Britain's prime minister has begun talks with a Northern Ireland-based party Tuesday to see if they can create an alliance to push through the Conservative Party's agenda after a disastrous snap election left her short of a majority in Parliament.
May is set to meet DUP leader Arlene Foster in London on Tuesday but will face demands from the DUP for more money for Northern Ireland. May's Conservatives in power.
May has said that the party, with its 10 crucial MPs to make up a majority in the House of Commons for the Conservatives, will have no veto on key policies.
Foster will nearly certainly ask for greater investment in Northern Ireland as part of the deal, as well as guarantees on support for pension plans and for winter fuel allowances for older people.
Most importantly, with Northern Ireland having voted to remain in the European Union while the United Kingdom as a whole voted out, the DUP has won agreement that will ensure a "frictionless" border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.
Sinn Fein MPs have traditionally refused to sit in Westminster because they won't swear an oath to the Queen. An agreement with the DUP would bring in an additional 10 seats, pushing the party over the 326-seat threshold.
However, the prospect of a deal has prompted warnings that it could upset Northern Ireland's fragile peace. "They are the co-guarantors of the Good Friday Agreement".
The DUP has blocked all progress on equal marriage in Northern Ireland, and supports the introduction of a "conscience clause" to protect people who discriminate against LGBT people. But party president Gerry Adams has called the DUP-Tory alliance chaotic and he said on Monday that a referendum on Irish unity was inevitable.
J&K: Bodies of 3 militants killed in Anantnag encounter found
As a result of the casualties, the separatists called for a protest shutdown and authorities imposed section 144 in south Kashmir. Three Lashkar-e-Toiba militants were killed in Arwani village of Anantnag during an encounter on Friday.
"The last thing we want to see is one or other of the communities so aggrieved that the hard men, who are still there lurking in the corners of the communities decide to return to some form of violence", he said.
'Much of it is complete and utter nonsense, I have to say. However, it's not just the support of another party May needs to ensure. Free votes on all sorts of issues should be allowed.
Moreover, a soft Brexit stance is also likely to please the DUP, which still wants a comprehensive free trade and customs agreement with the European Union, despite its pro-Brexit stance, as well as the guarantee of a "frictionless border" with the Republic of Ireland.
May's office issued a statement saying she was "deeply saddened by the tragic loss of life" but made no mention of the talks with the DUP.
Ms Foster's expected visit comes amid rising fears in Dublin about the influence the DUP will have on the British government's approach to the North.
But the Government will press ahead with the first round of Brexit talks two days before the official opening of Parliament.
Sinn Fein's Stormont leader Michelle O'Neill said: "I will be making it very clear that any deal between the Tories and the DUP can not be allowed to undermine the Good Friday and subsequent agreements".
Power sharing at Stormont collapsed in March over the DUP's refusal to hold a public inquiry into a renewable heating funding scandal.
Comments