What can not easily be delayed, however, is the date of Britain's departure from the European Union, which is due to take place exactly two years after the triggering of the Article 50 Brexit process on March 29 2019, whether or not a withdrawal deal has been reached. Sources said a meeting of the European council on 22 June was the EU27's new deadline for wanting to know the prime minister's plans in light of the politically disastrous loss of her majority.
Juncker said he hoped there would be no further delays, and that the result of the United Kingdom general election would not have a "major impact on the negotiations we are desperately waiting for".
Fitch added that the hung parliament increased the range of possible outcomes to British talks on leaving the European Union - including a disorderly exit and potentially a "softer" deal.
May sought to shore up her authority over the weekend by appointing her new cabinet, a move which saw the promotion of a longstanding ally the day after her two closest advisers, Nick Timothy and Fiona Hill, resigned in the wake of the election campaign. After all, the Prime Minister had not been formally elected - she was appointed after a leadership contest in which all the other candidates dropped out, following David Cameron's resignation after his defeat in the Brexit referendum - and the apparent weakness of the political opposition appeared to offer the prospect of a large victory. "We know when they must end", said Mr Tusk.
His LSE colleague Paul Kelly said the result would weaken May's hand in Brussels, where she is due to attend a summit on June 22 and 23.
Brexit talks will begin as planned in the "next couple of weeks", German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Theresa May have agreed. "Everybody will notice that and that changes the dynamic", Kelly said. "The result causes a headache for Brexit negotiations, but it can be managed", said Tim Oliver, an associate at IDEAS, the London School of Economics' foreign policy think tank. "Let's not waste time".
He said May was chosen by the Conservative Party last autumn to be the safe pair of hands that would navigate Britain through the hard waters of Brexit.
Then, the prime minister had what seemed to be a promising idea: why not call for an early election at home and strengthen her Tory Party's grip on power in Westminster, allowing to go to Brussels with a stronger mandate?
At the time she was riding high in the polls and she pushed a tough message on Brexit on the campaign trail, saying she was planning to be a "bloody hard woman" in Brussels.
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In the election the Conservatives won most seats, but short of winning enough for an overall majority.
The election threw into question the form of Brexit voters want.
"But not quite the Brexit election we expected", said Rob Ford, political science professor at Manchester University.
"Article 50 has been triggered and we were on our way".
Corbyn said Labour was ready to lead a minority government.
May had promised a clean break, taking Britain out of the EU's unified trading area and reducing the number of people coming to the country from the EU.
German conservative Markus Ferber, an European Union lawmaker involved in discussions on access to European Union markets for Britain's financial sector, was scathing: "This is the second time within a year that a huge gamble taken by a British prime minister backfired spectacularly", he said. "A vote for one to go and the other to be revisited". "Do your best to avoid a "no deal" as a result of "no negotiations".
Preliminary results indicate she will instead face a far tougher balancing act between europhiles and eurosceptics within her own party.
It is her first comment since Mrs May's Conservative party lost 13 seats.
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