May will also need the support of the socially conservative, pro-Brexit Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) which won 10 seats in Northern Ireland. Meanwhile, the Labour Party started the campaign looking as if it was maybe facing some sort of existential disaster.
The Conservatives won 318 seats in Thursday's vote, down from 331 in 2015, falling short of an overall majority in the 650-seat House of Commons after the opposition Labour Party, led by socialist stalwart Jeremy Corbyn, scored hefty gains.
"Theresa May has lost credibility and leverage in her party, her country and across Europe".
"I tell you this, we will absolutely remain part of the European Convention on Human Rights and European Court of Human Rights - we are not walking away from those vital post-war agreements that were made", he said.
May once famously warned the Conservatives when she was party chairman that they were seen as "nasty", and as prime minister promised a new domestic approach.
The Conservatives are expected to pick up some elements of the DUP's manifesto.
But he slammed May's style of governance as tone deaf to her own Cabinet ministers and MPs, whom he said were better in touch with voters on the ground. "And I want to encourage all Conservatives to come through this hard period, unite behind the prime minister, and focus on the need to heal the divisions in our country".
Sammy Wilson, the DUP's newly re-elected member of parliament and former environment minister of Northern Ireland, has said he doesn't believe in climate change.
Despite earlier saying that a cabinet meeting had been scheduled for Saturday, a spokesman said May would not be holding one but would name more members of her cabinet.
Northern Irish unionists to open talks with UK's May about support
That could cheer opponents of a "hard Brexit" that would take Britain completely out of the single market and the customs union. They were replaced by Gavin Barwell, a former housing minister who lost his seat in the election .
Mr Timothy and Ms Hill had worked for Mrs May when she was home secretary prior to becoming prime minister in July past year in the chaotic days that followed the Brexit vote.
The surprising outcome, which sent the pound tumbling GBP=, forced May to form a minority government, leaving her reliant on a small group of Northern Irish parliamentarians, just nine days before Britain is due to begin negotiating a deal to leave the EU. She's then got to present a programme to Parliament.
"I think in this case, most pundits would agree that she really did have a bad, bad, bad campaign ..."
In this election, Theresa May underestimated the Labour Party.
Press Association (PA) reported late Saturday that May has reached a preliminary deal to form a coalition government with DUP. Some say her failure means the government must now take a more flexible approach to the divorce.
The DUP's social conservatism - it is opposed to same-sex marriage and abortion - has also alarmed some in May's party, particularly Scottish Conservative leader Ruth Davidson, who is gay.
The objective of calling elections, having assured that there would be no election before the schedule one in 2020, after she took over as the party leader previous year, Theresa May had hoped to strengthen her party's grip on power to be able to successfully negotiate Britain's exit from the EU.
But after a poor campaign and an unexpectedly stiff challenge from Labour, her plan went disastrously wrong. "From hubris to humiliation", said the left-leaning Guardian, while the Times headline read: "May stares into the abyss".
Comments