The Press and Journal (Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire)
Ulster party set for role of ‘kingmakers’
The Democratic Unionists look set to be kingmakers in the new Westminster.
As party leader Arlene Foster warned it would be difficult for Theresa May to stay in Number 10, the former Stormont first minister is in line to be power broker for government.
The focus was immediately on Ms Foster’s wishlist and any Brexit concessions for Northern Ireland as her party prepares to talk to the Conservatives.
“I certainly think that there will be contact made over the weekend but I think it’s too soon to talk about what we’re going to do,” Ms Foster said.
Amid noises of the DUP agreeing a “confidence and supply” arrangement with the Conservatives, Ms Foster will be looking for guarantees on preventing a hard border with the Republic of Ireland and any new customs operations.
One red line is the idea of Northern Ireland being granted some sort of “special status” when Brexit comes to pass. The DUP will not stand for any arrangement that sets the region apart from the UK, including suggestions that border, immigration and customs controls could be set up at ports and airports like Stranraer and Liverpool rather than Belfast or Larne.
Another big price to pay could be the reinstatement of any EU subsidies that farmers lose when Brexit is a done deal. They were worth about £350million a year.
Another set of funds doled out by Brussels could also be on Ms Foster’s shopping list – about £400million of payments due over the next four years that go to community development and cross-border projects as part of a dividend for the peace process.
But there are contradictions. The DUP, with its strong links to the business community in Northern Ireland, does not want to see the region set apart from the rest of Britain but it may also use its strong hand to push for a reduced corporation tax rate.
The Republic’s 12.5% rate has been a bone of contention at times, including with suggestions from some quarters that Dublin poached foreign investors considering locations north of the border.