How the DUP could make Theresa May’s job impossible
Northern Irish party is abstaining from votes on crucial legislation in protest at Irish backstop plans
The Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) has fired a warning shot at Theresa May over her draft Brexit deal by pulling its support for the Government’s proposed amendments to the Finance Bill.
The Northern Irish party instead voted for an amendment put forward by Labour, fuelling concerns over the prime minister’s ability to hold on to her governing majority.
The DUP is “furious” over the terms of May’s controversial deal with Brussels, and their decision not to back the Government shows “loudly and clearly, that they are not on board”, says the BBC’s Laura Kuenssberg.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Following the vote on Monday evening, Sammy Wilson, the DUP’s Brexit spokesperson, told Newsnight: “Since the Government has not honoured its side of the bargain, we tonight tried to spell out some of the consequences of that.”
The party’s members are expected to “flex their muscles” with more abstentions in votes scheduled later today, further weakening the prime minister as she faces a crisis of confidence among her own MPs, Sky News reports.
With the political partnership on such “shaky ground”, as Belfast’s News Letter newspaper puts it, will the DUP be the death of May’s Brexit plans?
Why is the DUP so important?
After losing the Conservative Party’s majority in a snap general election last year, May secured a confidence-and-supply arrangement with the DUP. The unionists agreed to give her a majority in the House of Commons in exchange for almost £2bn of additional funding for Northern Ireland.
What does the DUP want?
DUP leader Arlene Foster warned in June this year that her party would withdraw its support for the Government if it adopted a Brexit deal that sees Northern Ireland treated differently from the rest of the UK.
But while May’s draft deal makes it clear that both the UK and EU want to avoid a “hard border” of physical checks or infrastructure between Northern Ireland and Ireland - a key stumbling block in negotiations - it also makes reference to the possibility of the Government implementing the controversial “backstop” system, should a solution not be found. This would involve special “deeper” customs arrangements for Northern Ireland.
The Guardian notes that the DUP “objects in particular to the Irish backstop”, which it argues “would keep Northern Ireland in the regulatory orbit of the EU – and in a different regime to the rest of the UK”.
What has the DUP said?
The inclusion of the backstop as a possible contingency plan has led the DUP to accuse May of not “keeping her side of the bargain”. The party has now withdrawn the parliamentary support of its ten MPs, leaving the PM without the ability to pass legislation.
Explaining the decision, Wilson said: “The prime minister has undermined her own authority with her own party and with our party by blatantly breaking promises about what she would deliver in the Brexit deal with the European Union.”
Another senior DUP source told the BBC’s Kuenssberg that Conservative MPs “need to realise that their jobs, their majorities, their careers depend on a good working relationship with the DUP and May doesn’t appear to be listening”.
However, the party has also made it clear that this is not the end of the confidence-and-supply agreement.
Will the DUP kill May’s Brexit deal?
With further abstentions likely, it appears that May will struggle to pass her deal through Parliament when it goes to a vote in the coming months.
Asked if his party would make an attempt to bring down May’s government, Wilson stated that the DUP will specifically focus on trying to kill off her draft Brexit deal, Reuters reports.
“All of our efforts are directed along with a large number of Conservative MPs from both the Remain camp and the Leave camp as well as opposition parties to defeat this deal and force a rethink,” he said.
Jon Trickett, Labour’s shadow minister for the Cabinet Office, added: “We no longer have a functioning government. With Brexit only a few months away, something has got to give.”
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
Stay sharp with the country's best knife shops
The Week Recommends A dull knife is a kitchen's worst nightmare
By Scott Hocker, The Week US Published
-
ACA opens 2025 enrollment, enters 2024 race
Speed Read Mike Johnson promises big changes to the Affordable Care Act if Trump wins the election
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
North Korea tests ICBM, readies troops in Ukraine
Speed Read Thousands of North Korean troops are likely to join Russian action against Ukraine
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
What is the next Tory leader up against?
Today's Big Question Kemi Badenoch or Robert Jenrick will have to unify warring factions and win back disillusioned voters – without alienating the centre ground
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
Was Georgia's election stolen?
Today's Big Question The incumbent Georgian Dream party seized a majority in the disputed poll, defying predictions
By Richard Windsor, The Week UK Published
-
Moldova backs joining EU in close vote marred by Russia
Speed Read The country's president was also pushed into a runoff election
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
What is Lammy hoping to achieve in China?
Today's Big Question Foreign secretary heads to Beijing as Labour seeks cooperation on global challenges and courts opportunities for trade and investment
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
Why is Germany cracking down on migration?
Today's Big Question New border rules test the European Union
By Joel Mathis, The Week US Published
-
Who will replace Rishi Sunak as the next Tory leader?
In Depth Shortlist will be whittled down to two later today
By The Week UK Last updated
-
Is Britain about to 'boil over'?
Today's Big Question A message shared across far-right groups listed more than 30 potential targets for violence in the UK today
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK Published
-
UK's Starmer slams 'far-right thuggery' at riots
Speed Read The anti-immigrant violence was spurred by false rumors that the suspect in the Southport knife attack was an immigrant
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published