PM clings to power

May’s $1.7b deal helps Tories prop up government

BRITISH Prime Minister Theresa May has made a deal to aid her minority government by agreeing to £1 billion ($1.7 billion) in extra funding for Northern Ireland in return for support of the province’s biggest Protestant party.

Talks had dragged on for more than two weeks after Ms May lost her majority in parliament on June 8 with a failed gamble on a snap election.

The Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) and its 10 MPs will now support Ms May’s Conservatives in key votes to keep the government in power, although not as a coalition.

There has been concern among MPs about the deal because of Northern Ireland’s fragile peace agreement.

Ms May and DUP leader Arlene Foster presided at the signing of a deal at Downing Street on Monday. They smiled as negotiators from both sides, the DUP’s Jeffrey Donaldson and the Conservatives’ Gavin Williamson signed the deal that will run for the life of the current parliament, due to end in 2022.

“I welcome this agreement, which will enable us to work together in the interest of the whole United Kingdom, and give us the certainty we require as we embark on our departure from the European Union,” Ms May said in a statement.

As part of the deal, Ms May agreed to increase spending in the province by $1.7 billion over two years, while the DUP agreed to support Ms May on her budget, Brexit laws and national security.

“Today we have reached an agreement with the Conservative Party on support for gov- ernment in parliament,” Ms Foster said.

The deal allows Ms May to pass legislation in the parliament, and stay in power as she attempts to negotiate Britain’s exit from the European Union.”

But Ms May’s position still remains insecure.

Her Brexit strategy is under scrutiny and her future as Prime Minister continues to be the subject of public debate.