UK Election: Conservatives near majority as Queen's invite to form government looms
With the Conservatives nearing an unexpected parliamentary majority, British Prime Minister will reportedly visit the Queen within hours to receive an invitation to form the next government.
With the Conservatives nearing an unexpected parliamentary majority, British Prime Minister will reportedly visit the Queen within hours to receive an invitation to form the next government.
Please join us on our Facebook page http://www.facebook.com/bangkokpostlearning
17:00
British Prime Minister and Leader of the Conservative Party David Cameron (R) and his wife Samantha arrive at Conservative Party headquarters in London on May 8, 2015, the day after a general election. Prime Minister David Cameron's Conservatives looked on course today for a surprise victory in Britain's general election which would redefine the country's future in Europe and herald more austerity cuts. AFP PHOTO / LEON NEAL
The Conservative Party is edging closer and closer to a parliamentary majority. With the latest number of seats won now at 3243, only one more will give them exactly half the total seats in the House of Commons. With 11 seats left to be declared, the Tories seem certain to gain a majority.
AFP reports that Prime Minister David Cameron will leave Downing Street to meet Queen Elizabeth II at Buckingham Palace at 1830 Bangkok time on Friday where she is expected to formally invite him to form a new government, officials said.
12:55
Leader of the Liberal Democrat Party Nick Clegg speaks after retaining his seat of Sheffield Hallam in Sheffield, northern England, on May 8, 2015. Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg held his seat in Britain's election even as his party suffered humiliation nationwide after five years as partner to Prime Minister David Cameron's Conservatives. AFP PHOTO / LINDSEY PARNABY
A "cruel and punishing night" is the how Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg has just described his party's election performance. It now looks likely his party will lose 45 or more of the 57 seats it held in the House of Commons. Analysts are expecting his resignation shortly.
Leader of the opposition Labour Party Ed Miliband, makes a speech after retaining his seat of Doncaster North at the counting centre at Doncaster Racecourse, northern England, on May 8, 2015. As the national vote goes against Labour, some party members expect his next speech might by his resignation as party leader. AFP PHOTO / OLI SCARFF
British Prime Minister and Conservative Party leader David Cameron (L) talks to supporters at the Windrush Leisure Centre, Witney, north west of London on May 8, 2015 as votes are counted in the British general election. Prime Minister David Cameron's Conservatives are on course to be the biggest party in the next British parliament, according to an exit poll from the general election on Thursday showing them winning far more seats than had been expected. The projected result of 316 seats would beat centre-left Labour on 239 seats, upsetting analyst predictions of a neck-and-neck contest between Cameron and Labour challenger Ed Miliband. AFP PHOTO / GEOFF CADDICK
Leader of the Scottish National Party (SNP), Nicola Sturgeon reacts to results at the Glasgow election count at the Emirates Arena in Glasgow on May 8, 2015 after the polls closed in the British general election. Scottish nationalists were headed for sweeping gains. AFP PHOTO / ANDY BUCHANAN
11:45 Conservative party leader David Cameron has just been declared the winner in his constituency of Witney. At the same time, the Conservatives have just passed Labour with most most seats nationally and that lead is sure to continue to grow with more than 60 percent of the seats now declared.
11:20 If the Conservatives make large gains, as it appears they will, the relatively strong British economy will likely be a major reason.
The recovery began in 2010 and shows little sign of slowing significantly.
Heading into the election, the International Monetary Fund forecast solid economic growth for Britain for this year and next, at 2.7 percent and 2.3 percent respectively.
10:10 The first 200 results (of 650) have been announced with Labour having the most seats so far, but that is going to change in a big way very shortly, analysts say.
9:00 The early results (the real results) give us no reason to disbelieve the exit polls. In fact, some election analysts are now saying even the exit polls may have underestimated the vote for the Conservatives. In Scotland, however, the exit polls seem right on the mark. The Scottish Nationalist Party is showing huge gains at the expense of the Labour Party. Already there is talk among Labour members about whether party leader Ed Miliband will have to resign. Many are saying 'yes'.
20-year-old Mhairi Black is a university student who still has exams to finish. The member of the Scottish National Party (SNP) passed one big exam in her home constituency, however, becoming Britain’s youngest member of parliament since 1667, trouncing a prominent Labour leader. Lesley Martin/AFP
Surprise lead for Conservatives in UK election exit poll
A member of the counting staff reaches into a ballot box to extract the last of the papers at the counting centre at the Emirates Arena in Glasgow on May 7, 2015 after the polls closed in the British general election. Prime Minister David Cameron's Conservatives are on course to be the biggest party in the next British parliament, according to an exit poll from the general election on Thursday showing them winning far more seats than had been expected. AFP PHOTO / ANDY BUCHANAN
London, May 8, 2015, AFP – Prime Minister David Cameron's Conservatives have defied expectations to win the most seats at Britain's general election while falling just short of the clear majority needed to govern alone, exit polls indicated Thursday.
The centre-right Conservatives were projected to win 316 seats compared to 239 for Ed Miliband's centre-left Labour party, in a result that tore up pre-election predictions.
Opinion polls had indicated for months that the Conservatives and Labour were virtually tied.
If the results are borne out, they could put Britain on a collision course with the European Union as Cameron has promised an in-out referendum on membership.
Debbie Carpenter, an equestrian groom, rides back to Three Oaks, a residential house where a polling station is set up in Bramshill in southern England, on May 7, 2015, as Britain holds a general election. AFP PHOTO / ADRIAN DENNIS
In what would be another big shock, the pro-independence Scottish National Party (SNP) has taken 58 out of 59 seats north of the border, according to the poll issued by Britain's main broadcasters as ballot boxes closed at 2100 GMT.
That would represent a ninefold surge in support from the six seats the SNP held in the last parliament.
While the Conservatives may not have the clear majority of 326 seats in the House of Commons, the results, if confirmed, would put Cameron in a strong permission to remain in Downing Street, potentially as leader of a minority government working with smaller parties.
For some background on the election, see our previous story here: http://www.bangkokpost.com/learning/learning-from-news/552735/getting-ready-for-the-uk-election
สามารถฝึกอ่านออกเสียงและดูคำแปลได้ที่ : http://www.bangkokpost.com/learning/learning-from-news/555499/uk-election-counting-begins-as-exit-poll-give-conservatives-surprise-lead