Conservatives fear the alliance would relegate them firmly to right-wing politics

British Prime Minister Theresa May’s decision to ally with the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) of Northern Ireland to form government after losing majority in Thursday’s general election has drawn flak from her fellow conservatives.

The DUP’s stance on a number of issues such as abortion and gay marriage has raised concerns among the Conservatives, fearful that it would harm the party’s efforts to modernise and engage with new audiences in recent years, relegating it firmly to right-wing politics.

Among those to make clear their concerns was openly-gay Scottish Conservative leader Ruth Davidson, who on Friday tweeted a link to a lecture she had given at a Pride event on equal marriage a year earlier. She later confirmed she had received assurances from the Conservative leadership that there would be no roll-back of LGBT rights as a result of the DUP alliance. She was forced, however, to dismiss a report in the Daily Telegraph that the Scottish Conservatives were considering breaking away from the main party as a result of differences over the campaign.

Protestors gathered outside Downing Street on Friday evening to protest against the alliance with the DUP, while another was planned for Saturday evening.

The DUP, the largest unionist party in Northern Ireland raised its number of seats to 10 from eight. Formed in 1971 by Ian Paisley, the party is now led by Arlene Foster.

Northern Ireland is the only part of the U.K. where same-sex marriage is not legal, after DUP exercised a veto. It has blocked attempts to change Northern Ireland’s strict laws on abortion. There are concerns about the party’s stance on issues such as climate change

More outspoken

While unnamed Conservative MPs briefed various media outlets about their anger over the decision to call the election and over the way the campaign had been run, some were more outspoken in their criticism. “The precipitous fall from predicted ‘landslide’ to minority government was wholly avoidable; the result of hubris and a failure to listen,” tweeted Conservative MP Sarah Wollaston, who called for Ms. May’s advisers to be sacked.

Two of the Prime Minister’s advisers, Nick Timothy and Fiona Hill later quit.

Writing in The Times, Kate Perrior, the former head of Communications at Downing Street, was scathing about the aggression and arrogance of Ms. May’s closest advisers, arguing she now needed “people with charm and diplomacy” rather than “street fighters” to get her through the coming weeks and months.

Speculation about a leadership contest continued to build as those thought to be potential challengers failed to give Ms. May their explicit support. “It’s early days… early days,” Boris Johnson, who was reappointed as Foreign Secretary, said on Friday in response to a question from a BBC reporter if she had his support.

Ms. May also faced attack from the tabloids that once supported her. “Dear Theresa, you are a discredited dead duck,” wrote Piers Morgan, a prominent (and controversial) right-wing television and print journalist, on Saturday, accusing her of being “plain, bloody deluded,” in her strategy of staying on as leader. “PM’s Toast within the next year,” declared The Sun.