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Theresa May

LONDON. – Theresa May has said she will put together a government with the support of the Democratic Unionists that can provide “certainty” for the future. Speaking after visiting the queen at Buckingham Palace, she said only her party had the “legitimacy” to govern, despite falling eight seats short of a majority.

She said she would join with her DUP “friends” to “get to work” on Brexit.

But Labour said they were the “real winners” while the Lib Dems said May should be “ashamed” of carrying on.

The Tories needed 326 seats to win another majority but, with 649 out of the 650 seats declared, they fell short and must rely on the DUP to continue to rule.

In a short statement outside Downing Street, which followed a 25-minute audience with The Queen, Mrs May said she intended to form a government which could “provide certainty and lead Britain forward at this critical time for our country”.

Referring to the “strong relationship” she had with the DUP but giving little detail of how their arrangement might work, she said the government would “guide the country through the crucial Brexit talks” that begin in just 10 days’ time.

“Our two parties have enjoyed a strong relationship over many years,” she said.

“And this gives me the confidence to believe that we will be able to work together in the interests of the whole United Kingdom.”

DUP leader Arlene Foster confirmed that she had spoken to May and that they would speak further to “explore how it may be possible to bring stability to this nation at this time of great challenge”.

While always striving for the “best deal” for Northern Ireland and its people, she said her party would always have the best interests of the UK at heart.

It is thought May will seek some kind of informal arrangement with the DUP that could see it “lend” its support to the Tories on a vote-by-vote basis, known as “confidence and supply”.

Conservative MP Dominic Raab said the country needed “certainty and direction”, and an agreement between the Conservatives and the Democratic Unionist Party was the “only viable option”.

The BBC’s Laura Kuenssberg said the PM had returned to No 10 a “diminished figure”, having ended up with 12 fewer seats than when she called the election in April. – BBC.