DUP in Budget threat to put pressure on PM

THE DUP could vote down the Budget to “send a message” to Theresa May to change her Brexit deal, one of the party’s most senior figures has warned.

Sammy Wilson, the DUP’s Brexit spokesman, said talks were ongoing in the party over whether or not to back the Finance Bill, the legislation that passes the Budget into law.

If the DUP carried out its threat, its confidence and supply agreement with the Conservatives, which gives Mrs May her working majority in Parliament, would effectively be over.

Mr Wilson said the DUP’s “primary focus” was on defeating the EU Withdrawal Agreement in its current form, and one way would be to oppose the Budget.

No date has yet been set for the final vote on the Finance Bill, but it is expected to be put to MPs before next month’s “meaningful vote” on the Brexit deal.

Mr Wilson said: “Do we send a message to the Government or do we not? We are keeping our powder dry on that one to see what happens over the next few days.”

He said his party was hopeful it would not be necessary to vote down the Budget because the Brexit deal “is going to be kicked out anyway”.

Mr Wilson added: “Our argument would be that the confidence and supply agreement was that the Government would deliver on Brexit in a way that respected the referendum result and did not treat Northern Ireland differently from the rest of the UK.

“If the deal goes through in its current form, we will have to look again at the arrangement we have with the Conservative Party.

“I believe we can this deal.” defeat