Theresa May has announced the Conservatives will join forces with the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) to form government, after talk of a strong majority evaporated.
The British Prime Minister's hopes of a landslide victory were left in tatters as she failed to win a parliamentary majority in the UK election leaving the country with a hung parliament.
May vowed to fight on, and fight on she did, striking a deal with DUP to reach the 326 seats needed for a majority in parliament.
The Prime Minister met with the Queen at Buckingham Palace at 12.30pm (11.30pm NZT) to get the tick of approval.
Addressing the public and media from Downing St, a pretty grim-faced May said the Tories and DUP having enjoyed a strong relationship over many years, which gave her the confidence that they can work together in the interests of the UK.
May said she will form "a government that can provide certainty and lead Britain forward at this critical time for our country".
"This government will guide our country through Brexit talks.
"The government I lead will put fairness and opportunity at the heart of everything we do."
She reaffirmed her commitment to leaving the European Union throughout her address.
"Now lets get to work," May said before leaving.
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"Only the Conservative and Unionist party has the legitimacy and ability to provide certainty" says Theresa May pic.twitter.com/4CMZyGGmvt
— Sky News (@SkyNews) June 9, 2017
British voters dealt May a devastating blow in the snap election, called to strengthen her hand in Brexit talks, wiping out her parliamentary majority and throwing the country into political turmoil.
In the aftermath of one of the most sensational nights in British electoral history, politicians and commentators called May's decision to hold the election a colossal mistake and derided her performance on the campaign trail.
With complex talks on Britain's divorce from the European Union due to start in 10 days, it was unclear what the direction of Brexit would be.
"If ... the Conservative Party has won the most seats and probably the most votes then it will be incumbent on us to ensure that we have that period of stability and that is exactly what we will do," a grim-faced May said after winning her own parliamentary seat of Maidenhead, near London.
Her Labour rival Jeremy Corbyn, once written off by his opponents as a no-hoper, said May should step down, and that he wanted to form a minority government.
After winning his own seat in north London, Corbyn said May's attempt to win a bigger mandate had backfired.
"The mandate she's got is lost Conservative seats, lost votes, lost support and lost confidence," he said.
"I would have thought that's enough to go, actually, and make way for a government that will be truly representative of all of the people of this country."
From the EU's perspective, the upset meant a possible delay in the start of Brexit talks and an increased risk that negotiations would fail.
"We need a government that can act," EU Budget Commissioner Guenther Oettinger told German broadcaster Deutschlandfunk.
"With a weak negotiating partner, there's a danger that the negotiations will turn out badly for both sides."
Conservative member of parliament Anna Soubry was the first in the party to disavow May in public, calling on the prime minister to "consider her position".
"I'm afraid we ran a pretty dreadful campaign," Soubry said.
May unexpectedly called the snap election seven weeks ago, even though no vote was due until 2020. At that point, polls predicted she would massively increase the slim majority she had inherited from predecessor David Cameron.
May spent the campaign denouncing Corbyn as the weak leader of a spendthrift party that would crash Britain's economy and flounder in Brexit talks, while she would provide "strong and stable leadership" to clinch a good deal for Britain.
But her campaign unravelled after a policy U-turn on care for the elderly, while Corbyn's old-school socialist platform and more impassioned campaigning style won wide support.
In the late stages of the campaign, Britain was hit by two Islamist militant attacks that killed 30 people in Manchester and London, temporarily shifting the focus onto security issues.
That did not help May, who in her previous role as interior minister for six years had overseen cuts in the number of police officers.
Meanwhile, Paul Nuttall has resigned as leader of the UK Independence Party (UKIP).
He said he was "confident my party has a great future".
EU Commission chief Juncker said he hopes the British election result will cause no further delays in Brexit talks. The Czech Prime Minister said Britain should not be granted any extension on the 2-year Brexit deadline.
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