May strikes $1.3bn pact with Northern Ireland’s DUP
Deal a ‘blank cheque’ for damaging Brexit: Sinn Fein British PM tells EU citizens: ‘We want you to stay’
LONDON: British Prime Minister Theresa May’s Conservatives struck a deal Monday with the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) that will allow them to govern despite losing their majority in a general election this month.
The agreement with the ultraconservative Northern Irish party was signed in May’s Downing Street office after more than two weeks of negotiations following her disastrous showing in the June 8 general election.
Under the terms of the deal, Northern Ireland will receive an extra £1.0 billion ($1.3 billion) from the state over two years in exchange for DUP supporting May’s Conservatives.
The Conservatives have 317 seats in the 650-seat Parliament after the election and need the support of the DUP’s 10 MPs to be able to govern.
The deal will prove controversial because of the party’s opposition to abortion and concern that an agreement could upset the fragile balance of the peace process in Northern Ireland.
The deal is a “confidence and supply agreement,” meaning that the DUP will only guarantee to support the Conservatives in confidence and budget votes. For any other measures, support would be on a vote-by-vote basis, the text of the agreement said.
“I welcome this agreement which will enable us to work together in the interests of the whole United Kingdom,” May said in a statement.
Foster said: “This agreement will operate to deliver a stable government in the UK’s national interest at this vital time.”
The DUP supported Brexit but has emphasized the need to keep the border with the Irish republic open, and Foster said the deal would back a process “that supports all parts of the UK.”
The deal will face its first test in Parliament with a confidence vote expected on Thursday.
Opposition reacts
The main opposition Labour Party has said it will push for another general election.
Irish foreign minister said the agreement could give the province a greater say in defending its interests in Brexit talks.
Liberal Democrat leader Tim Farron immediately slammed the agreement as a “shoddy little deal.”
“The nasty party is back, propped up by the DUP,” he said in a statement.
Irish nationalists Sinn Fein said the deal provides a “blank cheque” for a Brexit that threatens peace in Northern Ireland. Sinn Fein said the deal could help public services but that “the devil is in the detail.”
Irish Foreign Minister Simon Coveney said in a statement: “I note that the agreement provides for DUP support for British government legislation on Brexit.
“I welcome both parties recommitment to the Good Friday Agreement and its successors, and the commitment by the British Government to govern in the interests of all parts of the community in Northern Ireland.”
Meanwhile, May said Monday that she wanted to end the anxiety of EU nationals fearful of their future after Brexit, promising to protect their rights and saying: “We want you to stay.”
But she was heckled by critics in the House of Commons, while opposition Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn said her plan was “too little, too late.”