'Thanks a lot Theresa': Dramatic twists online

9 June 2017

Sam BrightBBC Trending

Getty Images Corbyn and May on election night

It's been a night of political twists and, it's fair to say, some shocks. And it's all been chronicled on social media.

As coffee-fuelled tweeters reacted to the UK election results, we collated a run-down of the top trends, in case you didn't manage to make it through the night.

We now know that the Conservatives are not able to form a majority government, but let's start at the beginning.

Exit poll shock

The hashtag "Hung Parliament" shot to the top of Twitter's trending list just after 22:00 GMT, as the exit poll predicted that no party would be able to form a majority government.

Conservative tweeters were stunned, while Labour supporters were pleasantly surprised. Some Labour candidates couldn't hold back their shock.

@DavidLammy Labour's David Lammy, shocked by the result

The cult of Curtice

Mild-mannered number cruncher John Curtice, who was on the BBC's TV election special through the night, emerged as a social media star on election night. Curtice fans have been tracking the pollster's frequent TV appearances, and have been eagerly cheering on their man.

Though there were questions raised about why exactly Curtice was the only person standing on a balcony in the BBC's election programme.

@grayinglasgow Tweet, saying that Curtice and Dimbleby are recreating Romeo and Juliet

Return of Farage?

'Watching UKIP funeral'

UKIP has also been hitting the top of Twitter's trending list, as some users celebrate the party's severely diminished vote share.

Meanwhile, Nigel Farage said in an interview with the BBC that he would have "no choice" but to return to front-line politics if Brexit was threatened - a statement that prompted both strong approval and strong disapproval.

@davidjo52951945 Tweet, saying "we need you Nigel"

@alisonmeagher Tweet angrily reacting to Farage's potential return

Fall of the big beasts

Political heavyweights Nick Clegg, Angus Robertson and Alex Salmond have all lost their seats. There was an outpouring of sympathy for these fallen stars, though some tweeters couldn't hide their excitement at the drama.

@DavidJMeikle Tweet, praising the "drama" of election night

No majority for May

All the drama of election night has culminated in an unexpected final outcome: the Conservatives will not be able to form a majority government.

After an intense campaign, filled with expectations of Conservative gains, many Tory campaigners now feel let down by the Prime Minister.

@_hanimustafa Tweet, blaming Theresa May for a "mess" of a campaign

Twitter/ @manlygumdrop But I've lost a good Tory MP in my own constituency, @mowat4ws, which saddens me. Theresa May is entirely to blame.

@charliegcollard Tweet, saying "May has let us down"

What else?

There have been a range of other interesting and quirky trends that we've seen over the election night.

This tweeter has been reporting the results in the style of a foreign election:

@jsphctrl Tweet predicting "continued political chaos"

While the nation celebrated a unique democratic moment: when the Prime Minister, and two colourful candidates in the shape of Elmo and Lord Buckethead all stood side-by-side at the Maidenhead election result.

@nickdesemlyen Tweet: "God bless this country"

Blog by Sam Bright

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