After the results of Thursday’s election were declared, Prime Minister Mrs. Theresa May went under severe pressure to sack her long time advisors Nick Timothy and Fiona Hill. The ministers and the Tory MPs had threatened Mrs. May to face acute leadership challenges unless she took a major decision in removing the pair from her advisory board.
Later, Nick and Fiona resigned from their position and took the blame for the disappointing result of the Conservatives in the General Election. Ex-conservative MP and former housing minister Gavin Barwell has been appointed as the new Chief of Staff.
It seems that the removal of the pair has gained some temporary relief for the PM after she faced tremendous allegations following the loss of majority by the Conservatives party in the election. Experts say that the two had such a high impact on the PM that unless they were removed it was impossible for Mrs. May to change her leadership style and adopt a more flexible approach.
Background of Nick Timothy and Fiona Hill and their journey so far
Fiona Hill: A 44-year-old British political advisor was a close confidante of Mrs. May during her home secretary tenure. During this 4 years long association, she was forced to resign in 2014 as well, when she gave a negative briefing against the then Education Secretary Michael Gove about an increase of extremism in British schools.
But later, when Mrs. May became the PM; she brought back Fiona at no 10.
Nick Timothy: 37-year-old Timothy joined the Conservative party at the age of 17 and continued to be an important member of PM’s advisory board. He influenced the PM with his views and suggestions on social mobility.
DUP looking forward to cracking a good deal
The Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) is a socially conservative political party in Northern Ireland which is led by Arlene Foster. The party has agreed to support the Conservative minority Government on matters of mutual concern following the 2017 General Election. However, it is believed that there are huge disagreements between the two parties over the LGBT issues and women’s rights.
But in spite of the absence of the two main important advisors, Theresa May is able to govern the situation without creating further discrepancies.
Right now, the DUP is in a very strong position and they will try to leverage their advantage in the upcoming deal with the Conservatives due on 19th June. The deal might have multiple agenda including the power-sharing in the region, the Brexit implementation in Northern Ireland and more. The PM has to take a calculated stance so the deal does not create another stir among the Republicans and others. This deal is of prime importance in this current political scenario.
