May’s ‘zombie govt’ braces for UK parliament test

LONDON: British Prime Minister Theresa May’s programme for government is revealed at the formal opening of parliament yesterday after an election that weakened her authority and tragedies that have shaken the nation.

Queen Elizabeth II read out the watered-down policy and lawmakers will spend the next few days debating before bringing it to a vote, leaving the government very vulnerable just as it embarks on highly sensitive Brexit negotiations.

After four terror attacks and a devastating fire that have darkened the national mood, protesters are also planning a “Day of Rage” in the streets against May’s Conservatives.

The Times branded her administration the “stumbling husk of a zombie government” and said May was now “so weak that she cannot arbitrate between squabbling cabinet ministers”, who are increasingly publicly divided over Brexit. “Downing Street is a vacuum,” the newspaper said.

May called the June 8 snap general election in a bid to strengthen her mandate heading into the Brexit talks.

But the plan spectacularly backfired, leaving her with a minority government requiring the support of Northern Ireland’s ultra-conservative Democratic Unionist Party.

May has resisted calls to resign and is hoping for the support of the DUP’s 10 MPs to boost her tally of 317 seats in the 650-seat parliament, but a deal has proved elusive so far.

A DUP source said a deal was “certainly not imminent” as the talks “haven’t proceeded in a way that the DUP would have expected” and cautioned that the party “can’t be taken for granted”.

Even with DUP backing, the government would still command only a tiny majority and just a few rebel MPs could be enough to undermine it fatally.