Angela merkels right hand man. We should not waste time. We should go into the details as soon as possible. And do we have to define a new direction for britain now . Who are the left behinds, and what are they asking for . We speak to nigel farage, simon schama and kerry ann mendoza. Good evening and welcome to westminster. Newsnight in daylight. Do not be fooled by mellow sunshine, do not be fooled by the gentle breeze of a summer weekend. Today saw no calm, no respite in the pace of change and Power Shifting that gives this place its identity. Senior conservatives began the day calling for the resignation of theresa mays joint chiefs of staff. By the afternoon, they got what they wanted. Nick timothy and fiona hill were known for their unwavering loyalty. The pm was accused of relying on them too heavily, closing her eyes perhaps to a more collegiate, consensual type of government. Two unelected names. Two broadly unrecognisable faces. Yet these chiefs of staff were at the very heart of government. They knew theresa may inside out, knew how to shield her from the hostile parts of the job she wished to avoid. They were notjust moral support they were, nick clegg told us, instrumental to practically every decision she took. I asked her not to bring the special advisers with her into the meetings that i used to have with her because ijust found it all rather disruptive, but i did find that, as a result, i could never get a decision out of her in the meetings, because shed have to go back and, i assume, test her ideas and test my suggestions with people around her. Nick timothy offered reason for his resignation by letter, nodding to the high number of conservative votes on thursday, but accepting his part too in the disaster that was the social care policy, admitting he should have offered a cap as well as a floor for the cost of it. Fiona hill said less in valediction. She was known to rub many in number 10 up the wrong way. Her erratic behaviour became the stuff of hushed legend. Insiders will tell you of the time she spat at the chancellor philip hammond, or the sweary texts she wrote to elected ministers allegations unproven and denied. The partys former Director Of Communications didnt pull her punches this morning. Katie perrier accused them both of creating a dysfunctional and toxic atmosphere in downing street. Well, we were going into an 8. 30 meeting every morning at theresa mays office and the atmosphere would be great if the chiefs of staff were not there, and terrible if the chiefs of staff were there. This is nick timothy and fiona hill . Correct. And so we would be able to speak freely if they werent around and if they were around, you dont speak. But it was Senior Tories who demanded their heads. They wouldnt have gone if they hadnt intended theresa may to stay. They were meant to be the sacrifice, the front line casualties, protecting their general from further arrows but, whatever the objective, their departure leaves theresa may more isolated than ever. A Bleeding Swimmer in shark infested waters when the boat sails off to call for help. So does this preserve the pm . For a day or two certainly it gives her breathing space, butJeremy Corbyn is still waiting in the wings. And the questions still abound. Who will govern britain now and how . Our Political Editor nick watt is here. Talk today, nick, of a dup alliance, or coalition what would that work as . Well, the conservative chief whip Gavin Williamson has been in Northern Ireland today meeting arlene foster, the leader of the dup, and other dup leaders, and i am told they are looking at the full range of possibilities, from just an informal undertaking all the way through to a full coalition agreement, and i am told that what the dup are looking at is securing welfare benefits, so keep the Pension Triple Lock and preserve universal benefits such as the Winter Fuel Allowance for pensioners. It allows the dup to say, were notjust acting in the interests of Northern Ireland we are true unionists, acting in the interests of the whole of the uk. And then it would allow the tories to remove parts of their manifesto that became so toxic with pensioners. I spoke to one senior source, quoting lynton crosby, the man who ran the conservative campaign in the final stages it would allow the tories to remove the barnacles from the boat. It sounds like shes preparing to stay, but was it always that way . Well, its a feverish atmosphere at the moment and there is uncertainty among Cabinet Ministers over the long term future of the Prime Minister, and i am told in this ratherfebrile atmosphere, serious consideration was given in the early hours of friday morning as to whether the Prime Minister should resign. I am told by the time of her count in maidenhead, by which time it was clear she was in trouble, the Prime Minister was completely devastated. There is even talk that a Resignation Speech was drafted in the early hours of friday morning the idea was the Prime Minister would then make a statement later on on friday. As i understand it, what happened was that amid the uncertainty over the result, senior tory figures said that they should look at how to respond to all outcomes of the election, because its the duty of any Prime Minister to respond to all those various outcomes, and remember, for a brief period you were there there was even talk Jeremy Corbyn might lead the Largest Party but it soon became clear that theresa may would lead the Largest Party and, at that point, it was her duty as she later said on friday to form a government. Which is why we are now looking towards a reshuffle this evening. Yes, we were expecting a full reshuffle earlier on today. As i understand it, it has been described as the elastoplast reshuffle. This is basically reappointing mainly the existing cabinet, and the phrase they are saying, elastoplast reshuffle, until the leadership of the conservative party is sorted out. That means either theresa may does continue when she has a full deal with the dup, or there is a contest. Nick, thanks very much. In politics, as president fd roosevelt once remarked, nothing happens by accident. If it happens, you can bet it was planned. To suggest the country knew it would elect a minority Conservative Government backed up, potentially, by the dup may be a stretch. But perhaps the electorate knew what it was doing when it refused to wholly embrace either theresa may orJeremy Corbyn in their whole vision for britain and brexit. Many accepted beliefs turned out to be plain wrong. We, as a country, particularly perhaps the young, are learning we have more of a voice than perhaps we believed. So what does this election suggest about a new direction for britain now . David grossman reports. This is the first full day of Minority Government britain. The rising sun, however, provided little warmth to theresa may nor much illumination of her path forward. Whats protecting theresa may right now is not the loyalty, the respect, or even the fear of her party. Its the fact that they cant see anyone obvious with whom to replace her, nor can they see an obvious process to find that person that doesnt risk plunging the government into potentially fatal instability. In the words of the poet hilare belloc, they are only holding onto nurse for fear of finding something worse. There may be little public activity, but in Whatsapp Chat groups and in private discreet telephone conversations, conservative mps are venting their anger about what happened to their party and their majority. Ed vaizey was close to David Cameron, and campaigned to remain in the eu. He believes theresa may must now change both her approach and her policies if shes to hold the party together. She will, i think, have to make sure that she takes us all with her. That it becomes a very inclusive government that reaches out to all wings of the party. And i hope as well that she will have read the tea leaves in terms of i think the message that voters sent us. And the message that i got loud and clear is that voters have rejected a hard brexit. We cant any more talk about no deal being better than a bad deal. The view that the nature of brexit will have to change is supported by the fact that the conservatives new partners, the ten mps of the dup, want the uk to stay in the Customs Union, and want a frictionless border in Northern Ireland. So is this the end of what critics call a hard brexit . Weve got to remember that labour lost this election. You know, when given the choice as to who should lead the country through the Brexit Negotiations, people, by a majority on the popular vote, chose for theresa may. And they did that in the full knowledge of the plan that shes laid out, set out in her Lancaster House speech, which sets out that we want to guarantee the rights of eu citizens as quickly as possible, but that we want to be a global nation determining our own trade policy. That we want to have our supremacy over our courts. And i think that those, amongst other issues, are the clear objectives of brexit, and that really is what brexit means to me. We have in a sense been here before. In the 70s, a minority labour administration. Lord armstrong was principal private secretary to the then Prime Minister, harold wilson. 1974 does demonstrate that when you have a government which has not got a firm overall majority, then the great uncertainty that prevails spreads over a lots of things. Certainly over the Brexit Negotiations. But over other matters of policy as well. It will affect all the social welfare legislation, which the conservatives announced that they wanted. It will affect a great many things, i think. All this, and injust nine days time the government must present a queens speech to parliament, and Brexit Negotiations with the rest of europe are scheduled to start. Theresa mays weakness in her party, and in parliament, make these daunting jobs even more difficult. Well, lord barker, greg barker, is a former minster under David Cameron hes with us. Can she survive this . That really remains to be seen. It will be the mood of the Parliamentary Party in the commons when they come together that will really judge that, but i detect that there is certainly no appetite in the party for an immediate leadership contest. So i think well have to see what the commons has to say when they meet. But how does she stay in place when there is so much anger in conservative homes two thirds of mps saying she should go . There is no trust left, is there . Well, there is clearly not going to be another election with theresa may at the head. We discovered that shes a competent minister, potentially a tough negotiator, but a terrible campaigner. So i think the Parliamentary Party, if this potential agreement with the dup sticks, and anticipates there wont be a general election for several years potentially five years, it gives theresa may some time for the Parliamentary Party and the wider party to work out what they actually want to replace her. You are in the lords, not an mp. But there will be many who were very, very worried about their seats or indeed lost them. In your opinion, should she go now for what she has done . I think, as i said, theres no way we will want her to lead us into another election. The question of timing now is critical. This is unlike David Camerons position after the brexit vote, because we are right on the edge of really serious negotiations. We also learnt from David Cameron, you know, a lot of people wished he had not gone so quickly im certainly one of them. So i dont think the tory party will rush into making the mistake of pushing out the leader. That suggests Brexit Negotiations will be on track. As they were. Do you believe that to be the case, though . It is chicken and egg, isnt it . If the leader is not in place, clearly the Brexit Negotiations will be pushed back. But if theresa may can command the confidence of the party in the commons, then i think it will be on track. Would you like to be on track . I would, but what we need to know what is the Brexit Negotiation aiming to achieve . Im very much agreeing with what ed vaizey said in your piece there that we need to think again about what the brexit we are going to be pushing for looks like, and certainly i think hard brexit has had its day, and we need a greater consensus, notjust within the party, but theresa may needs to play a National Role and try to forge a greater consensus across the House Of Commons on what brexit should look like. That is the role if she could actually transcend parties, and try to bring people together. It youre right and a hard brexit has had its day, presumably she would not be the right person to see it through. Are there not other people you can see taking on the helm who perhaps understand this new mood of the country better than she clearly did . I think in the long term, thats right. The question is. Its not if, but when. Who . We need someone who can clearly campaign, is articulate, that is more animated than theresa may, but also has the values that will capture the imagination of Younger Voters as well as our traditional base. That is quite a tall order the only person i can see who might fit that bill would be amber rudd, but shes only been in the cabinet a couple of years. So you would rule out presumably boris johnson, david davis, people who seem to align along the brexit, hard brexit line . What we do know is that youve got to be able to go to the electorate with more than one message. The idea that you can have a single issue election, whenever it comes, is for the birds. So in electing a tory leader, weve got to have someone that can speak to the whole conservative agenda, and that agenda needs a massive reboot. We need to look to the success of Ruth Davidson in scotland and embrace her positive, outward looking optimistic style of politics. Im just hearing from nick watt that the dup may align itself with the conservative party in a confidence and supply arrangement. Would that suit you . I think that would be ideal. So you would not mind, and there will be many people, conservative voters and wider voters, who say the dup represents everything that theresa may meant when she talked about a nasty party. They are certainly not our allies of choice. Personally i would prefer to do a deal with the lib dems. We actually had a strong and stable coalition for five years with the lib dems. But that is not on the cards. So what is the alternative . It would be giving the keys toJeremy Corbyn. We are looking at a party that is homophobic, doesnt really believe in climate change, that talks about creationism. Sure, and i abhor all of those things. I mean that could drag the party backwards, away from the young . If its just confidence supply, which basically means that they back us on the big votes when it counts, theyre not going to get their hands on. The anti austerity vote . Well, on the budget, and on the queens speech. Theyre not going to get their hands on the levers of power in any meaningful way. But the alternative is to letJeremy Corbyn in. And his allies in hamas, the provisional ira. The idea that you could have somebody who calls hamas theirfriend. Their agenda for lbgt rights is truly horrific. Nobody is talking about an allegiance with hamas thank you very much. The best seats of the house in this extraordinary election may yet be those in europe. Our friends on the continent watched on as the country tried to tear itself apart over a brexit referendum. Only to go back to the ballot box and tell the leader who promised them a strong and stable brexit deal they didnt really want one. Will they be laughing . Will they be as confused as we are . Certainly it may be the best deterrent merkel could ever imagine to more countries demanding their own exit from the eu. Mark urban has been speaking to one of angel merkels ministers, peter altmaier, in germany. He began by asking him whether Brexit Negotiations will still begin a week on monday. It depends on the uks decision, of course, largely, when they will start. What we know so far is that the uk has triggered article 50, and that means a delay of two years will be available to negotiate transitional periods, citizens rights. And we hope that all this can be done in due time. But we have never interfered with Domestic Political Debates in the uk. We have allowed for sufficient time to decide when to trigger article 50. We have allowed for a reshuffle last year in august. And certainly we have understood that the uk is in a situation where some things have to be considered. And therefore we will respect widely and as good as we can the decisions of the british government. What would happen if the uk tried to change its mind about the whole thing, and tried to withdraw the article 50 declaration . My god, this is a trap this is a trap, and ive avoided these types of traps n