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The UK's Next Government Is Still Stuck On The Negotiating Table

The U.K.'s Conservative Party is depending on votes from a small North Ireland party to form a government — but negotiations aren't going well.
Posted at 8:39 PM, Jun 20, 2017
and last updated 2017-06-20 20:39:02-04

The queen is about to give her formal speech opening Parliament — and U.K. Prime Minister Theresa May still doesn't have enough support there to effectively run a government.

May's Conservative Party is relying on Northern Ireland's Democratic Unionist Party to get it the votes it needs. But DUP officials say the negotiations to get them on board have hit a snag.

The two parties do have similar conservative ideologies — and they both support the U.K.'s exit from the European Union. But differences about social issues or the status of the U.K.'s border with Ireland could be holding up a final agreement.

The U.K. government won't collapse right away; the DUP has suggested it will support May's agenda when it goes up for a vote at the end of June. If May can't get the DUP's support, her government could face the threat of a no confidence vote in the future. And if that happens, opposition leader Jeremy Corbyn could be the next prime minister.