UK has a hung parliament

The UK woke up this morning to a hung parliament.

David Cameron has won most seats in the General Election, but with the last handful of results still to be counted, there is now no chance of the Conservatives winning a Commons majority.

It is up to the incumbent prime minister, Gordon Brown, to stay in office until it becomes clear which party or combination of parties can obtain most support in the new parliament.

The last time the UK had a hung parliament was in 1974, when Conservative Edward Heath stayed in power for four days after the election attempting to form a coalition, even though Labour had more seats.

If Gordon Brown decides to try and form a coalition, he will approach some of the smaller parties to ask for support.