Theresa May will form a minority Government to deliver Brexit in the wake of a disastrous election night for the Conservatives which left the UK with a hung parliament.
Mrs May failed to secure the 326 seats she needed to form another majority government and will now seek to stay in power with the informal backing of the Democratic Unionist Party.
Speaking in Downing Street after outlining her intentions to the Queen at Buckingham Palace the Prime Minister said: "What the country needs more than ever is certainty and having secured the largest number of votes and the greatest number of seats in the General Election it is clear that only the Conservative and Unionist Party has the legitimacy and ability to provide that certainty by commanding a majority in the House of Commons."
Mrs May said her minority administration will "guide the country through the crucial Brexit talks that begin in just 10 days" as she insisted the Tories will be able to work together with the DUP in the "interests of the whole UK" as she pledged to "get to work".
However, the parliamentary arithmetic will mean she will face an almighty struggle to pursue the policies set out in her manifesto.
The Tories won 318 seats and will have to rely on the DUP's 10 MPs to get things done.
The Prime Minister has faced calls to quit but her deal with the DUP will allow her to stay in power and pass legislation with a wafer thin majority.
Mrs May’s decision to call a snap election backfired in spectacular fashion as she lost the Conservatives’ majority as Labour made significant gains.
Jeremy Corbyn, the Labour leader, has urged Mrs May to resign as he said she should "go and make way for a government that is truly representative of this country".
He also claimed it is "pretty clear who won this election" and that "the party that has lost in this election is the Conservative Party".
Meanwhile, even senior Tory figures have suggested she should consider her position.
Former chancellor George Osborne, who was sacked from the Cabinet by Mrs May in one of her first acts as PM and now editor of the Evening Standard, told ITV that he doubts whether the premier can "survive in the long term as Conservative party leader".
Post a Comment
Post a Comment