UK PM seeks political alliance in Northern Ireland

Prime Minister Theresa May's failure to gain enough seats to form a majority Conservative government in last week's General Election means her party is now looking at forming a coalition or striking a deal with Westminster's fifth largest party, Northern Ireland's Democratic Unionist Party.

After more than an hour of talks between Mrs May and DUP leader Arlene Foster on Tuesday, Mrs May said the discussion had been productive. "But we are going into these talks with the national interest at heart", Foster said ahead of the meeting.

"It's a unity of objective, having voted to leave the European Union, that their Government gets on with that and makes a success of it, and we are committed to developing a deep and special partnership with the European Union".

British Prime Minister Theresa May sits with Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson as she holds the first Cabinet meeting of her new team inside 10 Downing Street, in London, Monday June 12, 2017.

Party leader Arlene Foster seemed buoyant as she arrived at May's Downing Street office - and her good mood just kept on going.

May on Monday met with Tory backbenchers to discuss her leadership in light of her botched election campaign, which left her party with fewer seats than it had before.

But Major, who was leader of the Conservative Party and Prime Minister between 1990 and 1997, said he was "wary" and "dubious" of any deal with the DUP at a time where talks are about to resume on the state of the devolved government in the province.

There is also a question mark over the opening of the UK's Brexit negotiations with Brussels - which are due to get underway the same day.

But May faces a hard balancing act: Divisions over Europe helped sink the premierships of Margaret Thatcher, John Major and David Cameron, and many of her lawmakers and party membership support a sharp break with the EU.

May does not necessarily need a firm deal from the DUP before opening parliament and might hope that she would receive the necessary backing anyway.

However, the prospect of a deal has prompted warnings that it could upset Northern Ireland's fragile peace.

That border will become an external European Union border after Brexit and there have been growing fears that any border controls would have a serious economic impact on both Northern Ireland and the Republic.

Before the government can do anything it must finalise a deal with the Northern Irish Democratic Unionist Party (DUP).

With the two-year clock on Brexit ticking since March, when a letter from May formally started proceedings, Barnier dismissed the suggestion of postponing the negotiations and said such a delay would only prompt further instability.

The British Prime Minister should consult with the opposition Labour Party and others on her Brexit strategy, David Cameron, May's predecessor, says, according to the Financial Times.

"The door of course is still open as long as Brexit negotiations have not been concluded", he said.

As talks go on, the European Union unveiled plans to give itself new powers over London's banking business after Brexit, in what could be a blow to the city's supremacy as a global financial hub.