May wanted a mandate for a hard Brexit. Now Europe expects a softer tone

Prime minister’s crumbling authority offers a new chance for compromise – and the EU could scale back its demandsTheresa May had set Britain on a course for a hard Brexit, prioritising sovereignty at the expense of close economic ties. Nevertheless, most EU governments had hoped she would win big on 8 June, so that she would be strong enough to face down the Tory right in pushing through painful compromises. They now face a prime minister whose authority is crumbling. Yet the general