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UK exit polls give Conservatives the lead

Kate BradyMay 7, 2015

With counting underway in the UK general election, indications are the Conservatives will be the largest party but without a majority in parliament. The SNP has made significant gains in Scotland.

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David Cameron
Image: picture alliance/dpa/Photoshot

There were preemptive cries of jubilation from the Conservative party across the UK on Thursday as the first exit poll was announced at 10 p.m. local time (2100 UTC) on Thursday.

The forecast indicated that Labour were down 19 seats on 2010's election with 239 seats. The Liberal Democrats are thought to have suffered huge losses, winning just 10 seats - some 47 less than in the previous election, which saw them forming a coalition with the Conservatives, despite only winning 22 percent of the electorate.

Controversial EU-skeptics UKIP are predicted to win two seats.

'Hung parliament a disaster'

As polling stations closed across the UK on Thursday, DW's Mark Hallam was in London to meet some of the voters there.

"I think a hung parliament will be a disaster, but I think we probably will have one," one voter told DW.

"I think the SNP's been quite detrimental with [party leader] Nicola Sturgeon. … But hopefully, tomorrow, people will have actually used their vote sensibly for the greater good," she added.

The SNP leader approached the exit poll with trepidation on Thursday, and reminded supporters on Twitter to treat the forecast "with caution."

Final results in the UK general election are expected on Friday.