London // British prime minister Theresa May was forced to lose her two closest aides on Saturday as she struggled to reassert her authority following a crushing election setback.
The Conservative leader has been warned that her days are numbered after calling Thursday’s vote three years early, only to lose her majority in parliament.
Senior party figures have cautioned against any immediate leadership challenge, saying it would only cause further disruption as Britain prepares to start Brexit negotiations as early as June 19.
But media reports suggest they had demanded the departure of Mrs May’s joint chiefs of staff, Nick Timothy and Fiona Hill, as the price for allowing the 60-year-old vicar’s daughter to stay in office.
Mrs May announced on Friday she would seek to form a minority government with the help of a small Northern Irish party, the ultra-conservative Democratic Unionist party (DUP).
She sent her chief whip Gavin Williamson to Belfast on Saturday to begin talks with the DUP “on how best they can provide support to the government”, a spokesman said.
Mrs May put on a brave face following Thursday’s vote, expressing sorrow for the MPs who lost their seats, but refusing to acknowledge how her election gamble backfired.
"From hubris to humiliation," said the left-leaning Guardian. "May stares into the abyss," wrote The Times, while Conservative-supporting The Sun tabloid said succinctly: "She's had her chips."
The resignations of Mr Timothy and Ms Hill, on whom Ms May has been heavily reliant since her previous job at the interior ministry, will be a personal blow.
Mr Timothy said he took responsibility for the Conservative manifesto, including a plan for elderly social care that caused a backlash among many core voters.
A party spokesman confirmed the resignation of Ms Hill, a combative character who one ex-colleague said had helped create a “toxic” atmosphere at the heart of government.
The news came as Mrs May prepared to name the rest of her cabinet, after revealing on Friday that her five most senior ministers would remain in their posts.
Before the election, she had been widely expected to sack finance minister Philip Hammond following a reported clash over her Brexit strategy.
Several Conservative MPs have warned that Mrs May cannot carry on indefinitely, after throwing away a 17-seat majority in the 650-seat House of Commons.
But former party leader Iain Duncan Smith said a leadership contest now would be a “catastrophe”, while his predecessor William Hague said: “Voters do not want further months of uncertainty and upheaval.”
The Conservatives won 318 seats, down from 331 in 2015 and falling short of an overall majority, after the opposition Labour party under socialist leader Jeremy Corbyn scored hefty gains.
DUP leader Arlene Foster, whose party won 10 seats, said on Friday she was ready to talk to the Conservatives on “how it may be possible to bring stability to our nation”.
But Scottish Conservative leader Ruth Davidson, who is gay, was among the first to express disquiet over a deal with the DUP, which is opposed to abortion and gay rights.
Several hundred people — many Labour voters — protested in central London against the potential alliance.
Joining forces with the hardline unionist Protestant party also threatens London’s neutrality in Northern Ireland, which is key to the delicate balance of power in a province once plagued by violence.
On Brexit, the DUP supports leaving the EU but opposes a return to a “hard” border with Ireland — which could happen if Mrs May carries through her threat to walk away from the talks rather than accept a “bad deal”.
The DUP is “likely to increase the pressure on Theresa May to secure a comprehensive free trade agreement” in place of its single market membership, said Stephen Booth of the Open Europe think tank.
The new parliament meets on June 13, but the real test for Mrs May is likely to come on June 19, when she must show she has enough support to pass her legislative programme in the Queen’s Speech.
European Council President Donald Tusk has warned there was “no time to lose” in starting Brexit talks, after May on March 29 started the two-year countdown to ending Britain’s four decade membership.
*Agence France-Presse
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Virtuzone GCC Sixes
Date and venue Friday and Saturday, ICC Academy, Dubai Sports City
Time Matches start at 9am
Groups
A Blighty Ducks, Darjeeling Colts, Darjeeling Social, Dubai Wombats; B Darjeeling Veterans, Kuwait Casuals, Loose Cannons, Savannah Lions; C Awali Taverners, Darjeeling, Dromedary, Darjeeling Good Eggs
The Perfect Couple
Starring: Nicole Kidman, Liev Schreiber, Jack Reynor
Creator: Jenna Lamia
Rating: 3/5
MATCH INFO
Jersey 147 (20 overs)
UAE 112 (19.2 overs)
Jersey win by 35 runs
The Penguin
Starring: Colin Farrell, Cristin Milioti, Rhenzy Feliz
Creator: Lauren LeFranc
Rating: 4/5
The%20Specs
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SPECS
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Greatest of All Time
Starring: Vijay, Sneha, Prashanth, Prabhu Deva, Mohan
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Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
If you go
- The nearest international airport to the start of the Chuysky Trakt is in Novosibirsk. Emirates (www.emirates.com) offer codeshare flights with S7 Airlines (www.s7.ru) via Moscow for US$5,300 (Dh19,467) return including taxes. Cheaper flights are available on Flydubai and Air Astana or Aeroflot combination, flying via Astana in Kazakhstan or Moscow. Economy class tickets are available for US$650 (Dh2,400).
- The Double Tree by Hilton in Novosibirsk ( 7 383 2230100,) has double rooms from US$60 (Dh220). You can rent cabins at camp grounds or rooms in guesthouses in the towns for around US$25 (Dh90).
- The transport Minibuses run along the Chuysky Trakt but if you want to stop for sightseeing, hire a taxi from Gorno-Altaisk for about US$100 (Dh360) a day. Take a Russian phrasebook or download a translation app. Tour companies such as Altair-Tour ( 7 383 2125115 ) offer hiking and adventure packages.
How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
Profile of Whizkey
Date founded: 04 November 2017
Founders: Abdulaziz AlBlooshi and Harsh Hirani
Based: Dubai, UAE
Number of employees: 10
Sector: AI, software
Cashflow: Dh2.5 Million
Funding stage: Series A
The Buckingham Murders
Starring: Kareena Kapoor Khan, Ash Tandon, Prabhleen Sandhu
Director: Hansal Mehta
Rating: 4 / 5
Company%20Profile
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Israel Palestine on Swedish TV 1958-1989
Director: Goran Hugo Olsson
Rating: 5/5
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League final:
Who: Real Madrid v Liverpool
Where: NSC Olimpiyskiy Stadium, Kiev, Ukraine
When: Saturday, May 26, 10.45pm (UAE)
TV: Match on BeIN Sports
In Search of Mary Shelley: The Girl Who Wrote Frankenstein
By Fiona Sampson
Profile
The specs
Engine: 3.8-litre twin-turbo flat-six
Power: 650hp at 6,750rpm
Torque: 800Nm from 2,500-4,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed dual-clutch auto
Fuel consumption: 11.12L/100km
Price: From Dh796,600
On sale: now