The DUP received a huge surge in yesterday's general election, winning 10 out of 18 seats in Northern Ireland and wiping out their closest unionist rivals, the UUP.

With the Conservatives sitting on 318 seats - 8 seats shy of the magic 326 that they would need for a functioning majority - all signs pointed towards either a full coalition or a "confidence and supply" arrangement with Northern Ireland's largest party.

Nigel Dodds, leader of the DUP in Westminster, and several of his party colleagues, indicated early on that they would be happy to support the Conservatives.

According to The Independent, the DUP is expected to consider a confidence and supply arrangement with the Conservative party rather than a formal coalition. The party had similar arrangements with the Tories in the past.

The proposal will be considered by the DUP when senior party members meet later this morning.

Mrs May is scheduled to visit Buckingham Palace at 12.30pm to ask Queen Elizabeth for permission to form a government, a spokesman from her office said.

Following last night's exit poll, as commentators began to talk about coalitions, the DUP became the most searched for party in the UK, with many people eager to learn more about the Tories' potential partner in government.

Who are the DUP?

Formed by the fiery fundamentalist preacher Ian Paisley in 1970, the DUP were a strong thorn in the side of establishment unionist parties in Northern Ireland for over 37 years. They disagreed strongly with every agreement intended to bring about peace in Northern Ireland - including the Sunningdale Agreement, the Anglo-Irish Agreement and the Good Friday Agreement - and many cite the anti-Catholic rhetoric of Ian Paisley as being key to increased violence during the troubles.

It was only after they became the largest party in the country that the DUP decided to go into government with their sworn enemies Sinn Fein under the terms of the St. Andrews Agreement in 2007. The move made Ian Paisley First Minister of Northern Ireland and Martin McGuinness his deputy. The DUP have been the largest party in the country ever since.

The party have a consistent track record of voting against LGBT rights and abortion rights. Many DUP members have consistently denied climate change - with several claiming catastrophic weather events are due to God's wrath against gay people - and several prominent members are deniers of evolution.

The DUP backed Brexit throughout the referendum campaign, but want a 'soft' deal due to the Northern Irish border with the Republic of Ireland.

What this agreement will mean for the likes of the LGBT community in Northern Ireland is unclear.