The 10 elected members of the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) from Northern Ireland may have a disproportionate word in Brexit negotiations after the ruling Conservative Party lost its majority in Parliament Thursday.
May’s Conservative Party came just a few votes shy of an outright majority in the Parliament requiring them to work with a small party to secure a majority voting bloc. May indicated Friday she would attempt to form a minority government with the support of the DUP.
The DUP, however, has spoken in the past against some of the elements of May’s vision for a “hard Brexit”.
“What the country needs more than ever is certainty, and having secured the largest number of votes and the greatest number of seats in the general election, it is clear that only the Conservative and Unionist Party has the legitimacy and the ability to provide that certainty, by commanding a majority in the House of Commons,” May announced Friday. “As we do, we will continue to work with our friends and allies, in the Democratic Unionist Party in particular,” May added.
