PM meets Sinn Fein to calm fears

THERESA May will today attempt to calm Nationalist fears about her proposed deal with the Democratic Unionist Party in face-to-face talks with Gerry Adams.

The Sinn Fein President and Michelle O’Neill, its Stormont leader, will demand assurances about the Government’s role in the peace process when they meet Mrs May in Downing Street. She is hoping to restore power sharing in Northern Ireland and is meeting the province’s political parties to try to encourage this.

Meanwhile talks between senior Conservatives and the DUP over their ‘confidence and supply’ deal for the Commons continued into their sixth day yesterday. Officials suggested the announcement of any pact would be delayed because of the London tower block fire. But substantive talks are still continuing, and could go on until next week.

It could mean the Queen’s Speech – originally scheduled for Monday – could be delayed until the following week.

Mrs May will meet Sinn Fein, the Ulster Unionists, the SDLP and Alliance Party separately this afternoon.

Sinn Fein says the DUP deal could undermine the Good Friday agreement. The party claims that a government that has a Parliamentary deal with the Loyalist DUP may not be an honest broker in dealing with power sharing in Northern Ireland.