Coalition and minority governments are not so unusual in UK elections

The first-past-the-post system has led to fewer one-party majority governments in Britain than might be expected – only half of all those in the 20th century

It is late in the afternoon of Friday 8 May. From the early hours, it has been clear that Britain has voted for another hung parliament. The exhausted party leaders have been conferring with advisers and, discreetly, with one another. Now they are back in their offices after being on parade at the awkwardly timed Cenotaph ceremony marking the 70th anniversary of VE Day. On the television, the final constituency, Westmorland and Lonsdale as in 2010, declares its result – a rare Liberal Democrat hold. The 650 results are all now in. The hung parliament is confirmed. At Buckingham Palace, the phone of the Queen’s private secretary phone rings…

What happens next mainly depends on the number of seats held by each party. Yet until the situation is resolved, one thing is certain: Britain will still have a government. David Cameron will remain prime minister until his resignation is offered and accepted. Even ministers who have lost their seats may remain in government for a short while. And even if the Conservatives have fewer seats than Labour, Cameron would be within his rights – and some would argue it would be his constitutional duty – to stay in Downing Street until a new government is formed. And that could take longer than it did in 2010, when the Tory-Liberal Democrat coalition was formed after five days of talks.

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