Ruth’s demands expose Tory DUP deal’s fragility
SCOTTISH Conservative leader Ruth Davidson turned up the heat on Theresa May last night over the Prime Minister’s alliance with Northern Ireland’s Democratic Unionist Party.
Miss Davidson – whose 13 Scottish Tory MPs kept Jeremy Corbyn out of Downing Street – spoke to The Mail on Sunday exclusively over 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 last week’s calamitous Election result. But Miss 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.
Miss Davidson, who is gay, insisted she had received ‘clear assurances’ from the Prime Minister 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 from the Prime Minister that we will do all we can, as the party of equal marriage, to advance that cause.’
Downing Street said last night: ‘We can confirm that the Democratic Unionist Party have agreed to the principles of an outline agreement to support the Conservative Government on a confidence and supply basis when Parliament returns next week. We welcome this commitment, which can provide the stability and certainty the whole country requires as we embark on Brexit and beyond.
‘The details will be put forward for discussion and agreement at a Cabinet meeting on Monday.’