Theresa May’s election 2017 plan to target marginals massively backfires as seats return even MORE decisive Labour majorities
THE Tories had a worse result in nearly ALL of the marginal seats visited by Theresa May during the election campaign.
The PM's attempted landgrab backfired in what voters have dubbed her "kiss of death".
Seats in Wales and the North West — which previous Tory administrations have left alone — swung further to Labour.
Combined with losses in other Tory seats, it spelled disaster for Mrs May's hopes of building a stronger mandate.
Conservatives are reeling this morning after a disastrous result saw their majority collapse.
At 10pm last night the exit poll predicted the Tories would secure just 316 seats — below the number needed to form a government alone.
It means the Tories are expected to seek help from Northern Ireland's DUP, which won 10 seats.
Analysis by the found that around 60 per cent of Mrs May's campaign visits were made to Labour constituencies such as Wrexham, Ealing, Halifax and Bridgend.
And she kicked off her election trail in Bolton — where last night Labour's Sir David Crausby won a majority of 3,800 votes.
He branded the attempted Tory landgrab as "arrogant", adding: "We will not be cowed in Bolton by plastic campaigns".
In Bridgend the Labour vote share grew from 37 per cent to 51 per cent.
And Halifax, where she launched the Tory manifesto, the Labour majority grew from around 400 in 2015 to over 5,000.
It was a similar disaster in Wrexham and Ealing, polling stats showed.
Keep up with all the latest election news on our rolling Live Blog.
Some of the key details from the turbulent night so far:
- Hung parliament confirmed with Tories missing out on majority of 326 with polls predicting 319 seats - down from 330
- Labour forecast to take 262 - up from 232 in 2015. They are
- Theresa May faces mounting pressure – with the odds slashed on Boris Johnson to be the next PM
- Fears grow Brexit negotiations could be sunk if Mrs May does not secure a majority
- Lib Dem Nick Clegg loses Sheffield Hallam seat but Vince Cable regains Twickenham while leader Tim Farron clings on
- Home Secretary Amber Rudd holds on to Hastings seat by barely 300 votes
- Huge losses for SNP as former chief Alex Salmond and deputy leader Angus Robertson are both beaten by the Tories.
- Labour on march in London beating Tories to Battersea constituency
- Pound slides two per cent as exit poll predicts hung parliament
- Ukip voters desert party with vote share down by ten per cent
- Growing fears that Mrs May will have to call a second election later this year