UK political chaos intensifies as no DUP deal reached yet

Bloomberg

Prime Minister Theresa May’s office backtracked on a statement that a deal was reached with Northern Ireland’s Democratic Unionist Party, adding to a sense of chaos around her government after last week’s disastrous election, and eight days before Brexit talks begin.
“The prime minister has tonight spoken with the DUP to discuss finalizing a confidence and supply deal when parliament returns next week,” May’s office said early Sunday. “As and when details are finalized both parties will put them forward.”
The statement came five hours after another in which the government welcomed a commitment from the DUP on “the principles of an outline agreement to support the Conservative Government on a Confidence and Supply basis.” A Downing Street spokeswoman declined to explain the discrepancy between the two.
The reversal by May’s office adds a further layer of confusion to an already embattled administration that gambled and lost by calling a general election that wiped out its majority, leaving it dependent on a fringe party with unpalatable social views in order to be able to govern. May told German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Saturday she plans to start Brexit talks, as planned, in a couple of weeks.

‘Dead Woman’
“Theresa May is a dead woman walking, it’s just how long she’s going to remain on death row,” former Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne said Sunday during a panel discussion on BBC TV’s “Andrew Marr Show.”
Adding to the turmoil, one newspaper said Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson is preparing to vie for her job after the Conservative party’s disastrous election showing. Johnson plans to take advantage of May’s weakened state to launch a bid to become prime minister, the Mail on Sunday reported, citing a close ally of Johnson. The foreign secretary called the report “tripe” in a tweet and said he was supporting May.
The DUP’s 10 lawmakers would give May a working majority after her own party failed to win enough seats to govern by itself. The “confidence and supply” deal she’s seeking would mean the DUP would lend its support to block no confidence votes and pass budgets.
The DUP, in a separate statement, said talks with Conservative Party representatives had been positive and will continue this week to work on details, and to reach agreement on the arrangements for the new parliament.
May’s two key aides resigned on Saturday amid anger about how they handled the campaign.
Her determination to push ahead with Brexit negotiations came as a survey for YouGov carried on the front page of the Sunday Times showed 48 percent of Britons think May should resign and that she has drawn even with Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn in terms of who they think would be the better prime minister.
The prime minister could face a leadership challenge as soon as Tuesday if she fails to rally a meeting of her lawmakers that day, while five cabinet ministers are urging Johnson to oust her, the Sunday Times reported. It also said Chancellor of the Exchequer Philip Hammond is pushing her to prioritize jobs and the economy in the Brexit talks.
Mounting criticism and a spirit of vendetta claimed the scalps of two of May’s closest advisers, Fiona Hill and Nick Timothy, who resigned in the wake of the snap election that wiped out the Tories’ parliamentary majority. Johnson previously had his eyes on the top job in 2016, but stepped aside after his campaign manager Michael Gove nominated himself and said Johnson didn’t have what it took to be leader.