An “incredibly chastened” Theresa May could look to Wales for how to run a minority Government, a Swansea politics expert has said.

Professor Jonathan Bradbury, of Swansea University , said Welsh Labour had never had a proper majority in the Senedd since devolution but had shown “tremendous discipline” in pushing forward programmes of legislation.

“It will be an immense test,” said Prof Bradbury.

But he added that Mrs May’s unscheduled alliance with Northern Ireland’s Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) to ensure the Conservatives have the all-important House of Commons majority has form.

“It is clear that they have worked together in Parliamentary votes since 2015,” he said.

It was the best option, he said, for a stable Government from the Tories’ point of view.

Professor Jonathan Bradbury of Swansea University

“The disadvantages are the considerable power vested in the hands of the DUP, and that might mean implications for how the UK approaches the power-sharing situation in Northern Ireland, and the approach to Brexit and the Northern Ireland border,” said Prof Bradbury.

“Theresa May will have to consult closely with the DUP, who are strongly pro-Brexit.”

He said the result had restricted Mrs May’s hand on public spending and taxation plans, and would requite skilful manouevring.

“She is going to have to be politically very capable if the Government is going to be stable,” he said. “You have got to have a style which is very inclusive.”

Two of Mrs May's key advisers, Nick Timothy and Fiona Hill, have resigned following an underwhelming campaign.

Theresa May's chief of staff Nick Timothy and joint chief of staff Fiona Hill, who have both resigned

Prof Bradbury said the Conservative manifesto had little of cheer in it.

"They only said how hard things were going to be," he said.

Asked if another election could be called in the coming weeks or months, he replied: “The Government has got to get on with the Brexit negotiations. I think they will avoid another election.

“My hunch is that once Brexit negotiations begin, any pressure from Labour and the Liberal Democrats might apply for another election could backfire on them — a bit like the SNP’s call for a second referendum (on Scottish independence).”

He added: “If the Conservatives perform well over the next couple of years, they might yet go for another election. Theresa May might bounce back but she will be incredibly chastened.”

Prof Bradbury said the history of minority UK Conservative governments was a mixed bag. He described the experience of John Major’s administration in the early 1990s as “a tremendously corrosive experience” for the Tories.

On Brexit negotiations, Professor Bradbury said Mrs May would have wanted a big majority so she could afford to ignore the stridently anti-European voices from within her party and that EU leaders might well have hoped for the same result because it meant more room for compromises.

The Senedd, Cardiff

He said Mrs May could now not afford to alienate her own MPs but also said a softer stance on Brexit would be hard for the Lib-Dems to turn down, and could also garner some support from the pro-Remain SNP.

“Labour would have to take a view,” he said.

Prof Bradbury added the swift process of digesting the election result and forming a new Government reflected well on the democratic system.

"It is remarkably efficient," he said.