IF everything had gone according to plan for the Prime Minister, she should have been delivering a victorious speech on Friday about her increased majority and her mandate for a hard Brexit. But instead, the Conservatives lost their majority, the Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn did much better than expected, and by Friday lunchtime Theresa May had been forced into a potentially disastrous coalition with the Democratic Unionists. So much for strong and stable.

Sadly, however, it would seem that Mrs May has not been listening to what the voters were saying at the polls – indeed, despite her calamitous performance, she appeared to go ahead and deliver her victory speech anyway. Her Government would provide certainty, she said, and govern for the whole of the UK. She also said she believed the country would come together and secure a successful exit from the EU.

It is entirely possible Mrs May actually believes some or all of what she said, but her speech in Downing Street underlines one of the reasons she had such a disastrous election. Mr Corbyn did well partly because he appeared to be authentic; he was saying what he really felt. Mrs May on the other hand kept repeating rehearsed phrases many voters knew to be false and she was at it again in her speech on Friday. Despite what Mrs May says, the country is not coming together. Brexit does not offer the prospect of a more prosperous future. And a cobbled-together government led by a damaged PM offers absolutely no hope of stability. Mrs May’s speech was a risible attempt to dress up defeat as victory.

The Conservatives’ alliance with the DUP is also troubling. Mrs May says the Tories have always had a strong relationship with the party and promised that they would work together to secure Brexit, but there has to be concern over any potential compromises made to secure the consent of her new allies. This is a party that opposes gay marriage and a woman’s right to choose an abortion; some in the party have also denied climate change.

It is also unclear how any coalition with the DUP might affect May’s stance on Brexit – the Democratic Unionists say they do not want a hard border with Ireland but they have been enthusiasts for Brexit. Combined with a small majority that could allow the hard-core Brexiters in the Tory party to cause the PM considerable trouble, it all suggests precisely the opposite of what Mrs May promised; it is a recipe for weakness and instability.

As for Nicola Sturgeon, her response to the results on Friday contained a promise to listen to what the voters said and many of those concerned about the possibility of another independence referendum will welcome that. The SNP are still the biggest party and it has to be acknowledged that their success in 2015 was a remarkable event that would have been hard to replicate. But even so, the scale of the SNP’s losses were much greater than the party expected and are a serious, probably fatal, set-back to any plans for a second referendum.

On the back of her success, Ruth Davidson, the Scottish Tory leader, said Ms Sturgeon should now totally rule out the prospect of a referendum but, having made it such a central issue in the last few months, it is hard to see how the First Minister could do that and retain her credibility. At the same time, keeping the possibility alive also creates problems for her – many thousands of voters were clearly voting against a referendum on Thursday and if Ms Sturgeon ploughs on regardless, it could damage her even more.

What may yet get her off the hook is if Brexit is derailed or delayed, but in the meantime she has backed herself into a very uncomfortable corner and will need all her skills to emerge unscathed. She would also do well to focus on improving her government’s performance on health and education, two areas that have damaged the SNP and the First Minister.

Over in the Labour party, it is an entirely different story with Jeremy Corbyn emerging considerably strengthened by the election. A few weeks ago, the Labour leader’s chances were dismissed, but he confounded his critics, including those within his own party, and, in doing so, has seen off the possibility of any leadership challenge in the foreseeable future. The only other leader to have had a good campaign was Ms Davidson, who decided to put opposition to an independence referendum at the heart of her campaign and the tactic paid off for her, with some extraordinary results for the Scottish Tories.

By contrast, the election was a disaster for UKIP who now appear to be finished as a political force, although the possibility remains that they could return on the back of any apparent soft-peddling on Brexit. Mrs May is still saying she will not do that, but she is now going into the Brexit negotiations considerably weakened. The message from the election was that Britain does not support her approach to Brexit, but a reduced majority and back benches filled with Brexiters make it impossible for Mrs May to change her mind. Her bloody mindedness on Brexit has already left her wounded; it is only a question of time before it proves fatal.