Will the Conservatives and Democratic Unionist Party form the next government?

Not necessarily: when there is no clear majority, it is possible for the party that came second to form a government with the help of other parties.

The Labour party has indicated that it is likely to attempt this. However Theresa May has already confirmed that she will visit Buckingham Palace today to “seek permission to form a UK government” on the understanding that the “Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) will support her minority administration”.

However it’s worth noting that the anti-abortion, anti-LGBTQ rights DUP (from Northern Ireland) does not support May’s Brexit and so some compromises will have to be made if this union is to prove successful.

Arlene Foster, the DUP leader, has previously said: “No-one wants to see a ‘hard’ Brexit, what we want to see is a workable plan to leave the European Union, and that’s what the national vote was about – therefore we need to get on with that.

“However, we need to do it in a way that respects the specific circumstances of Northern Ireland, and, of course, our shared history and geography with the Republic of Ireland. No-one wants to see a hard border, Sinn Fein talk about it a lot, but nobody wants a hard border.

“Certainly that’s not what the Dublin government want to see, not what the London government wants to see and not what Stormont want to see.”

From the DUP to Brexit: 10 very important things you need to know about the election results