David Cameron, UK prime minister, is heading back to Downing Street after a dramatic election victory, with results pointing to an outright majority for his centre-right Conservative Party in parliament.
But the country he leads faces unprecedented strain after a night of triumph for leftwing Scottish nationalists who won all but a handful of Scotland’s seats, becoming the third largest party in Westminster just eight months after losing an independence referendum.
The election result also sets the stage for a bruising fight over Britain’s membership of the 28-member European Union. Mr Cameron has promised to hold a referendum on continued EU membership and wants to win back more control over some issues from Brussels.