Queen's Speech Delayed by UK Prime Minister Amid Uncertainty Following Election

UK Prime Minister Theresa May put off the ceremony that marks the start of the parliamentary year amid continuing talks between the Conservative Party and the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP), following the Conservatives' failure to gain the necessary 326 seats on their own in the election last week.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — UK Prime Minister Theresa May postponed the Queen's Speech, the event at which the monarch sets out the government's legislative agenda for the year ahead, for a few days due to the Conservatives' continuing attempts to gain majority in the Parliament through an alliance, UK media reported on Monday.

According to the Sky News broadcaster, citing sources, May put off the ceremony that marks the start of the parliamentary year amid continuing talks between the Conservative Party and the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP), following the Conservatives' failure to gain the necessary 326 seats on their own in the election last week.

The Guardian newspaper reported, citing a government source, that no date had been fixed yet.

"Number Ten’s failure to confirm the date of the Queen’s speech shows that this government is in chaos, as it struggles to agree a backroom deal with a party with abhorrent views on LGBT and women’s rights," Labour spokesperson said, as quoted by The Guardian.

Northern Ireland's DUP is known for its socially conservative views. Northern Ireland is the only part of the United Kingdom, where same-sex marriage and abortions (except in specific cases) are not legally allowed.

The Queen's Speech was initially slated for next Monday, June 19. According to media reports, the speech is written on a special parchment that takes several days to dry, which means that no last-minute corrections are possible.

May called the snap election in April hoping to secure more seats for the Conservative Party ahead of Brexit, but as the result, her party lost 12 seats and now requires at least eight more for the majority.