Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
REVOLTING
Conservatives in U-turn after DUP MPS back Labour in health service pay increase debate
THE Tories have suffered a climbdown over health service pay rises after the DUP backed Labour at Westminster.
MP Ian Paisley said it sent out a “clarion call” on the issue of higher wages for doctors and nurses.
Politicians supported a nonbinding Opposition motion calling for an end to the public sector pay cap in the NHS but it was not put to a vote after the Government did not contest it.
Mr Paisley is one of 10 pro-brexit DUP MPS helping to prop up Theresa May’s Tory administration.
Yesterday would have marked the first time Democratic Unionists voted to pressure ministers since their party agreed to a confidence and supply arrangement after the General Election.
But as the motion was not binding it would not have amounted to a breach of the £1billion Dup/conservative deal.
North Antrim MP Mr Paisley said: “I’ve already alluded to the fact I’m delighted the Labour Party has brought forward this debate.
“We will support them if this matter goes to a vote tonight, and it’s interesting to see if we will get to that point.
“Maybe the House will agree the points raised today are such that we should send out a clarion call from this House that we do agree with the points raised, all across this chamber today.”
The Government only commands a majority because of its accord with the DUP, which has said it will support Conservatives on key legislation. Mr Paisley added: “To those members of the Labour Party who chide about the £1billion deal, your party would quite happily have cut a deal that would probably have been better for us.
“That’s the discussions we had in advance of the last election, and to chide us, you only hurt public servants in Northern Ireland who are benefiting from that £1billion deal that will allow us to allocate this money to relieve these costs.”
DUP deputy leader Nigel Dodds said the motion was not covered by the confidence and supply arrangement. He added: “Lifting the cap on nurses’ pay and in the public sector generally is our party policy. The Government understood that is the way we were going to vote.
“It is not part of the confidence and supply arrangements.
“We are separate parties, we are not part of the Government and we will make up our own mind on those issues.”
The debate came after ministers ended the pay cap with the unveiling of rises above the 1% limit for police and prison officers.