Theresa May projected to lose majority in parliament after election
LONDON: Prime Minister Theresa May could lose control of parliament in Britain's June 8 election, according to a projection by polling company YouGov, raising the prospect of political deadlock just as formal Brexit talks begin.
In stark contrast to opinion polls that have until the past week shown Mrs May on course for a big win in the snap election she called, the YouGov model suggested she would lose 20 seats and her 17-seat working majority in the 650-seat British parliament.
The YouGov constituency projection, based on 50,000 interviews over the course of a week, showed Mrs May would win 310 seats, down from the 331 seats won by her predecessor David Cameron in 2015.
The opposition Labour Party could win 257 seats, up from 232 seats, YouGov said.
Smaller parties, including the Scottish National Party and Northern Irish parties, could win 83 seats, The Times newspaper quoted YouGov as predicting.
If the YouGov model turns out to be accurate, Mrs May would fall short of the 326 seats needed to form a government this month, when formal Brexit negotiations are due to begin.
She called the snap election in a bid to strengthen her hand in negotiations on Britain's exit from the European Union, to win more time to deal with the impact of the divorce and to strengthen her grip on the Conservative Party.
In contrast to YouGov's model, other projections suggested Mrs May would win soundly. The Electoral Calculus website, which predicts the results based on polls and electoral geography, said she would win 371 seats and Labour 205 seats. - REUTERS
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