DUP’s hopes dashed at Westminister

Parliamentary election count at the Kings Hall Belfast for North Belfast, South Belfast, East Belfast, and West Belfast.

Nigel Dodds, Sammy Wilson and Gavin Robinson at the count.

Picture by Kelvin Boyes / Press Eye. — Parliamentary election count at the Kings Hall Belfast for North Belfast, South Belfast, East Belfast, and West Belfast. Nigel Dodds, Sammy Wilson and Gavin Robinson at the count. Picture by Kelvin Boyes / Press Eye.

The unionists had been hopeful of being able to force the new government’s hand by supporting a coalition or minority administrations, but Prime Minister David Cameron will now be able to work legislation through the Commons with a slim but workable Tory majority.

The Conservatives reached the overall majority with still 20 seats to be declared from yesterday’s General Election.

With Sinn Fein’s policy of abstentionism they had only rally needed 323 but the result confounded all pollsters.

The election has seen the resignations of three party leaders as Ed Miliband quit Labour, Nigel Farage, who failed to win a seat, stepped down from UKIP and Nick Clegg resigned as Liberal Democrat leader.

The election has rewritten British politics with the Scottish Nationalists winning 55 of the 58 available seats, leaving the main three British party with just one seat left each north of the border.

In Northern Ireland the electoral pact between the Ulster Unionists and the DUP saw dividends with the DUP taking back East Belfast from Alliance with the Ulster Unionists gaining Fermanagh and South Tyrone from Sinn Fein in their only success of the night.