for much of its supplies and visitor flow.

Some 10,000 people also make the crossing to work daily from the Spanish region that surrounds Gibraltar called Campo de Gibraltar, and they fear that Madrid may make things more difficult at the frontier.

&quot;There is no intention to close the border. The idea is that Spaniards who live in the Campo de Gibraltar and who work in Gibraltar continue to do so,&quot; Spanish Foreign Minister Alfonso Dastis said in an interview published in daily newspaper El Pais.

Picardo on Friday hit out at the EU proposal, branding it &quot;unnecessary&quot; and &quot;discriminatory.&quot;

&quot;This is a disgraceful attempt by Spain to manipulate the European Council for its own, narrow, political interests,&quot; Picardo said in a statement.

Gibraltarians want to stay British, as demonstrated in 2002 when they rejected a referendum on shared sovereignty with Spain. 
 
(AFP) 
&nbsp;

Politicians in Gibraltar fear that Spain will use Brexit to seek sovereignty over the peninsula.

British Prime Minister Theresa May on Sunday insisted that she would "never" allow Gibraltar to slip from British control against the wishes of Gibraltarians as the issue took centre-stage in early Brexit wranglings. May told Chief Minister of Gibraltar Fabian Picardo that "we will never enter into arrangements under which the people of Gibraltar would pass under the sovereignty of another state against their freely and democratically expressed wishes." Her comments came as Spain pledged it would not close its border post-Brexit with the 6.7-square-kilometre (2.6-square-mile) British overseas territory on the southern tip of Spain. On matters of trade, the European Union has said that Spain would have to agree to extend any deal between the bloc and Britain to also cover Gibraltar. This means that Madrid could potentially block Gibraltar's access to any trade deal, and politicians in "the Rock" fear that Madrid will use the veto to seek sovereignty over the peninsula. May told Picardo that she would never "enter into a process of sovereignty negotiations with which Gibraltar is not content," according to a readout of the phone call released by her Downing Street office. "The UK remains steadfastly committed to our support for Gibraltar, its people and its economy," it added. "We remain absolutely dedicated to working with Gibraltar for the best possible outcome on Brexit, and will continue to involve them fully in the process." British foreign minister Boris Johnson earlier Sunday stressed that the territory "will not be bargained away". "Gibraltar is not for sale. Gibraltar cannot be traded. Gibraltar will not be bargained away," Johnson wrote in the Sunday Telegraph. Johnson wrote that the policy of the government "remains fixed and firm. The sovereignty of Gibraltar cannot be changed without the express consent of the UK and the people of Gibraltar." "The status of Gibraltar has been unchanged since 1713. It made no difference when the UK joined the Common Market in 1973 and when Spain was not yet a member. It should make no difference today." 'No intention' to close border with Gibraltar: Spain The peninsula is home to about 33,000 people, with a key electronic gambling industry and offshore finance sector that deals with the whole of Europe. Spain said Sunday it had no post-Brexit plans to close its border with the territory, which depends on the crossing for much of its supplies and visitor flow. Some 10,000 people also make the crossing to work daily from the Spanish region that surrounds Gibraltar called Campo de Gibraltar, and they fear that Madrid may make things more difficult at the frontier. "There is no intention to close the border. The idea is that Spaniards who live in the Campo de Gibraltar and who work in Gibraltar continue to do so," Spanish Foreign Minister Alfonso Dastis said in an interview published in daily newspaper El Pais. Picardo on Friday hit out at the EU proposal, branding it "unnecessary" and "discriminatory." "This is a disgraceful attempt by Spain to manipulate the European Council for its own, narrow, political interests," Picardo said in a statement. Gibraltarians want to stay British, as demonstrated in 2002 when they rejected a referendum on shared sovereignty with Spain. (AFP)

Britain says 'never' cede Gibraltar to Spain without consent

British Prime Minister Theresa May on Tuesday signed the historic letter that will launch Brexit when it is delivered to Brussels on Wednesday, a photo released by her office showed.

Sitting in front of a lone Union Jack national flag and a portrait of Britain&#39;s first prime minister, Robert Walpole, a serene-looking May signed the letter to begin the country`s departure from the European Union.

The letter will be taken from 10 Downing Street to Brussels, where it will be delivered by Tim Barrow, Britain&#39;s EU ambassador, to EU President Donald Tusk around 1130 GMT on Wednesday.

Formally notifying Tusk of Britain&#39;s intention to leave the bloc, by triggering Article 50 of the EU&#39;s Lisbon Treaty, sets the clock ticking on a two-year negotiating period to end the UK`s 44 years of membership.

On the eve of launching Brexit, May on Tuesday evening made separate phone calls to Tusk, European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker, and German Chancellor Angela Merkel.

&quot;They agreed that a strong EU was in everyone&#39;s interests and that the UK would remain a close and committed ally,&quot;&nbsp;

Downing Street said.

&quot;They also agreed on the importance of entering into negotiations in a constructive and positive spirit, and of ensuring a smooth and orderly exit process.&quot;

As Britain begins its break with the bloc on Wednesday, May will address parliament and promise to represent everyone in the UK -- including EU citizens -- in the negotiations with Brussels.

She will express hope &quot;that we are no longer defined by the vote we cast, but by our determination to make a success of the result&quot;.

&quot;We are one great union of people and nations with a proud history and a bright future. And, now that the decision has been made to leave the EU, it is time to come together,&quot; the prime minister will say, according to her speech published in advance by Downing Street.

Britain voted by 52 per cent to leave the European Union in a referendum on June 23, 2016.

(AFP)

The letter will be taken ?to Brussels, where it will be delivered by Tim Barrow, Britain's EU ambassador, to EU President Donald Tusk?on Wednesday

British Prime Minister Theresa May on Tuesday signed the historic letter that will launch Brexit when it is delivered to Brussels on Wednesday, a photo released by her office showed. Sitting in front of a lone Union Jack national flag and a portrait of Britain's first prime minister, Robert Walpole, a serene-looking May signed the letter to begin the country`s departure from the European Union. The letter will be taken from 10 Downing Street to Brussels, where it will be delivered by Tim Barrow, Britain's EU ambassador, to EU President Donald Tusk around 1130 GMT on Wednesday. Formally notifying Tusk of Britain's intention to leave the bloc, by triggering Article 50 of the EU's Lisbon Treaty, sets the clock ticking on a two-year negotiating period to end the UK`s 44 years of membership. On the eve of launching Brexit, May on Tuesday evening made separate phone calls to Tusk, European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker, and German Chancellor Angela Merkel. "They agreed that a strong EU was in everyone's interests and that the UK would remain a close and committed ally," Downing Street said. "They also agreed on the importance of entering into negotiations in a constructive and positive spirit, and of ensuring a smooth and orderly exit process." As Britain begins its break with the bloc on Wednesday, May will address parliament and promise to represent everyone in the UK -- including EU citizens -- in the negotiations with Brussels. She will express hope "that we are no longer defined by the vote we cast, but by our determination to make a success of the result". "We are one great union of people and nations with a proud history and a bright future. And, now that the decision has been made to leave the EU, it is time to come together," the prime minister will say, according to her speech published in advance by Downing Street. Britain voted by 52 per cent to leave the European Union in a referendum on June 23, 2016. (AFP)

British PM Theresa May signs letter that will start Brexit

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