As Britain prepares to face a hung parliament for just the fifth time in its political history, U.S. President Donald Trump is likely to awake on Friday and question what the election result means for future U.S. and U.K. relations.
With the bulk of seats declared from Thursday’s vote, no party has gained a clear majority which means Britain now faces political deadlock.
A sobering result for May’s ruling right-wing Conservatives which could have far-reaching consequences for both Britain’s European neighbors, as well as the U.S.
CNBC takes a look at the potential ramifications for Trump as Westminster scrambles to find a solution to the inconclusive vote.
While the governing Conservatives remain as Britain’s largest party, May’s failure to secure an overall majority could put her alliance with Trump to the test.
“May is either out (most likely) or seriously weakened … The result is a major embarrassment for May who called the election just a few weeks ago on the back of a commanding 20-plus poll lead,” Kallum Pickering, senior U.K. economist at Berenberg, said in an email to CNBC.
Despite May voicing concerns over some of Trump’s hard-line views, the Conservative leader had only recently reaffirmed her commitment to maintaining the U.K.’s “special relationship” with the U.S.
May’s willingness to set aside political differences with Trump was perhaps most fittingly captured when she was photographed holding hands with the president in her first state visit.
While May has every intention of staying on in her role as prime minister and is seeking permission from the Queen to form a new government, speculation has intensified as to who could potentially replace the Conservative leader.
“It is impossible to imagine May’s MPs (members of Parliament) allowing her to lead the party into another election. Her hopes of implementing her domestic reform agenda have turned to dust,” said Mujtaba Rahman, the Europe director of the Eurasia Group, a political risk consultancy.
“The front-runners to succeed her, possibly by acclamation, would be (Brexit minister) David Davis, (U.K. Foreign Secretary) Boris Johnson and (Home Secretary) Amber Rudd,” Rahman predicted.
U.K. bookmakers slashed the betting odds for Johnson to replace May as prime minister from 66/1 to 5/1 on Friday morning as the election results filtered in. Britain’s Foreign secretary also appeared to fuel the rumors when reporters asked whether he was supportive of the prime minister on Friday; he said it was still “early days”.
Should Johnson assume the position of U.K prime minister, it would appear Trump could expect an amiable relationship similar to the one he has enjoyed with May to date.
The Foreign secretary recently argued he could not see any reason for Trump’s upcoming visit to the U.K. to be canceled, despite the furor concerning the president’s tweets challenging Sadiq Khan, the mayor of London, after Saturday’s terror attack.
Meanwhile, in the very unlikely event left-wing Labour leader, Jeremy Corbyn, is able to lead Britain, Trump would be faced with a premier who is ideologically opposed on almost all major political issues.
Corbyn recently said the president’s behavior risked making the world a more dangerous place.
“The new U.S. president seems determined to add to the dangers by recklessly escalating the confrontation with North Korea, unilaterally launching missile strikes on Syria, opposing President Obama’s nuclear arms deal with Iran, and backing a new nuclear arms race,” Corbyn said during a speech on foreign policy in May.
He added that under his governance the U.K. would no longer engage in “hand-holding with Donald Trump” and would distance Britain’s foreign policy away from the U.S. and back to Britain.
“We will not be afraid to speak our mind,” he said.
In contrast to Johnson, Corbyn leaped to the defense of Khan last week and described Trump’s attack on the London Labour mayor as “graceless”.
The president suggested Khan was “pathetic” after the Mayor had said London’s citizens had “no reason to be alarmed”.