Tories and the DUP strike £1 billion deal to prop up minority government

Theresa May's Conservatives have reached an agreement with the Democratic Unionists which will see them support the British Prime Minister's minority government

Britain's Prime Minister Theresa May (left) poses for a picture with Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) leader Arlene Foster at 10 Downing Street in central London
Britain's Prime Minister Theresa May (left) poses for a picture with Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) leader Arlene Foster at 10 Downing Street in central London

Prime Minister Theresa May struck a deal on Monday to prop up her minority government by agreeing to £1 billion in extra funding for Northern Ireland in return for the support of the province's biggest Protestant party.

Under the terms of the deal, which will ensure the support of the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) for a vote this week on the Conservatives’ Queen’s speech, the pension triple lock and winter fuel payments will stay in place. Both policies were under threat in the Conservative manifesto.

The DUP and its 10 lawmakers will now support May's Conservatives in key votes to keep the government in power, although not as a coalition.

May and DUP leader Arlene Foster presided at the signing of a deal at Downing Street. They smiled and joked as negotiators from both sides, the DUP's Jeffrey Donaldson and the Conservatives' Gavin Williamson signed the deal that will run for the life of the current parliament due to end in 2022.

"I welcome this agreement which will enable us to work together in the interest of the whole United Kingdom, give us the certainty we require as we embark on our departure from the European Union, and help us build a stronger and fairer society at home," May said in a statement.

Talks had dragged on for more than two weeks after May lost her majority in parliament on 8 June with a failed gamble on a snap election

As part of the deal, May agreed to increase spending in the Northern Ireland by £1 billion over two years while the DUP agreed to support May on her budget, Brexit laws, national security and her overall legislative plan.

The extra cash will be spent on hospitals, schools and roads in the region, the DUP said, while the Guardian newspaper quoted sources in London that pointed to “physical and digital infrastructure”.

The DUP will have no involvement in the UK government’s role in political talks in Northern Ireland.

A deal allows May to pass in the 650-seat parliament, and stay in power as she attempts to negotiate Britain's exit from the European Union.

Some senior Conservatives have voiced unease at a deal with the DUP, saying it could put at risk the 1998 peace settlement in Northern Ireland, known as the Good Friday Agreement.

Northern Ireland has been in crisis since Sinn Fein pulled out of government in January, prompting an election in March and a series of missed deadlines to restore the compulsory coalition between Irish Catholic nationalists and pro-British Protestant unionists.