No laughing matter for UK

Smiles despite serious situation

NOTHING HAS changed and everything has changed. While Theresa May and Jeremy Corbyn may have taken up their familiar positions as Prime Minister and Leader of the Opposition once again in Parliament, the tectonic plates of British politics have been shifted utterly by last week’s election.

Mrs May welcomed the unopposed re-election of John Bercow as Speaker by wryly noting “At least someone got a landslide”. In contrast, Mr Corbyn was given a standing ovation by Labour MPs who just last summer tried to oust him with an overwhelming vote of no confidence.

The Labour leader enjoyed the opportunity to highlight just how quickly their political fortunes have changed, turning Mrs May’s own words during the election campaign against her.

“We all look forward to welcoming the Queen’s Speech just as soon as the ‘Coalition of Chaos’ has been negotiated,” he said. “If that’s not possible, the Labour party stands ready to offer strong and stable leadership in the national interest.”

But while such remarks will undoubtedly raise a smile among Mr Corbyn’s supporters, the political situation facing the nation is no laughing matter. The country remains in limbo, with Mrs May and Democratic Unionist Party leader Arlene Foster yet to reach agreement on how the intended ‘confidence and supply’ deal securing support for a minority Conservative government would work.

A failure to gain DUP support risks the Queen’s Speech being voted down but the long-term implications of such an agreement are also cause for alarm. As John Major has warned, a deal with the DUP would have dangerously unpredictable consequences for the Northern Irish peace process.

No one can confidently predict what happens next but further political earthquakes appear inevitable.