Ten Things You Need to Know Today: Friday 9 Jun 2017

1. UK set for hung parliament after Tory losses

Theresa May will seek to form a minority government, with DUP support, after yesterday's general election resulted in a hung parliament. With only one seat left to declare the Tories have 318 seats and Labour 261. Analysts are predicting another election this autumn, with a possible successor to Theresa May seeking a mandate for Brexit negotiations.

Theresa May: 'I got us into this and I will get us out'

2. SNP loses 21 seats as Tories surge in Scotland

Despite their general election upset, Tories were celebrating in Scotland after winning 13 seats, their best result since 1983. The SNP won 35 seats while Labour went from one to seven and the Lib Dems from none to four. Scottish Conservative leader Ruth Davidson said voters had decisively rejected a second independence referendum.

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Scottish independence: Is IndyRef2 'dead' after election losses?

3. Salmond, Clegg and Ukip lose seats in election

Yesterday's general election saw former SNP leader Alex Salmond, depute leader Angus Robertson and former Lib Dem leader Nick Clegg all lose their seats, while Ukip leader Paul Nuttall failed to win Boston and Skegness as the party's national share of the vote collapsed to 2%. He has since resigned.

General election 2017: The big name MPs who lost their seats

4. Pound falls after election result, but FTSE may open up

The pound "fell off a cliff" overnight as the result of the general election became clear, says the Daily Telegraph. Sterling is at a seven-month low against the euro and is still sliding against the dollar. However, analysts expect the FTSE share index to open higher this morning, with the weak pound helping exporters.

Pound plunges after shock election result

5. Young and ex-Kippers push Labour vote up 10%

Contrary to predictions, Labour increased its share of the vote nationally by 10% in yesterday's election, with analysts putting this down to the support of well-off urban youth and older, less-affluent Ukip deserters. "More than anything else," says The Guardian, "[this] was a night in which Britain's younger generation flexed their political muscles to real effect for the first time."

General election 2017: Could Jeremy Corbyn become prime minister?

6. Trump's lawyer rejects James Comey claims

Donald Trump's personal lawyer last night denied the US President put pressure on ex-FBI director James Comey not to investigate former national security adviser Michael Flynn and then fired him when he refused. Testifying to Congress yesterday, Comey said Trump demanded his loyalty before defaming him and the agency.

7. Japan passes bill to let Emperor Akihito stand down

Japanese lawmakers have passed a special bill allowing Emperor Akihito of Japan to become the first ruler to abdicate for 200 years. The 83-year-old royal says ill health is making it difficult for him to fulfil his official duties. Crown Prince Naruhito is expected to take over in late 2018.

8. Polanski victim to ask court to drop case

Samantha Geimer, who was raped by film director Roman Polanski when she was 13, is to appear in court in the US on his behalf asking for the case to be dropped. The French-Polish director served 42 days in prison for statutory rape in 1977 but then fled to Paris when he heard he would not be given probation.

9. Saudi footballers ignore minute's silence

Saudi Arabia's national football team has provoked controversy by appearing to ignore a minute's silence held before a match against Australia in Adelaide and continuing to warm up instead of standing to remember the Australian victims of the London Bridge attacks. Some defended them saying the practice is not part of their culture.

Saudi Arabia apologises over London terror victims tribute

10. Briefing: Does Britain need a new political party?

The return of two-party politics to the UK has brought with it a clamour for a centrist alternative in the vein of French President Emmanuel Macron's En Marche! movement.

Conversations among those on the more liberal wing of the Conservative party, as well as Liberal Democrats and Labour moderates, have been focusing on this topic for some time.

Last month the New Statesman revealed that a week after the EU referendum, Liberal Democrat leader Tim Farron was approached by a close ally of George Osborne to gauge the interest in the creation of a new centrist party called "the Democrats".

Macron-mania: Could a new centrist party flourish in the UK?