EU Commissioner Oettinger Believes UK Hung Parliament Raises Brexit Uncertainty

EU budget commissioner Guenther Oettinger said early on Friday he was unsure about the agreed timing of the Brexit process after UK's Conservatives seemingly lost their majority in parliament.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — Speaking with Germany’s Deutschlandfunk radio, Oettinger said a weak negotiating partner and absence of a stable government could make UK’s departure from the European Union difficult for both sides.

The talks were to begin 11 days after this Thursday's election but the German politician said he doubted this would be the case. He said the next few days would show whether London was ready to sit down for talks.

UK Prime Minister Theresa May called a snap election in April in a bid to strengthen her hand in negotiations with the European Union by increasing her party’s majority in parliament.

Instead, she saw the Conservatives fall short of the 326-mandate target. With only seven seats left to declare, the Tories stand at 313 seats and look on their way to coalition talks.