London: British Prime Minister Theresa May`s programme for government is revealed at the formal opening of parliament on Wednesday after an election that weakened her authority and tragedies that have shaken the nation.


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Queen Elizabeth II will read out the watered-down policy and lawmakers will spend the next few days debating before bringing it to a vote, leaving the government very vulnerable just as it embarks on highly sensitive Brexit negotiations.


After four terror attacks and a devastating fire that have darkened the national mood, protesters are also planning a "Day of Rage" in the streets against May`s Conservatives.


The Times branded her administration the "stumbling husk of a zombie government" and said May was now "so weak that she cannot arbitrate between squabbling cabinet ministers", who are increasingly publicly divided over Brexit.


"Downing Street is a vacuum," the newspaper said.


May called the June 8 snap general election in a bid to strengthen her mandate heading into the Brexit talks.


But the plan spectacularly backfired, leaving her with a minority government requiring the support of Northern Ireland`s ultra-conservative Democratic Unionist Party.


May has resisted calls to resign and is hoping for the support of the DUP`s 10 MPs to boost her tally of 317 seats in the 650-seat parliament, but a deal has proved elusive so far.


A DUP source said a deal was "certainly not imminent" as the talks "haven`t proceeded in a way that the DUP would have expected" and cautioned that the party "can`t be taken for granted".


Even with DUP backing, the government would still command only a tiny majority and just a few rebel MPs could be enough to undermine it fatally.


The Queen`s Speech, normally a chance for a new government to show off an ambitious programme, will reportedly be very pared down this time in order to avoid any potential splits in Conservative ranks. 


The event is usually a high point of British pomp and pageantry, but this year there will be no horse-drawn carriage procession, crown, or ceremonial robes.


The snap election plus the closeness to the monarch`s official birthday parade last weekend meant it was deemed infeasible to prepare a second major event at short notice.


The Queen`s Speech was initially planned for Monday but had to be postponed due to the turmoil following the election."This Queen`s Speech is about recognising and grasping the opportunities that lie ahead for the UK as we leave the EU," May said.


"It is about delivering a Brexit deal that works for all parts of the UK while building a stronger, fairer country.


"The election result was not the one I hoped for, but this government will respond with humility."


The speech will be followed by several days of debate by MPs, culminating in a vote expected on June 29 which one parliamentary official confirmed acts as a "de facto vote of confidence" in May`s minority government.


Opposition parties are reportedly planning to table a series of amendments, including changes to housing legislation following a devastating fire in a local authority-owned tower block earlier this month.


Other amendments are reportedly linked to Brexit, calling for easier access to the European single market and a commission with opposition parties and civil society figures to discuss Brexit strategy.


There are no fixed rules on what happens if an amendment is passed to the Queen`s Speech but the government would normally be expected to resign.


The results of the election mean that a coalition of opposition parties would struggle for enough support to form a viable alternative government, however, and there is little appetite in Britain for yet another election.


The government has said this session of parliament will last two years -- meaning there would be no Queen`s Speech next year -- in order to be able to pass a vast amount of Brexit-related legislation.


But opposition parties have said it is a way of avoiding the government being voted down in a Queen`s Speech next year when talks in Brussels get tough ahead of Britain`s expected EU exit in March 2019.