Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
THE BILLION POUND VOTE
DUP deal with Tories needs Parliament OK
THE controversial £1billion deal the Tories struck with the DUP to gain a Commons majority will need to be approved by Parliament, it has emerged.
Anti-brexit campaigner Gina Miller slammed Theresa May, saying she should have made it clear at the time of the agreement that it would need such authorisation.
She said: “It beggars belief that, neither at the time the Government sealed its dubious deal with the DUP in exchange for their votes, nor at any point since, has the Government made it clear the billion of taxpayers’ money for Northern Ireland could only be handed over following parliamentary approval.
“We all need to know when the Government intended to come clean to Parliament, its parliamentary party and the public.
“When was parliamentary time going to be found to authorise this payment?
“And did the DUP know the cheque the Government promised to pay might bounce?
“On the day the Government is asking MPS to grant it sweeping new powers and in the week it is trying to pack parliamentary scrutiny committees to blatantly change the rules in their favour, MPS are entitled to wonder what else the Government may have ‘forgotten’ to tell them.”
Responding to a legal letter from Ms Miller and the Independent Workers Union of Great Britain, a Treasury solicitor said the package for Northern Ireland “will have appropriate parliamentary authorisation”.
The correspondence added no timetable had been set for making the payments.
Some Tory backbenchers have expressed unease about the “confidence and supply” agreement with the DUP which sees the party’s 10 MPS back the Government on key votes.
IWGB general secretary Jason Moyer-lee said: “Many members’ jobs depend on public money, like foster care workers and low-paid outsourced university staff.
“They are routinely told there’s no money available to improve their pay, holidays and other terms and conditions they demand.
“Yet when it comes to keeping themselves in power, this Government’s fiscal discipline quickly dissipates.
“There’s undoubtedly a need for increased social spending throughout the UK but this should be on a basis of fairness, not self-serving party politics.
“As a result of our threatened legal action the Government has admitted the money can only be approved by Parliament.
“It is now for Parliament and MPS to vote according to the interests of working people across the UK.” Labour’s shadow chief secretary to the Treasury Peter Dowd said Chancellor Philip Hammond needs to reveal where the money for the deal is coming from. A Downing Street spokesman said: “All Government spending requires parliamentary authorisation. Our focus in Northern Ireland is on restoring powersharing.”
Did the DUP know the Government cheque may bounce? GINA MILLER CAMPAIGNER YESTERDAY