£1bn goes a long way even on deep convictions

IF ANYTHING illustrated how Theresa May’s fragile Government is now living on its nerves, it was the swift Commons move to allow women from Northern Ireland to have free abortions on the NHS in England.

The amendment threatened defeat for the Prime Minister on her Queen’s Speech.

But within two hours, Chancellor Philip Hammond made the announcement and Labour withdrew the amendment.

Given the strict restrictions in Northern Ireland on abortion and the view by the Prime Minister’s new best friends, the Democratic Unionists, that they should not be loosened in any way, one might have thought they would have looked askance at their fellow Unionists’ easy compliance.

But with £1 billion in Northern Ireland’s back pocket, it seems even the DUP can be persuaded at times to look the other way.

Tensions will abound as we have seen in the last few days with splits, which would in normal times remain private, spilling out in public.

After a hokey cokey on whether to “scrap the cap” on public sector pay, which saw Mr Hammond blow his top at his Downing Street neighbour, even the urbane David Mundell appeared on the radar of Whitehall disgruntlement.

The £1bn DUP deal was outwith the normal Barnett Formula process yet the Scottish Secretary still appeared concerned about fiscal contamination.

Had he raised his worries with the PM? A source close to the minister insisted: “We’re not getting into a blow-by-blow account of what was said inside Cabinet.” Which seemed to confirm that he had.