Global General

UK Conservatives fall short of majority

(Agencies)
Updated: 2010-05-07 05:56

LONDON - The Conservatives captured the largest number of seats Thursday in Britain's national election but will fall slightly short of a majority, leaving the country with a "hung Parliament" and no clear winner, according to television projections based on exit polls.

An analysis by Britain's main television networks suggested David Cameron's Conservative party will win 307 House of Commons seats, short of the 326 seats needed for a majority.

Polls gave Prime Minister Gordon Brown's Labour Party 255 seats, and Nick Clegg's Liberal Democrats 59 seats, far less than had been expected. Small parties got 29 other seats.

The result would bear out predictions that this election would not give any party a majority, resulting in a destabilizing period of political wrangling and uncertainty.

At least two scenarios could arise: Brown could resign if he feels the results have signaled he has lost his mandate to rule, or he could try to stay on as leader and seek a deal in which smaller parties would support him.

Even combined, Labour and the Liberal Democrats would not have the 326 seats needed to form a majority in a coalition which had been a widely discussed possibility.

The results may yet change. Projecting elections based on exit polls is inherently risky, particularly in an exceptionally close election like this one. Polls are based on samples - in this case 18,000 respondents and always have some margin of error.

Thousands have also already cast postal ballots but those results don't factor into the exit polls. About 12 percent cast postal ballots in 2005.

Britain's census is nine years out of date and the polling districts haven't caught up to population shifts. Many voters also refuse to respond to exit polls.

The projection suggests that the Conservatives will gain 97 seats, Labour lose 94 and the Liberal Democrats lose three.

"I think we're going to see a very interesting night," Conservative Party chairman Eric Pickles said.

Responding to the exit poll, Labour's deputy leader Harriet Harman told BBC News: "It's obviously going to be very close. What is clear is that the country is going to need a strong and stable government to take us through the recession.

She said Britain "hasn't turned overwhelmingly to the Conservatives and given them the trust and confidence ... predicted a year or so ago."

Liberal Democrat deputy leader Vince Cable described the outcome of the exit poll as "very strange" and insisted they had been "horribly wrong" in the past.