Davidson’s demands expose fragility of Tory deal with DUP
SCOTTISH Conservative leader Ruth Davidson turned up the heat on Theresa May last night over the prime minister’s alliance with the DUP.
Ms Davidson – whose 12 new Scottish Tory MPs kept Jeremy Corbyn out of Downing Street – spoke of her concerns about the deal struck last night.
The controversial alliance is vital to Mrs May’s hopes of getting a working majority in the wake of this week’s calamitous election result.
But Ms Davidson – now seen as the brightest Tory party star – pointedly restated her reservations about the deal over the DUP’s opposition to same-sex marriage.
Ms Davidson – who is ‘engaged to a Catholic Irishwoman from Wexford’ – insisted she had received ‘clear assurances’ from Mrs May that any deal would not harm the cause of equal rights and equal marriage, which is not legal in Northern Ireland. She said: ‘I have my differences with the DUP and their views on equal rights. That is why I sought and received clear assurances that we will do all we can, as the party of equal marriage, to advance that cause.’
The agreement with the DUP was struck after British government chief whip Gavin Williamson rushed to Belfast to meet DUP chief whip Jeffrey Donaldson. However, many Tories are concerned about the arrangement, with MP Heidi Allen writing online that she was ‘deeply unhappy’ with the idea of a DUP coalition.
There are also fears that signing the formal deal will damage attempts to broker a power-sharing agreement between Sinn Féin and the DUP. Jonathan Powell, a key adviser to Tony Blair during the Northern Ireland peace talks, said on Friday: ‘Even John Major didn’t resort to relying on the DUP. This could undo 20 years of
work.’