May in Irish deal to retain power
• UK prime minister pledges more funding for Northern Ireland in return for parliamentary support from Democratic Unionist Party
UK Prime Minister Theresa May kept her grip on power by reaching a deal with the Democratic Unionist Party, which will support her minority government in critical parliamentary votes in return for extra funding for Northern Ireland.
UK Prime Minister Theresa May kept her grip on power by reaching a deal with the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP), which will support her minority government in key votes in parliament in return for extra funding for Northern Ireland.
The accord was sealed on Monday morning in London after talks between May and DUP leader Arlene Foster at Downing Street. It includes a pledge of £1bn of additional funding over two years for roads, broadband and healthcare in Northern Ireland. May’s Conservatives will also have to tear up election manifesto commitments to curb increases in pensions and to cut winter fuel payments to pensioners.
“This means the DUP will support the Conservative government on votes on the queen’s speech, the budget and legislation relating to Brexit and national security,” May said.
The agreement “will enable us to work together in the interest of the whole United Kingdom, give us the certainty we require as we embark on our departure from the European Union, and help us build a stronger and fairer society at home,” she said.
The so-called confidenceand-supply agreement caps 17 days of discussions after the Conservatives unexpectedly lost their parliamentary majority in this month’s snap election. With May relying on the DUP’s 10 legislators to win votes in the House of Commons, talks centred on extra money for Northern Ireland and Brexit plans.
Broadcasters aired footage of Conservative chief whip Gavin Williamson and the DUP’s Jeffrey Donaldson signing the accord and shaking hands.
Speaking in Downing Street, Foster said the government would channel an extra £1bn to Northern Ireland over the next two years.
May would also abandon Conservative pre-election plans to remove guarantees on the level of state pensions and cut winter-heating subsidies for retirees, she said.
The deal “will deliver a stable government in the United Kingdom’s national interest at this vital time”, Foster said. “In concluding this wide-ranging agreement, we have done so on the basis of advancing the security of our nation, building prosperity for all and supporting an exit from the European Union that benefits all parts of the United Kingdom.”
MAGIC MONEY TREE
Ian Blackford, leader of the Scottish National Party’s 35 members of parliament, said Scotland should also get its “fair share” of funding and accused May of discovering a “magic money tree” after years of austerity cuts.
The main opposition Labour Party questioned the deal and suggested other parts of the country should also benefit from extra funding.
“This Tory-DUP deal is clearly not in the national interest but in May’s party’s interest to help her cling to power,” Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn said. “Cuts to vital public services must be halted right across the UK, not just in Northern Ireland.”
The first test of the agreement will come this week, when votes are due to be held on May’s legislative agenda for the next two years. The Conservatives and the DUP together have 327 of the 650 seats in the House of Commons, while parties opposed to May have 314. The neutral speaker, an independent and seven members of Northern Ireland’s Sinn Fein account for the remainder.
EIGHT BILLS
Last week, the premier outlined a pared-down programme, to which Labour and the Liberal Democrats are proposing amendments. May’s planned legislation includes eight Brexit bills on topics ranging from agriculture and fisheries to nuclear cooperation and immigration.
In the written accord setting out the Conservative-DUP agreement, the parties promised to continue the deal for the full length of the parliamentary term, due to last until 2022.
It allows for a review of the aims of the deal at any time by mutual consent, and also at the end of each parliamentary session. The current session is due to last for two years, meaning the deal is due to be formally reviewed in 2019.