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Labour campaigners express 'elation' over May's predicament

Saturday, 10 June 2017 3:09 PM [ Last Update: Saturday, 10 June 2017 3:13 PM ]

Britain's opposition Labour Party Leader Jeremy Corbyn gives a thumbs up as he arrives at Labour Party headquarters in central London on June 9, 2017 after results in a snap general election showing a hung parliament with Labour gains and the Conservatives losing its majority. (Photo by AFP)

Labour campaigners have expressed their absolute joy with “hung” results from the June 8 parliament election, describing it as “a tremendous moment of elation."

The general election ended in a hung Parliament, where no party has the 326 seats needed to get an overall majority in the 650-seat House of Commons.

“There was a tremendous moment of elation when the exit poll was announced because it became apparent that the campaign had achieved the most stunning turnaround in public opinion in seven weeks,” said Andrew Murray, an adviser to Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn.

“We were absolutely buzzing ,” said one of the party campaigners who was with others gathered around a TV at the Labour party headquarters in Victoria Street, London, as quoted by The Guardian on Friday.

The campaigners had had three scenarios in mind: The best-case scenario was forming a government, the second best was a hung parliament, and the worst case was the Conservatives on 380 seats, with Labour dropping to 190.

However, the Conservatives, who were after a landslide victory for a stronger position in upcoming talks on Britain's exit from the European Union (Brexit), dropped from 330 to 318, short 8 seats from overall majority.

Labour, instead, rose to 261 seats, showing a gain of 36.

A picture shows a general view as counting staff count ballots at the main Glasgow counting center in Emirates Arena in Glasgow, Scotland, on June 8, 2017. (Photo by AFP)

The results were considered a victory for opposition leader Corbyn and a humiliating blow for May and her ruling party.

Corbyn, who seven weeks earlier was viewed with doubt by advisers, friends, union general secretaries and others around him and would have had to resign if results were bad, had now become the respected representative of the Labour party to replace Prime Minister May in upcoming Brexit talks scheduled for June 19.

Labour party is ready to form its own government and lead the Brexit talks, Corbyn announced after results came out.

“We are ready to undertake negotiations on behalf of this country, to protect jobs and have a sensible free trade arrangement with Europe,” he said.

Corbyn advised the humiliated prime minister to pack up and leave and “make way for a government that is truly representative of this country.”

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