MOSCOW (Sputnik) — On Thursday, the United Kingdom held a snap general election, which was called by May in order to unify the parliament ahead of the Brexit negotiations with Brussels. With no party receiving the absolute majority of seats in parliament, the election has resulted in a hung parliament.
"We will put ourselves forward to serve the country on former minority government and the reason for that as I do not think the Conservative Party is stable and I do not think the prime minister is stable. I don't want to be derogatory but I think she's a lame duck prime minister, I can't see her surviving. And a number of Conservative MPs are already privately saying that her position is untenable," McDonnell told BBC Radio 4's Today program.
Rivals within May's party, such as Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson and Brexit Secretary David Davis, are "on maneuvers" toward an election for a new party leader, McDonnell added.
At the moment, the Conservative Party, which had 330 seats in the previous House of Commons, is leading with 317 seats, the Labour Party with 261 seats, the Scottish National Party with 35 seats, and the Liberal Democrats with 12 seats. Independent candidates and nominees of other parties have collectively won elections in 23 constituencies.
On March 29, May triggered Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty, officially beginning the country's exit from the European Union. Under the article, the process is to be concluded within two years from the withdrawal launch.
