Spain's Rajoy says still has no majority to form government

Spain's acting Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy arrives for a meeting with King Felipe (not pictured) at the Zarzuela Palace in Madrid, Spain, January 22, 2016. REUTERS/Andres Ballesteros/Pool

MADRID (Reuters) - Spain's acting Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy said on Tuesday he had told the king he still had no majority to form a government and was not willing to seek the confidence of parliament, although he did not rule out doing so at a later stage. Speaking after a meeting with King Felipe, Rajoy said he still favoured a grand coalition with the Socialists and newcomer centrist party Ciudadanos but that option was currently not possible because Socialist leader Pedro Sanchez opposed it. "I told the king that today we don't have the support needed but depending on the course of events ... we don't rule out seeking the confidence of the parliament at a later stage if the king agrees to it," Rajoy told a news conference. (Reporting by Julien Toyer; Editing by Angus Berwick)