LONDON — Polling stations were open across Britain Thursday in an election dominated by looming Brexit negotiations and recent deadly terror attacks.

Prime Minister Theresa May called the snap election in the hope of increasing her Conservative Party's majority in Parliament, strengthening her hand in European Union exit talks.

She had been expected to win comfortably, but a faltering campaign has reduced her poll lead over the left-wing Labour Party.

Polling stations close at 10 p.m. local time (5 p.m. ET) as voters choose 650 lawmakers for the House of Commons.

May says she will build a "stronger, fairer and more prosperous Britain," while Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn says he would govern "for the many, not the few."

Related: Britain Heads to Ballot Box in Shadow of Brexit

In Scotland, the nationalist Scottish National Party was defending its dominant position from recent gains by Conservatives. </s> London: British Prime Minister Theresa May's gamble in calling an early election backfired spectacularly, as her Conservative Party lost its majority in Parliament and pressure mounted on her Friday to resign.

The shock result throws British politics into chaos and could send Britain's negotiations to leave the European Union — due to start June 19 — into disarray. The pound lost more than 2 cents against the dollar.

With 636 of 650 seats in the House of Commons declared, the Conservatives had 310 to the Labour Party's 258. Even if the Conservatives won all the remaining seats, the party would fall short of the 326 needed for an outright majority. Before the election the Conservatives had 330 seats and Labour 229.

ALSO READ | Britons Have Returned a Hung Parliament. Here's What Happens Next

May called the snap election in the hope of increasing her majority and strengthening Britain's hand in exit talks with the European Union with a "strong and stable government." Instead, the result means the Conservatives will need to rely on support from smaller parties to govern, with more instability and the chance of yet another early election.

"This is a very bad moment for the Conservative Party, and we need to take stock," Conservative lawmaker Anna Soubry said. "And our leader needs to take stock as well."

The results confounded those who said Labour's left-wing leader, Jeremy Corbyn, was electorally toxic. Written off by many pollsters, Labour surged in the final weeks of the campaign. It drew strong support from young people, who appeared to have turned out to vote in bigger-than-expected numbers.

As she was resoundingly re-elected to her Maidenhead seat in southern England, May looked tense and did not spell out what she planned to do.

ALSO READ | 'Naughty' May Faces Twitter Mockery After Tories Limp to Lead

"The country needs a period of stability, and whatever the results are the Conservative Party will ensure we fulfil our duty in ensuring that stability," she said.

Many predicted she would soon be gone.

"Clearly if she's got a worse result than two years ago and is almost unable to form a government, then she, I doubt, will survive in the long term as Conservative Party leader," former Conservative Treasury chief George Osborne said on ITV.

Corbyn said May should "go ... and make way for a government that is truly representative of all the people of this country." Speaking after being re-elected to his London seat, Corbyn said the election result means "politics has changed" and voters have rejected Conservative austerity.

The result was bad news for the Scottish National Party, which lost about 20 of its 54 seats. Among the casualties was Alex Salmond, a former first minister of Scotland and one of the party's highest-profile lawmakers.

The losses complicate the SNP's plans to push for a new referendum on Scottish independence as Britain prepares to leave the EU. Scottish Conservative leader Ruth Davidson said the idea of a new independence referendum "is dead. That's what we have seen tonight."

ALSO READ | UK Gets First Turbaned MP as Labour Lifts Count of Indian-origin Winners

May had hoped the election would focus on Brexit, but that never happened, as both the Conservatives and Labour said they would respect voters' wishes and go through with the divorce.

May, who went into the election with a reputation for quiet competence, was criticized for a lackluster campaigning style and for a plan to force elderly people to pay more for their care, a proposal her opponents dubbed the "dementia tax." As the polls suggested a tightening race, pollsters spoke less often of a landslide and raised the possibility that May's majority would be eroded.

Then, attacks that killed 30 people in Manchester and London twice brought the campaign to a halt, sent a wave of anxiety through Britain and forced May to defend the government's record on fighting terrorism. Corbyn accused the Conservatives of undermining Britain's security by cutting the number of police on the streets.

Eight people were killed near London Bridge on Saturday when three men drove a van into pedestrians and then stabbed revelers in an area filled with bars and restaurants. Two weeks earlier, a suicide bomber killed 22 people as they were leaving an Ariana Grande concert in Manchester.

ALSO READ | With No Clear Winner, What Happens to Brexit?

Rachel Sheard, who cast her vote near the site of the London Bridge attack, said the election certainly wasn't about Brexit.

"I don't think that's in the hearts and minds of Londoners at the minute, (not) nearly as much as security is," said Sheard, 22. "It was very scary on Saturday."

Steven Fielding, a professor of politics at the University of Nottingham, said Britain had seen an election "in which the personal authority of a party leader has disappeared in an unprecedented way."

"If she had got the majority she wanted, she would have been a supreme political colossus," he said. "She did not get that and she's a hugely diminished figure. She's a zombie prime minister." </s> British Prime Minister Theresa May's Conservative Party today suffered a major blow in the snap election after it failed spectacularly to maintain its majority in the parliament, creating new uncertainties ahead of the Brexit negotiations.

The Conservatives, however, emerged as the single largest party in the election for Britain's 650-seat parliament.

With results yet to be declared for only eight seats, Conservatives had won 313 and Labour secured 260. A party required 326 seats to win the election.

Though May won her Maidenhead seat in south-east England with 37,780 votes, she faced pressure to resign after losing her parliamentary majority.

Ahead of the final result, May said Britain needed a "period of stability".

"The Conservative party is on course to winning the most votes and it will be incumbent on us that we provide that period of stability," May said, seemingly conceding the exit poll predictions of a hung parliament and her dashed hopes of a landslide win.

Opposition Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, who defeated predictions to improve his party's performance in the election, called on May "to go" to make way for his party.

"Politics has changed and this is people saying they have had quite enough… I am very proud of the results that are coming in and the vote for hope. The prime minister called the election because she wanted a mandate and the mandate is that she has lost seats," he said.

Corbyn earlier claimed on Twitter that the Labour party had "changed the face of British politics". </s> United Kingdom (UK) Prime Minister Theresa May’s gamble of calling snap polls spectacularly backfired on Friday with the British electorate delivering a hung Parliament and forcing her to seek the support of a small Northern Irish party for staying in power, as the country braces for hard Brexit talks.

May, jolted by the electoral setback, however, remained defiant to calls for her resignation and vowed to form a minority government with the informal backing of the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP).

“I have just been to see Her Majesty the Queen, and I will now form a government – a government that can provide certainty and lead Britain forward at this critical time for our country,” a grim-faced May said in a statement delivered outside 10 Downing Street.

May, 60, said the two parties have enjoyed a strong relationship over many years, and she believes that they will be able to work together in the interest of the country.

“This will allow us to come together as a country and channel our energies towards a successful Brexit deal that works for everyone in this country – securing a new partnership with the EU which guarantees our long-term prosperity. That’s what people voted for last June. That’s what we will deliver. Now let’s get to work,” she said.

Though May’s Conservative Party emerged as the single largest party on a sensational election night, the impressive show by the Labour Party led by Jeremy Corbyn sent the British politics into turmoil, putting May in a complex situation ahead of the Brexit talks scheduled to start on June 19.

The results – a sort of turnaround in fortunes for both major parties – have thrown that timetable into doubt. With results declared for nearly all of the 650 seats, Conservatives won 318 while the opposition Labour secured 262, leaving neither party anywhere close to the 326 seats required for an overall majority. The Tories will now have to rely on the DUP’s 10 MPs to get things done. DUP leader Arlene Foster confirmed she will enter talks with May in an effort to pursue “stability” in Parliament, without giving further details on the conditions for the party’s support.

The shock defeat for Conservatives – despite the pre-poll projections of a comfortable majority – was seen by the British media as a “humiliation” for May to continue in her position.

Corbyn, 68, may not have dislodged May in the polls but the Labour Party’s strong showing prompted him to demand her resignation, saying she “lost votes, lost support and lost confidence” of the people.

May in April had chosen to call the election three years ahead of the schedule to try to strengthen her hand in talks with the European Union to pull Britain out of the single market. The result threw the UK in a political turmoil amid increasing terror-related incidents. </s> The Paddy Power website has odds on the Labour leader entering Downing Street after this evening at 10/11 – while it has left Theresa May at a less likely 5/4. Before the exit poll was announced earlier this evening, bookmakers had odds as long as 12-1 for Corbyn to win the election.

Sky Bet had Mr Corbyn at even odds with Theresa May to become the next Prime Minister, but the odds shifted at 1.57am to give Mrs May favourable odds at 8/11 against Mr Corbyn’s 6/4. Lee Price, head of PR at Paddy Power, told the Independent earlier the company would be “skint” if Corbyn became Prime Minister.

Mr Corbyn had previously been given long odds by betting companies before the exit poll was called

He said: “We’ve had 84 per cent of all of our bets on Jeremy Corbyn to become PM. “If he does win we are going to be skint. We’ll need a magic money tree if that happens!” </s> The Latest: UK prime minister pool cut to 4, Johnson at top

LONDON (AP) — The Latest on Conservative Party voting to pick Britain's next prime minister (all times local):

The contest to become Britain's next prime minister is down to four candidates, with Boris Johnson building on his commanding lead in a Conservative Party vote.

Johnson gained 143 of 313 votes cast by Conservative lawmakers Wednesday in their third round of voting.

He's being chased by Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt, Environment Secretary Michael Gove and Home Secretary Sajid Javid.

International Development Secretary Rory Stewart, a longshot candidate who energized the race, received the fewest votes and drops out.

Two more votes are scheduled for Thursday to whittle the field down to two. The final two contenders will go to a by-mail ballot of all 160,000 Conservative Party members nationwide.

The winner is due to be announced in late July, and will replace Theresa May as party leader and prime minister.

Britain's Conservative Party is set to kick one more candidate out of the contest to become the country's next prime minister, as rivals scramble to catch front-runner Boris Johnson.

The five-strong field will be narrowed in elimination votes by Tory lawmakers Wednesday and Thursday, with the two top candidates going to a runoff of party members across the country.

One of the remaining candidates, International Development Secretary Rory Stewart, says he is talking to Environment Secretary Michael Gove about combining forces. He says the question is "who is best able to politely and respectfully defeat Boris Johnson."

Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt and Home Secretary Sajid Javid are also in the race.

The winner, due to be announced in late July, will replace Theresa May as Conservative leader and prime minister.

Follow AP's full coverage of Brexit and the Conservative Party leadership race at: https://www.apnews.com/Brexit </s> British Prime Minister Theresa May has called a general election for June 8. Here’s a brief look at what happens now, and what’s at stake.

May took power in July, after former leader David Cameron resigned following Britain’s vote to leave the European Union last June. A new ballot offers her the chance to seek her own mandate and to increase the Conservative Party’s narrow majority in the House of Commons, where it holds 330 of 650 seats. Britain formally triggered the process for leaving the EU last month, but more turmoil is in store as the country negotiates a divorce that will affect every aspect of life in the U.K.

IS IT A DONE DEAL?

British prime ministers used to have the power to call elections at will, but the Fixed-Term Parliaments Act, passed in 2011, makes things more complicated. Under the act, national elections are held every five years, in May. The prime minister can call an early election if two-thirds of lawmakers support it. May will ask the House of Commons to vote on the snap election on Wednesday. Jeremy Corbyn, leader of the main opposition Labour Party, has said he welcomes an election, meaning the election call will almost certainly pass

WHAT IS AT STAKE?

Negotiations to leave the EU will be arduous with the talks touching on money, trade, defense, to name but a few key sectors of discussion. If May were to gain more seats, she would be able to have more freedom to pursue her own agenda, and to neutralize those inside and outside her own party who disagree with her positions.

WHO IS GOING TO WIN?

Elections are always unpredictable, but bookmakers consider May’s Conservatives strong favorites to win. Opinion polls released last weekend showed the Conservatives with a double-digit lead over the opposition Labour Party, which has been weakened by a split between moderates and left-wing leader Jeremy Corbyn.

Anytime a leader goes to the people for a vote, there are risks, as Cameron learned to his peril when he lost the vote on the EU just over a year after winning re-election. </s> LONDON (AP) - Prime Minister Theresa May and Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn faced tough questions and a skeptical audience in a live TV event Monday night ahead of next week's parliamentary elections.

It was not a debate, but did air policy and stylistic differences between the two foes. They did not appear together but were questioned separately by members of the audience and by aggressive interviewer Jeremy Paxman.

The June 8 election pits May, the Conservative Party leader who opposed Brexit before the referendum last June but now favors it, against Corbyn, who has alienated many longtime Labour supporters with his hard-left views.

The "Battle for Number 10" show broadcast on Sky News and Channel 4 brought the two prime contenders together in the same studio at the same time, but they did not appear together at any point. Voters are not likely to get a true debate before the vote.

Facing harsh questioning from Paxman, one of Britain's best known TV journalists, May defended her about-face on Brexit. She rebuffed his repeated attempts to get her to say whether she now thinks leaving the European Union is a good idea, saying only that the British voters have decided and that she is determined to get the best deal possible.

"We are doing the right thing in making a success of Brexit," she said, vowing to maintain her reputation as a "bloody difficult woman" during talks with European Union leaders if her party wins the election and keeps power.

But Paxman set the tone by saying that if he were an EU negotiator who had observed all her recent flip flops, he would think of her as a "blowhard who collapses at the first sound of gunfire."

May often found herself on the defensive as audience members grilled her on cuts to the police, National Health Service and education, and a so-called "dementia tax" that might make it harder for elderly Britons to pass on their property to their heirs.

At one point a heckler yelled, "You've clearly failed."

Corbyn did not enjoy smooth sailing either, with Paxman making numerous accusations and typically cutting Corbyn off before he could reply. Paxman challenged Corbyn's refusal to denounce the Irish Republican Army and his having met with Hamas officials and suggested the Labour leader would seek to abolish the monarchy if his party triumphed.

Corbyn said getting rid of Britain's constitutional monarchy is "certainly not on my agenda."

He said he was fighting the election for "social justice" and to reduce poverty, not to change the law regarding the monarch. </s> Britain's main opposition leader has launched his election campaign, painting himself as a populist outsider who will overturn a "rigged" political and economic system.

Labour Party chief Jeremy Corbyn says Britain's June 8 election is "the establishment vs. the people."

Labour is trailing Prime Minister Theresa May's Conservatives in opinion polls, and many within the party think the socialist Corbyn is too left-wing to connect with voters.

But Corbyn echoed anti-establishment sentiment that has upended politics from the United States to France. He said in a speech Thursday that the old rules drawn up by political and economic elites no longer apply.

Corbyn said: "I don't play by their rules, and if a Labour government is elected on the 8th of June I won't play by their rules either."
Polls open in the United Kingdom, with Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn and incumbent Theresa May of the Conservatives battling in a tight race, according to final opinion polling, to become prime minister.