EUROPE SLAMS MAY’S ‘GAMBLE’
Britain in a hung parliament… the crucial questions
Yes, but probably not for long.
Mrs May has been fatally undermined by her decision to call an election on her own leadership, which has led to disastrous consequences. She has been weakened in the eyes of her party, with many MPs blaming her for the terrible result.
And she cannot command a majority in the House of Commons, meaning she has no real mandate for her policies and will struggle to get her plan for Brexit through.
It is hard to see her remaining Prime Minister for long. It is not impossible, but history suggests these informal confidence-and-supply agreements do not last long.
Labour’s deal with the Lib Dems in 1977 lasted barely two years before both parties were crushed in a general election.
Then-Labour PM Jim Callaghan later said he regretted the agreement and had “doomed the Labour Party”.
And the combined Tory / DUP majority is still so small that Mrs May will find it hard to win key votes in the Commons.
It is a recipe of instability and it is unlikely to last for long. This is not very likely based on the result of this election.
Not only do Labour have fewer MPs than the Conservatives, he could not even form a majority if he joined forces with other so-called progressive parties, like the SNP and Lib Dems.
If he did try to form a minority government, the Tories and DUP could combine to vote down his programme.
But Mr Corbyn’s allies believe he is now in pole position to win another general election, if one is called soon.