Exit poll: Conservatives running strong in Britain election

LONDON — Prime Minister David Cameron's Conservative Party was showing unexpected strength in Britain's parliamentary election Thursday, with early returns and an exit poll suggesting he could again form a government.

The exit poll by British broadcasters' showed the Conservatives would win 316 seats in Parliament, up from 302. That would be far more than expected before Thursday's voting and just 10 seats short of a majority.

A renewed coalition with the central Liberal Democrats could make up the difference to allow Cameron to form a new government, though Liberal Democrats were losing broadly, according to the poll.

The Labour Party suffered major losses, with a projected 239 seats, down from 256. The Scottish National Party (SNP) was projected to surge to 58 seats, up from just six before the election.

Ahead of the vote, polls showed a near toss-up between the Conservatives and Labour, led by Ed Miliband. Even those projected to gain based on the exit poll were a bit skeptical.

"I'd treat the exit poll with HUGE caution. I'm hoping for a good night but I think 58 seats is unlikely!" SNP leader Nicola Sturegon tweeted.

London Mayor Boris Johnson, who won a seat in Parliament as a Conservative, said if the exit poll was accurate, "then obviously it's a very, very clear victory for the Conservatives and a very bad night for Labour."

The exit poll suggested that Labour will come up short when the votes are counted because it lost most of its Parliament seats representing Scotland to a resurgent SNP, which favors independence from Britain.

Among the early Scottish National Party winners was 20-year-old student Mhairi Black, who will become Britain's youngest lawmaker since the 17th century. She defeated Douglas Alexander, Labour's foreign policy spokesman and one of the party's most senior figures.

The centrist Liberal Democrats appeared to perform poorly, garnering only 10 seats, down from 56, according to the exit poll, apparently punished for backing the Conservatives.

Party leader Nick Clegg won his seat in Parliament but called it "a cruel and punishing night'' for the Liberal Democrats. He said that on Friday he would address whether he will try to stay on as party leader.

The chief exit pollster, John Curtice of Strathclyde University, said the methodology used was the same as in 2010, when the poll turned out to be very accurate. He said it looked as if Conservative and Labour gains had canceled each other out across England and Wales, and that Labour had lost much of its support in Scotland to the SNP.

"In practice, we now have to take seriously the possibility the Tories (Conservatives) could get an overall majority" in Parliament, he said.

Paddy Ashdown, chairman of the Liberal Democrats campaign, told the BBC he believed the exit poll was wrong, and that another survey by market research firm YouGov had predicted the party would get 31 seats.

"Opinion polls are all over the place," he said.

Labour Party deputy leader Harriet Harman told the broadcaster: "If that poll is right about this election, the Tories (Conservatives) have more or less lost the majority for the coalition. If it's right, the question is whether they would be able to form a majority in the new Parliament."

A majority of 326 seats is needed to govern without a coalition partner.

Labour's losses were so significant that "the whole of the party's got to reassess the situation,'' former Labour Party leader Jack Straw said on Sky News. He said that included whether Miliband could continue as opposition party leader.

Around 50 million people voted in the election in some 50,000 polling stations up and down the country that included schools, community centers, churches and even pubs.

Speaking at a polling station in Brixton, south London on Thursday, Yen Ly, 40, said that education and the National Health Service were the most important issues for her.

"I think it could be a hung parliament like last time," said Ly, whose son is heading to university soon. University fees have tripled from around $4,600 to $14,000 since the Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition government came into power in 2010. "The future is what gets most mothers worried," Ly said.

Labour supporter Tutu Korama, 26, who visited the polling station in Brixton with her young child, said the space in her government-subsidized property was not sufficient, and that more jobs were needed. "We need to see improvement," she said. "We are suffering."

The candidates showed up early to vote, then slipped out of public view while awaiting the nation's decision.

The pre-election expectations of a tight race meant that for the first time in generations minor parties with more niche interests could have a major impact on the composition of that government.

The SNP, for example, wants to see Scotland leave the union with England. The U.K. Independence Party thinks Britain should abandon its membership of the European Union.

For many voters, the choice was difficult.

"When I went to vote this morning, I wasn't sure who I was going to vote for. It's hard to know who's best," said Ralph Prime, 51 of London, who ended up going with the Conservatives. "I spent a lot of time in the military and they're the only people I feel gave us appreciation," he said.

"Labour and Conservative — they just seem so alike nowadays," Prime added.

Outside a Westminister polling station, Diana Karter, 60, wouldn't say who she voted for, only that "it's a party I've not voted for since my early years."

Ezerol Petrie, 39, from Brixton in south London, is supporting the Labour Party and said he hopes for a prime minister who can stabilize the economy and provide more opportunities for young people, and for immigrants.

"Many (immigrants) have been working for many years, paying taxes and nothing's been done for them," he said.

Isatu Hamzie, 46, said she voted for Labour because she thought the party was best suited to help families and single parents like her.

"It's been tense for the past few years," she said outside a Westminster polling station about the tight political race. "I've never seen anything like it."

Welch reported from Los Angeles. Contributing: Katharine Lackey

To give readers a sense of the scene on election day, USA TODAY filmed 360-degree video at a London polling station. In the player below, use your mouse to browse the panorama.Note, the player is only viewable on desktop or mobile web versions of this story.

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