May brings back foe, aims to unite party before Brexit

PanARMENIAN.Net - Prime Minister Theresa May reappointed most of her ministers on Sunday, June 11 but brought a Brexit campaigner and party rival into government to try to unite her Conservatives after a disastrous election sapped her authority, days before Brexit talks begin, Reuters reports.

The 60-year-old leader said she had tapped experience across the "whole of the Conservative Party" when she appointed Michael Gove, a long-serving cabinet minister who had clashed with May when she was home secretary, as agriculture minister.

It was a surprise move - Gove was sacked as justice minister by May last year after his bid to become party leader forced now-foreign minister Boris Johnson from the race, amid accusations of treachery and political backstabbing.

But after gambling away a majority in parliament in an election she did not need to call, May needs to unite a disillusioned party around her to not only support her in the Brexit talks but also to strike a deal with a small Northern Irish party that will enable her to stay in power.

"What I'm doing now is actually getting on with the immediate job. And I think that's what's important, I think that's what the public would expect. They want to see government providing that certainty and stability," she said.

"What I've done today is see people from across the party accepting the invitation to be in my cabinet, and crucially I've brought in talent from across the whole of the Conservative Party. I believe that's important."

May formed her cabinet despite failing to win a majority in Thursday's parliamentary election, when her Conservatives won 318 House of Commons seats. Labour, the main opposition party, won 262.

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn said he could still be prime minister, although his party has no obvious way to build a majority coalition. He said a new election might be necessary later this year or early in 2018.