The United Kingdom now has its second hung parliament in less than a decade. The last time this happened in 2010, the Conservatives led by David Cameron were able to form a coalition with the Liberal Democrats in order to gain a majority. Now, it seems they are in a similar position, having won the plurality but not the majority with 42% of the vote and losing many seats to Labour.
This election has many implications. Theresa May called for the election three years early after less than a year as Prime Minister, believing it would solidify her support in Brexit negotiations. In the aftermath, she has confirmed she will continue on in her position, but should she still be Prime Minister? How will Brexit negotiations be affected? Since the Conservatives intend to form an alliance with the Democratic Unionist Party, what impact will this coalition have on government and politics in the U.K. until the next election? I am not a U.K. citizen, but I do recognize that this is an election of great importance in uncertain times, and it is definitely worth discussing.
Thanks for making this post Bhavana, this is such a salient and important topic to discuss!
I remember hearing - though not entirely sure where - about how Theresa May promised to step down if the Conservatives lost their majority. Corbyn himself called for May to step down from her position, and she might be forced to if a vote of no confidence is held in the House of Commons. In terms of her replacement within the conservative party, I would assume that Boris Johnson would be among the contenders for the leadership position.
I can't believe that Brexit negotiations are in less than 10 days!! The Conservatives' loss in this election is definitely going, in my opinion, going to have an affect on the process - perhaps a softer Brexit will result. What are your thoughts on this?
Last I heard, Theresa May has apologized to the Conservatives who lost their seats and confirmed that she will continue her leadership of the Tories. Since the election backfired so drastically, it definitely seems like May will have to push for a softer Brexit than she was hoping. The people of the U.K. clearly want more members of the Labour party in charge, and Labour has been calling for a soft Brexit or a complete reversal of Article 50 to my understanding. While the Conservatives definitely won't reverse Brexit altogether, it seems as though they will have to maintain a close relationship with the EU and play nice for now.