UK PM 'Dead woman walking' as Brexit talks loom

Despite being called a “dead woman walking” by former UK chancellor of the exchequer George Osborne, British Prime Minister Theresa May is now hoping to form a government.

The Conservative Party’s unexpected slip in seats and loss of majority as a result of last week’s elections has made Tory MPs “furious,” and "it's just how long she is going to remain on death row," Mr Osborne says.

A leadership challenge could be Mrs May’s next obstacle by “the end of this week,” says Mr Osborne. However, foreign secretary Boris Johnson says Mrs May is the “best-placed person” to lead the UK and international trade secretary Liam Fox says he has “absolute faith” in the prime minister.

The Conservative government reshuffled its cabinet after the elections, moving Brexit campaigner Michael Gove to environment secretary and Damian Green to first secretary of state.

“Crucially I've brought in talent from across the whole of the Conservative party. We want a country that works for everyone. [It is] a cabinet that will get on with the job of government,” Mrs May says.

Short of victory
The Conservatives won 318 House of Commons seats in the general elections, eight short of an outright majority, leaving the party unable to form a sustainable government.

To achieve a government, Mrs May's Downing St office is talking to the Northern Irish Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) to discuss a deal when Parliament is reconvened next week.

The DUP won 10 seats during the elections and an agreement may involve the Irish party supporting a Conservative minority government but not forming a formal coalition. The DUP has released a statement saying the preliminary talks have been positive but would not confirm if a deal has been arranged.

The DUP supported the Brexit referendum and will hope to introduce issues important to Northern Ireland into the negotiations. However, a Brexit deal could see border controls set up between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland, which will remain an EU member.

If the Conservatives cannot organise either a coalition or a minority government, the Labour Party could be given an opportunity. If neither can achieve this task, new elections may be required.

The deadline for the Conservatives' first attempt is June 19, the date of the annual Queen’s Speech.

EU frustration
June 19 is also the proposed start of the Brexit negotiations with the EU, which is showing increased frustration with London.

An anonymous EU official told the Guardian newspaper Brussels is willing to scuttle the Brexit negotiations if the UK insists on discussing a future trade relationship at the same time as it talks about the proposed €100 billion “divorce bill.”

The EU’s chief negotiator, Michel Barnier, has been told to organise phased negotiations with the UK, dealing first with the divorce bill, citizens' rights and the Irish border before the issue of Brexit. If Westminster does not agree to the phasing, Brussels is threatening to take up to a year to draft its new mandate.

This is a concern for London because a clock is ticking on the two-year negotiation process. If it cannot reach a deal within that time frame, the UK may be kicked out of the bloc anyway. Only unanimous support from the remaining 27 EU members could extend the negotiation deadline beyond 2019.