DUP leader says his party "does not keep conservatives ransomed"


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Arlene Foster Theresa May

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Legend

Arlene Foster, leader of the DUP, said Theresa May could not "in all conscience" recommend a Brexit deal that would be a barrier to trade for companies carrying goods from a part of the UK to a other.

DUP leader Arlene Foster has denied that her party is forcing the Conservatives to pay the Brexit price.

The East Antrim MP, Sammy Wilson, had warned his party to withdraw support for the government if it did not agree to the Brexit deal.

Theresa May relies on DUP support in key votes because she does not have a majority in the House of Commons.

A number of Conservative MPs used social media to criticize Wilson's comments.

After a meeting with party colleagues in Portadown, Ms. Foster said that the DUP "presented what we believe is the best for Northern Ireland and that we can not allow a border between Great Britain and Northern Ireland to occur. Brittany and Northern Ireland ".

"Britain is, of course, the main market of Northern Ireland and, therefore, unhindered access to Britain is necessary.We are, of course, constitutional constitutionalists. the whole of the UK must make the European Union, "she added.

Ms Foster said that even though there was a "fluid negotiation" regarding Brexit, the DUP felt "that it was necessary to clarify that for us, the only red line with regard to the United Kingdom was the one to which we would remain faithful.

"It is very important to preserve the constitutional integrity of the United Kingdom, but also the economic integrity and that's what we said," she said.

A little earlier, Conservative MP Nick Boles tweeted: "A word in your shell, @eastantrimmp [Sammy Wilson].

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Legend of the mediaSammy Wilson said Thursday that his party could suspend support for the Brexit government

"Conservative leaders are chosen by Conservative and Conservative members, not members of any other party.

"And we do not respond better to threats than men or proud women of Ulster."

Mr. Boles' Conservative colleague, Heidi Allen, tweeted a reference to the trust and supply agreement reached between the two parties, and to the agreement of a billion pounds sterling guaranteed by this agreement for Northern Ireland.

The MP for South Cambridgeshire tweeted, "I really do not want to be rude to Sammy (really), but that begs the question as to why we paid £ 1 billion for that!" I regret to have it. said … "

On Thursday, Helen Grant, Conservative MP for Maidstone and The Weald, told the BBC's Politics Live show that she did not believe that the DUP's threat of not voting was serious.

The member, who is vice-chair of the Conservative Party, said she thought the DUP was bluffing.

How much of the billion euros has been spent?

Government sources have indicated that £ 430 million of the $ 1 billion related to the trust and supply agreement with the DUP has been allocated to Northern Ireland departments and should be spent in other areas. Here the end of this exercise.

This figure includes £ 100 million for health transformation, £ 200 million for the Department of Infrastructure, £ 80 million to alleviate general health and education pressures and £ 20 million pounds to fight against deprivation.

A little over half of the trust and supply cash – £ 570 million – still has to be allocated in this way, although much of it has been earmarked for various fields.

On Thursday, the Sun newspaper quoted Downing Street sources as saying that any decision by the DUP to vote against the budget planned for the end of the month "would be a blatant violation of the Tory Trust and Supply Agreement." -DUP – meaning Ulster should also pay back its £ 1 billion government bonus. "

DUP MP Emma Little-Pengelly countered that her party would not support any Brexit deal that does not benefit Northern Ireland.

"Theresa May is the leader of the Conservative Party under the Conservative Party," she told BBC Radio Ulster's Inside Politics.

The South Belfast MP added that if a "reasonable Brexit" was not presented, the DUP would not support Ms. May.

Referring to the agreement of trust and supply, she added that in the circumstances of a bad agreement on Brexit, there would be "no trust".

"Great step forward"

On Friday, a spokesman for Downing Street said the prime minister would "never" agree to a permanent customs union with the EU.

At the same time, Irish Foreign Minister Simon Coveney said that optimism about the impending breakthrough in Brexit talks reported in newspapers in recent days is "probably unfounded" and that People should be realistic about deadlines.

He said, however, that he hoped the negotiators would be able to take "a big step forward" next week.

"We hope the negotiating teams will have policy recommendations to feed political leaders early next week."

At the same time, Micheál Martin, head of the main opposition party of the Republic of Ireland, Fianna Fáil, wrote to Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar, warning him that on the eve of the critical period of Brexit, he wanted both Fianna Fáil and Fine. Gael to declare that they will not make the government fall.

Last month, Mr. Varadkar wrote to Mr. Martin asking him to extend the parties' trust and supply agreement until the summer of 2020.

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