BRITISH PRIME MINISTER Theresa May’s programme for government will be laid out as parliament is formally opened today – but there is still no sign of a deal with the Democratic Unionist Party.
Queen Elizabeth will make her way to the House of Lords to make a speech outlining May’s watered-down policy which will be debated before going to a vote in the coming days.
The speech comes in the wake of a snap election that weakened May and forced her to seek a confidence and supply agreement with the DUP.
However, nearly two weeks after the election, there is still no agreement between the parties. RTÉ quotes a DUP source as saying the talks “haven’t proceeded in a way that the DUP would have expected” and a deal “can’t be taken for granted”.
After four terror attacks and a devastating fire that have darkened the national mood, protesters are also planning a “Day of Rage” in the streets against May’s Conservatives.
The Times branded her administration the “stumbling husk of a zombie government” and said May was now “so weak that she cannot arbitrate between squabbling cabinet ministers”, who are increasingly publicly divided over Brexit.
“Downing Street is a vacuum,” the newspaper said.
May called the June 8 snap general election in a bid to strengthen her mandate heading into the Brexit talks.
But the plan spectacularly backfired, leaving her with a minority government.
The speech is usually a high point of British pomp and pageantry, but this year there will be no horse-drawn carriage procession, crown, or ceremonial robes.
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