This would be a humiliation for Prime Minister Theresa May, who chose to call the election to try to strengthen her hand in talks with the EU on Brexit.Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn urged her to resign, but she said her party would "ensure" stability in the UK.

Mr Corbyn earlier said: "If there is a message from tonight's results, it's this: the prime minister called this election because she wanted a mandate. Well, the mandate she's got is lost Conservative seats, lost votes, lost support and lost confidence."

"At this time more than anything else, this country needs a period of stability," Mrs May said.