LONDON, June 8 -- British Prime Minister Theresa May is on course to lose her overall majority in the British general election, according to an exit poll released as soon as voting finished Thursday night.
The poll, commissioned by Britain's main broadcasters, showed May's Conservatives would have 314 seats, losing 17 seats and the overall majority she had before the election. She needs to win at least 326 seats to claim an overall majority in the House of Commons.
May's main rivals, Labour, would have 266 seats, according to the exit poll, which gave the first clue about the likely outcome of the snap general election called just a few weeks ago by May.
The minority Liberal Democrats would gain six seats to reach 14, the Scottish Nationalists will lose a third of their seats, getting 34, and the Greens would hold on to their single seat in Westminster.
It will be early hours Friday before the result is confirmed, but similar exit polls carried out at the previous two general elections in Britain came very close to predicting the results correctly.
In the 2017 general election, which came after five years of a general election between the Conservatives and the Liberal Democrats, few polls predicted a majority win for then prime minister David Cameron.
The poll predicted not only would Cameron win, but also that his coalition partners since 2010, the Liberal Democrats would be massacred.
The 2017 exit poll predicted nine seats for the Lib Dems, and in the event they ended up with eight, losing around 50 MPs.
Counting of millions of votes started soon after ballot boxes were delivered to counting stations, with the first declarations likely before midnight.
The vast majority of results will be declared between 2 a.m. and 4 a.m. local time, with May and her main rival, Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, eagerly waiting to see which party, if any, crosses the 326-seat threshold. That is the number of seats needed to guarantee a majority in the 650-seat House of Commons.
Labour's Emily Thornberry, the shadow foreign secretary, said late Thursday night May should consider her position if the exit poll proves accurate.
Speaking on Sky news, Thornberry said: "I think she should go. I think we're (Labour) on the verge of a great result." Labour's Shadow Chancellor John McDonnell also said he thought May's position would be untenable on the result of the exit poll.
May's expected losses come after the 100-plus wins predicted early on in the campaign.
In the run-up to the general election May had insisted that there would be no general election until the parliamentary term ended its five-year span in 2020.
She changed her mind, saying she wanted more support in her negotiations over the terms for Britain leaving the European Union.
Brexit, though, has not dominated the election campaign which was overshadowed by Britain's worst terrorist strike since 2005, with the detonating of a bomb by a suicide bomber at the end of a concert by singer Ariana Grande at the Manchester Arena.
Then came a second attack on London Bridge by three terrorists who were shot and killed within minutes by armed police.
May's manifesto also included controversial plans to cut heating allowances to pensioners and also reducing the guaranteed annual increase in their pensions. It also included a move that would see using the value of their homes to pay for care in their old age, dubbed by critics as the dementia tax.
The exit poll will also provide some comfort to Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn. At the start of the campaign a landslide of Labour losses had been predicted, weakening Corbyn's role as leader. But in the final weeks of the campaign the gap between the two leaders narrowed. For Corbyn the gap was a bridge too far to cross, but it is likely to weaken the hand of his critics, including many of her own MPs, who have wanted him to go.
Political commentators are already saying May's gamble in calling a snap election will turn out to be a disaster for her if the actual results reflect the exit poll.
我爱杨梅
我的最爱
安全“拥抱亭”让孤独老人在疫情期间重感家庭温暖
国际英语资讯:64 killed in three-day monsoon rain spells across Pakistan
牛牛上学
狐假虎威
国内英语资讯:Liaison office of Chinas central govt in HKSAR says so-called U.S. sanctions will become
好朋友
用“有的……”造句
国内英语资讯:Interview: Smart investors wont abandon Chinese market: Commerce Minister
国际英语资讯:Russian jet intercepts U.S. reconnaissance planes over Black Sea
宠物为你做过最好的事
可爱的动物
夏天来了
国内英语资讯:Interview: China to resolutely deepen opening-up of financial sector: central bank governor
NBA投篮比赛
国际英语资讯:Armenia reports 225 new COVID-19 cases
国内英语资讯:Chinese premier congratulates Sri Lankas new PM on taking office
夏天的凤凰广场
国际英语资讯:Africas COVID-19 cases approach 1 mln amid call to contain rapid infection rate
国际英语资讯:4,455 people infected with dengue, 9 dead in Laos since January
小鸟受伤了
国际英语资讯:Australian PM maintains high popularity amid coronavirus spike: poll
难忘的生日
国际英语资讯:Spotlight: Independent, professional new govt urged in Lebanon
国际英语资讯:Egypts president urges Lebanese people for unity after Beirut explosion
上半年超5800人放弃美国国籍 创下纪录
国际英语资讯:EU voices concern over Turkeys resumed energy exploration in Eastern Mediterranean
夏天的凤凰广场
“搞定了”用英语怎么说?