PM: Details of agreement with DUP will be made public

The Prime Minister has confirmed she will publish the details of any deal that is reached between her party and the DUP, as she insisted talks will not be allowed to undermine the Good Friday Agreement.
Prime Minister Theresa May outside Downing StreetPrime Minister Theresa May outside Downing Street
Prime Minister Theresa May outside Downing Street

The Prime Minister has confirmed she will publish the details of any deal that is reached between her party and the DUP, as she insisted talks will not be allowed to undermine the Good Friday Agreement.

Speaking after a meeting with the new Irish Taoiseach Leo Varadka, Theresa May stated that any arrangement with the Northern Irish party would be “made public” so that “people can see exactly what that is based on”.

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Her assurances follow reports that the DUP has issued a number of demands – including a commitment to maintaining the pensions triple lock – in return for lending its support to Mrs May’s minority government.

It also follows a series of warnings that a deal could put the Northern Irish peace process at risk by undermining the UK government’s neutrality.

Speaking in Downing Street alongside Mr Varadka, Mrs May dismissed these concerns as she claimed her government “remains absolutely steadfast” in its commitment to upholding the Good Friday Agreement.

She also expressed confidence that negotiations to restore a power-sharing executive in Stormont will be successful and institutions will be up and running again by the deadline of June 29.

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Asked when the proposed confidence and supply arrangement the DUP will be signed off , she said discussions with the party were ongoing.

But she added: “On reaching such an agreement we will make sure that the details of that are made public so that people can see exactly what that is based on.”

Mr Varadkar said he was reassured by the commitment to transparency and ensuring the deal does “not in any way impact on the Good Friday Agreement”.

“We spoke about the very important need for both governments to be impartial actors when it comes to Northern Ireland and that we are co-guarantors of the Good Friday Agreement and that any agreement that may exist between the Conservatives and the DUP should not in any way impact on the Good Friday Agreement,” he said.

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“I am very reassured by what the Prime Minister said to me today that that won’t be the case.”

The Conservatives have been in negotiations with the DUP since Mrs May lost her Commons majority in the General Election earlier this month.

A DUP source confirmed negotiations were “ongoing” and said they were looking to deliver “a more compassionate style of government for the whole of the UK”.

The comments were seen as a coded reference to the party’s opposition to scrapping the “triple lock” on pensions and means testing the winter fuel allowance - both of which were in the Conservative manifesto. It has also called for an end to the so-called “bedroom tax”.