PM Bill English congratulates British PM Theresa May

Britain's Prime Minister Theresa May and Prime Minister Bill English at 10 Downing St in January. PHOTO/AP

Prime Minister Bill English has spoken to British Prime Minister Theresa May and congratulated her on forming a Government after the UK snap election last Friday.

English met May in January on his trip to Europe.

May only just held on to power in the election in which her Conservative Party lost its majority and won just 318 seats - eight short of the 326 needed for a majority.

May has formed a confidence and supply agreement with the Northern Irish party, the Democratic Unionist Party which has 10 seats - enough for a slim majority.

In a brief statement on the results, English said he spoke by phone with May on Saturday night and congratulated her on her re-election.

"I look forward to continuing to work closely with Mrs May as Britain embarks on the next chapter of its storied history."

After their January meeting, English voiced confidence that May was the right person to negotiate Brexit, praising her clarity of thought and her determination.

The negotiations for that withdrawal are set to commence in the coming weeks - and DUP leader Arlene Foster has advocated against a "hard" Brexit, saying it had to be done in a way that respected the circumstances of Northern Ireland and the shared history and geography with the Republic of Ireland.

After the election last Friday, Labour leader Andrew Little said it was an "unexpected" result which showed the difference between a disastrous campaign by May and a strong campaign by Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn.

Labour picked up 262 seats - 32 more than in 2015 in the election which was initially expected to be a walkover for May's Conservatives.