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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Politics
Andrew Sparrow and Kevin Rawlinson

Grenfell fire: 100% failure rate after cladding tested on 75 blocks - as it happened

Theresa May sets out plan for EU nationals in UK – video

That draws our live coverage to a close for the day. To read more on the day’s developments on the Grenfell Tower disaster, click here:

Javid told MPs that those Grenfell Tower victims whose immigration statuses are unclear should be treated “more favourably” after a question from Labour’s Jess Phillips.

Having worked with people with a very fragile immigration status who have suffered trauma, until people have a stable immigration status they will never feel safe to speak out.

So in [Javid] asking what we can do, we could give those people a message today that we will fast-track them for indefinite leave to remain with access to public funds, in order they can go through the inquiry without fear or favour. Will you agree to that?

The communities secretary replied:

I think it’s a very important point that those people, those victims who feel they have some challenges with their immigration status, I think we can show appropriate sensitivity and treat them more favourably.

Javid came under pressure to clarify what funding the government would give to councils to pay for urgent improvements to fire safety in tower blocks. Sir Ed Davey, the Liberal Democrat home affairs spokesman, said:

When tower blocks are found to fail fire safety tests, and when urgent mitigating measures cannot be done to make those buildings safe, what the minister has said today to the House doesn’t reassure many members, because local authorities and housing associations will need funding support to help them provide new housing for residents affected.

What considerations have been given to declaring this a civil emergency, so that funds from central government can be provided to housing association and local authorities trying to re-house local residents?

The Green party’s co-leader, Caroline Lucas, also urged Javid to clarify what councils would be able to claim back from the government. Replying to her, Javid said:

Whether it’s the removing of cladding or it’s taking other necessary action to improve fire safety of buildings, or rehousing costs, then local authorities should get on with those.

Just as Camden, the first action wasn’t to think about how exactly are we going to fund this, they rightly got on with the action, made those tenants, and then government will work with those local authorities where they cannot afford it to provide necessary support.

He earlier said many local authorities had built up reserves to deal with emergencies. And he confirmed to MPs that he expected people displaced by the Grenfell Tower disaster to be rehoused in temporary accommodation within three weeks and then to have new permanent accommodation “within months”.

Javid said that 373 hotel rooms are occupied by 153 households from Grenfell Tower and Grenfell Walk, and 220 households from the cordoned area. He said that all have had housing assessments, except for those who wanted to delay “through choice”.

We’ve had a number of instances, for example, where quite understandably some of the families have first asked for something in Kensington as close as possible to where they lived but then when they have been shown the home and they see the tower and what is left of it, they have changed their minds and quite understandably said, ‘look, we would like to have some other options’.

So we are working with them at their pace and our commitment is they will all be made offers in the three weeks but it isn’t certainly necessary the case that they will all be in the temporary accommodation within three weeks because we have to respect their choice when they are made offers and if they change their mind then we want to also accommodate that.

Some families were reluctant to move into temporary accommodation as they had been told their flats in Grenfell Tower were temporary despite some living there for 17 years, Javid added.

MPs also heard that immigration concerns were forcing people affected by the Grenfell fire into sleeping rough and preventing them from coming forward.

Labour’s Emma Dent Coad, in whose constituency the disaster happened, made the claim after the prime minister said the tragedy would not be used to carry out immigration checks.

Dent Coad asked Javid to make a firm commitment that “traumatised and frightened people have no fear in coming forward”.

I’ve heard this morning, shockingly, that people who have concerns about their immigration status or lack of documentation are still not coming forward and sleeping rough.

Some have been told that they might not be eligible for housing and medical services, and may be reported to the Home Office.

Will you please make a firm commitment now and communicate widely that immigration status will not be a barrier to help for medical, housing services or they will be reported to the Home Office, and that traumatised and frightened people have no fear in coming forward?

Javid replied:

I can absolutely give you that assurance.

We have already made it clear that anyone coming forward, any information they provide either government or local government will not be used for any kind of immigration check.

It’s been put in a letter that’s been given to every family that has been affected.

If you have some further suggestions about how we can get that message out, because I think we should follow up on those, I’d be very happy to listen.

Healey also asked if it was correct that 370 households affected by the Grenfell Tower fire are still in emergency accommodation, and by what date all residents will be in a permanent new home. And he questioned why only 75 cladding tests have taken place so far - and why have they all failed.

We need from ministers a much more thorough review of fire safety in all of the country’s residential tower blocks, a total commitment to action to deal with any problems and a guarantee that government will help fund the costs.

And this applies also to other public buildings such as schools and hospitals over which doubts may hang.

Javid also confirmed that an independent expert advisory panel would be established to advise the government on any immediate steps needed on fire safety.

The shadow housing secretary, John Healey, welcomed that, but said:

[Javid] is frankly wrong to say we have a building regulation and fire safety system that many experts would claim, as he said, has served us well.

Many experts have said exactly the opposite, especially since the two coroners’ reports four years ago into previous tower block fires. So will he now act on the recommendations in those coroners’ reports?

There really should be in place a triple fire safety lock around buildings and works on them.

First, the materials must be fit for purpose and meet safety specifications. Second, fire safety systems must be in place and fire risk assessments done regularly. Third, building regulation and control must make sure the design, construction and any further works are fully safe.

Instead, the update [Javid] has given us this afternoon suggests a collapse of the system of fire safety control and checks system. It is not working, it must change.

During his Commons statement, Javid said hospitals and schools would also be tested to make sure they were not encased in combustible cladding. Downing Street said earlier that the Department of Health and Department for Education will oversee those tests.

He also said there were concerns in Whitehall that councils were not being fast enough in submitting samples for testing. Central government said it would be able to handle 100 tests per day if necessary. But, since the programme was launched last week, only 75 have been completed. Javid said:

I can inform the House that as of midday today the cladding from 75 high-rise buildings in 26 local authority areas has failed the combustibility test.

The combustibility test has three categories rated one to three and it is judged that cladding material in categories two or three does not meet the requirements for limited combustibility in building regulations.

I can also confirm to the House that, so far, on that basis, all samples of cladding tested have failed.

The fact that all samples so far have failed underlines the value of the testing programme and the vital importance of submitting samples urgently.

I am concerned about the speed at which samples are being submitted. I would urge all landlords to submit their samples immediately.

Updated

Afternoon summary

  • Sajid Javid, the communities secretary, has told MPs that 75 tower blocks have now failed fire safety tests for cladding. That is 100% of all blocks that have been tested so far. (See 5.20pm.)

That’s all from me for today.

Thanks for the comments.

Javid says the government will contribute £1m to charities helping the families affected by the Grenfell Tower fire.

And he says he is setting up an independent expert advisory panel to advise the government on fire safety issues.

75 tower blocks have now failed fire safety tests for cladding, Javid says

Sajid Javid, the communities secretary, is now making a statement to MPs about the tests being carried out on cladding on tower blocks following the Grenfell Tower fire.

He says the government is now encouraging private landlords to get their cladding tested. (The current programme only covers social housing.) The government will test cladding for free, he says.

Back in the Commons Damian Green is still taking questions about the Tory/DUP deals. He has had several more questions about NHS England refusing to pay for abortions for women from Northern Ireland, and he keeps making the point he made to Stella Creasy (see 4.35pm); that this is a matter for the Northern Ireland executive.

My colleague Jessica Elgot says Green is missing the point; the recent supreme court decision was about health policy in England, not health policy in Northern Ireland, she says.

David Cameron has used Twitter to argue that all Conservatives should support the Tory/DUP deal.

Guy Verhofstadt, the European parliament’s lead Brexit negotiator, has also criticised Theresa May’s offer to EU nationals.

Theresa May's offer to EU nationals does not go far enough, says EU Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier

Michel Barnier, the EU’s chief Brexit negotiator, has criticised Theresa May’s offer to EU nationals. He says it does not go far enough in a tweet he posted a few minutes ago.

Ukip backs Tory/DUP deal

Ukip has backed the Tory/DUP deal. Steve Crowther, the Ukip acting leader, said:

It is a relatively small price to pay for the additional stability which this agreement brings, with the DUP committed to Brexit.

DUP MP Nigel Dodds accuses critics of Tory/DUP deal of 'hypocrisy of highest order'

Nigel Dodds, the DUP leader at Westminster (who, with his colleagues, is still on the opposition benches), says the deal is a good one for the whole of Northern Ireland.

He says some of the outraged expressed by opposition MPs about the deal amounts to “hypocrisy of the highest order”.

He says he looks forward to being able to publish details of the discussions the DUP had at the time of the 2010 election with Labour about a possible deal and at the time of the 2015 election with Labour and the SNP about a possible deal.

Labour’s Stella Creasy asks if the government discussed women from Northern Ireland being able to get abortions from the NHS in England with the DUP as part of the deal. Under the current law women from Northern Ireland (where access to abortion is severely restricted) cannot get an abortion on the NHS in England.

Green says there were no side deals. He says this is a matter to take up with the Northern Ireland executive when it reforms.

In response to a question from the Conservative Maria Miller, Green says the Tory/DUP deal will not affect government policy on abortion or women’s rights. Its commitment to equality is as strong as ever, he says.

The SNP’s Pete Wishart complains about the extra money for Northern Ireland being outside the Barnett formula.

Echoing what Ruth Davidson said in a statement earlier (See 4.10pm), Green says Scottish cities have had money through city deals outside the Barnett formula.

Damian Green's statement on Tory/DUP deal

Damian Green, the first secretary of state (effectively the deputy prime minister) is making a Commons statement now on the Tory/DUP deal.

He said only the Conservatives won enough seats and votes to form a government. And he summarised what it contained.

Responding for Labour, Emily Thornberry, the shadow foreign secretary, said this was a “shabby” deal to keep the Tories in office that would cost the taxpayer at least £1bn. Where will it come from, she asks.

She says the Tories were fond of saying during the election there was no magic money tree. Have they suddenly found the key?

Here is Alex Barker, the FT’s Brussels bureau chief, on the government’s offer to EU nationals.

Ruth Davidson says extra cash for Northern Ireland like city deals for Scottish cities

Earlier Lord Heseltine, the Conservative former deputy prime minister, asked how the Scottish Conservative leader Ruth Davidson would explain to Scottish voters why Northern Ireland was getting extra money not going to Scotland. (See 1.15pm.)

Here is the answer. It’s a statement from Davidson on the Tory/DUP deal.

The Barnett formula ensures that if funding for public services goes up in England, it does across the devolved nations, if they are responsible for delivering these services. That system remains in place.

But the UK government has always been able to spend outside Barnett - like the city deals, which invested £500m directly in Glasgow, £125m in Aberdeen, and £53m in Inverness.

Or like the £5m for the V&A Dundee, the £5m for the Glasgow School of Art, or £5m on regenerating Helensburgh’s waterfront.

And with its distinct politics, Northern Ireland has received this sort of special funding package before – the last one in 2015.

It’s absurd for the SNP to criticise UK government spending on top of Barnett in Northern Ireland (see 1.52pm), when the exact same thing happens in Scotland.

And it is incredibly hypocritical for the SNP to complain when, under their reckless plans for independence, they would end the UK’s funding deal immediately – leaving Scotland with a £15 billion black hole in our public finances.

With 13 MPs fighting Scotland’s corner from within the party of government, rather than the SNP which will only ever vote against Conservative budgets in the Commons - we can get more done and deliver for Scotland.

Updated

Sturgeon describes Tory/DUP deal as 'worst kind of pork barrel politics'

Nicola Sturgeon, Scotland’s first minister, has attacked Theresa May’s £1bn deal with the DUP as “the worst kind of pork barrel politics” and claimed it attacked the “the very principles that underpin devolution”.

Sturgeon claimed that Scotland was owed £2.9bn since that would be Holyrood’s pro rata share under the Treasury’s Barnett formula for distributing central government spending, although the Scottish government did not publish any workings to justify that estimate with her statement.

Warning she would now campaign vigorously for a “fair deal for Scotland”, Sturgeon said:

In concluding this grubby, shameless deal the Tories have shown that they will stop at nothing to hold on to power – even sacrificing the very basic principles of devolution.

By ignoring the Barnett formula, Scotland will be missing out on an estimated £2.9bn in funding for our public services – that is the price to Scottish taxpayers for the Tories to stay in power.

Downing Street insists the deal is not affected by the Barnett formula, but it includes £400m on infrastructure and roads spending over the next two years, £150m for ultrafast broadband, and £250m towards health investment and mental health services.

These areas can fall within the scope of Barnett consequentials if met as part of central government spending. However, some major infrastructure investments in London, including the Crossrail train link and the Olympic park, have been excluded in the past. Scotland has also benefitted from multi-million pounds city deals for its major cities.

Sturgeon said her concerns were shared by Carwyn Jones, the first minister of Wales, which has historically complained, with greater justification, about its underfunding compared to Scotland and Northern Ireland under the Barnett formula. (See 12.15pm.)

She said she would be pursuing talks along with the Welsh government on securing extra funding for both administrations. She said:

This total disregard of the principles of devolution will haunt the Tories for years to come – in government and at Westminster the SNP will continue to pursue the UK government for a fair deal for Scotland.

Sturgeon denied that the DUP was comparable to the city deals either in place or in train for Glasgow, Edinburgh, Dundee, Aberdeen and Inverness, quoting a tweet from the SNP MP Kirsty Blackman.

Here is a chart from the government document (pdf) intended to summarise the proposals.

Summary of how government’s proposed settled status rule would work.
Summary of how government’s proposed settled status rule would work. Photograph: Home Office

Back in the Commons Labour’s Liam Byrne asks if May will set aside her target for getting annual net migration below 100,000, and follow Philip Hammond, the chancellor, in looking for a Brexit that puts jobs first.

May says they all want a Brexit that is good for the economy.

Sinn Fein has given a mixed response to the DUP’s deal with the Tories that secured more than one billion pounds extra for public spending in Northern Ireland. Gerry Adams has tweeted that “it’s blank cheque for Tory Brexit” and then added that at the same time “extra funds cld ease pressure on public services ... but devil is in the detail.”

The main political parties are scheduled to meet at Stormont in the next few minutes in what should be a fascinating encounter. Arlene Foster no doubt will under questioning over what she extracted from the Tories.

Earlier Simon Coveney, the Republic’s new foreign minister, issued this statement about the deal. He said:

The content of the confidence and supply agreement between the Conservative party and the DUP is primarily a matter for those two parties. I note that the agreement provides for DUP support for British government legislation on Brexit. An enhanced Northern Ireland voice articulating an agreed devolved government position could see more effective and inclusive representation of the unique circumstances of Northern Ireland at Westminster.

Inevitably, some of the policy agreement between both parties reflects their long held views. However, I welcome both parties recommitment to the Good Friday agreement and its successors, and the commitment by the British government to govern in the interests of all parts of the community in Northern Ireland.

Here is my colleague Alan Travis’s summary of how the new proposed rules for EU nationals would work.

Here is my colleague Lisa O’Carroll, the Guardian’s Brexit correspondent, on the government’s offer to EU nationals.

Labour’s Ben Bradshaw says May does not understand that the election has changed everything and there her “extreme Brexit” is dead. Why is she making an offer less generous than the EU’s?

May says she is not proposing an extreme Brexit. She says more than 80% of people voted for Brexit parties. She says a key difference between her offer and the EU’s is that she would not allow the ECJ to have ongoing jurisdiction in the UK.

Mark Harper, the Conservative former chief whip, asks if May will ensure EU nationals who commit crimes will removed from the UK.

May says “serious and persistent criminals” will be removed.

The Lib Dems have condemned Theresa May’s offer to EU nationals. Tom Brake, the Lib Dem Brexit secretary, said in a statement:

Far from being ‘fair and serious’, this proposal offers very little and shows the government is continuing in its callousness. Theresa May should be utterly ashamed this is the best they can come up with, a year on. It offers little in the way of reassurance to EU citizens who have made Britain their home and continues to use them as bargaining chips.

These people play by the rules, pay taxes and make Britain what it is. Theresa May is treating these people like dirt and we should unilaterality guarantee these people’s right to stay.

May confirms she is opposed to European court of justice adjudicating on rights of EU nationals after Brexit

John Whittingdale, a Conservative, asks if the UK courts will be supreme.

May says she can confirm that. One of the key differences between her plans and the EU’s is that the EU wants the European court of justice to adjudicate on these rules. May says she thinks the UK has fine courts. They can do the job.

  • May confirms she is opposed to European court of justice adjudicating on the rights of EU nationals after Brexit.

May says she is considering an invitation to address the European parliament.

Labour’s Hilary Benn asks about the children of EU nationals. What happens if they leave the UK to study abroad and want to come back? And will they be required to meet an income threshold?

May says if parents are living here, and a child moves abroad, he or she will be able to return to rejoin their parents.

As for the rules that will apply to people coming to the UK after Brexit, the rules will be set out in the immigration bill, she says.

Updated

This is from the Labour MP Ben Bradshaw.

May says in future EU nationals will not have to fill in an 85-page form to apply for residence.

Asked about the Evening Standard claim that she vetoed a unilateral offer to EU nationals after the referendum, she says that that is not her recollection.

Here is my colleague Alan Travis’s story about the government’s offer to EU nationals.

And here is how it starts.

All 3 million EU citizens resident in Britain will have to apply for a “settled status” identity card after Brexit under Home Office proposals on their future rights.

A 15-page policy paper proposes a new “light touch” online system to process applications that will give applicants the same “indefinite leave to remain” status as many non-European nationals who have also lived in Britain for five years.

The new EU “settled status” residence document will essentially be an identity card backed up by an entry on a Home Office central database or register.

The policy paper was published as Theresa May issued a statement detailing the government’s proposals on EU citizens after the UK leaves the bloc.

It reveals EU nationals who have applied for permanent residence status documents since the referendum – thought to number more than 150,000 – will be asked to apply again albeit in a streamlined process. Those who have been asked previously to show evidence of comprehensive sickness insurance will no longer have to do so.

Jeremy Corbyn says May’s offer was not a fair one. He said EU nationals were being treated as bargaining chips.

(I will post more from his response soon.)

May's 9-point plan for EU nationals

May is now speaking about the rights of EU nationals. Plans are being published today, she says.

She says she wants to set out the key points.

1 - She wants certainty, she says. No EU citizen in the UK lawfully will have to leave.

2 - Any EU citizen in the UK with five years’ continual residence at a specified cut off point will be able to stay with settled status. They will be treated as if they are UK citizens in regard to healthcare, education, benefits and pensions. And anyone without five years’ residence arriving before the cut-off date will be able to stay until they have five years’ residence and can apply for settled status.

3 - The cut-off date will be the subject of discussions, but will be no earlier than 29 March 2017 and no later than 29 March 2019, the date the UK leaves the EU.

4 - No families will be split up. Dependents who join a relative here before Brexit will be able to apply for settled status after five years. And after the UK has left, EU citizens with settled status will be able to bring family members from overseas on the same basis as UK citizens.

5 - There will be no cliff edge. A grace period of up to to two years will allow people to regularise their status.

6 - The system of registration for EU nationals will be as streamlined and light-touch as possible. Some of the technical requirements for getting permanent residence will be removed. For example, people will not have to demonstrated that they have had comprehensive sickness insurance.

7 - The government expects the offer to be extended on a reciprocal basis to citizens of Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein and Switzerland.

8 - This is all without prejudice to the common travel area arrangements between the UK and Ireland.

9 - The UK will continue to uprate pensions and provide healthcare for Britons in the EU. And Britain wants to continue participating in the EU health insurance card scheme.

She says this is a fair and serious offer.

Updated

Theresa May's statement

Theresa May is speaking now. She is making a statement on last week’s EU summit and on her offer for EU nationals.

She says the vote to leave the EU was not a vote to leave Europe. The UK wants a friendly relationship with the EU, “a new, deep and special relationship’, she says.

She says she thanked EU countries for standing with the UK during the terror attacks.

She says EU leaders agreed the internet should not provide a safe space for terrorists.

She says EU leaders confirmed their support for the Paris climate change agreement. She says she has expressed her disappointment to President Trump about his withdrawing from it.

John Bercow, the speaker, is opening the session with a short statement.

He says he ordered a security review after the Westminster Bridge attack before the election. Another review of the response to the attack was commissioned. The first is in, and the second is imminent. Both will be carefully considered.

He says parliament was subject to a cyberattack at the weekend. There was a robust response, he says. Remote access to the computer network is being restored. The business of parliament goes on, he says.

He says the ballot for deputy speakers will later this week. If there is only one candidate from the Conservative side of the House, and more than two from the opposition, the Conservative candidate will be elected.

Theresa May's Commons statement on rights of EU nationals

Theresa May is about to make a Commons statement about the government’s Brexit offer on the rights of EU nationals.

Here is our preview story.

On the World at One Lord Heseltine, the Conservative former deputy prime minister, was asked about Theresa May’s claim that the Tory/DUP deal would provide “certainty” as the UK left the EU. (See 12.02pm.) He said she was wrong. He told the programme:

Yes, that’s what she does say. And of course it’s completely devoid of reality, because there is no such unity on this issue. There is a deeply divided country and every day, either within the cabinet, within the leaders of the industrial world, within the academic world, more and more people realise the consequences [of Brexit] ...

This does not make the government stronger. It merely exacerbates the divisions that are already there.

In a good blog on the Tory/DUP deal on his Facebook page, ITV’s political editor Robert Peston says agreement has been designed to survive beyond the possible resignation of Theresa May.

So for two years at least the government should be a bit more stable, if not exactly strong, as a result of the alliance with the DUP.

But that does not mean T May will survive as Tory leader or PM for that period, or that the DUP would hope and expect her to do so.

Because what is very striking is that she has not signed the agreement with the DUP. It’s been signed by her chief whip Gavin Williamson.

Which implies that the pact could survive her resignation or eviction.

Peston also says the headline figures underestimate how much extra spending could go to Northern Ireland as a result.

DUP sources tell me I have undervalued the wonga they have prised from the Treasury.

They say that a relaxation of constraints on access to an existing £500m pot for education investment, under the 2014 Stormont House Agreement, should be factored in by me.

And also that the promise that NI will get some additional Enterprise Zones will be highly valuable.

So in total the package of support they’ve won is certainly more than £1.5bn - and possibly as much as the rumored £2bn they were demanding.

With George Osborne editing the Evening Standard, their splashed these days never make comfortable reading for Theresa May (who sacked him as chancellor). Today is no exception.

Arlene Foster is now leaving London to return to Northern Ireland heading straight to Stormont for all party talks aimed at restored devolved power sharing government there. It is significant that the DUP’s main partner in any future coalition at Stormont, Sinn Fein, has been very tightlipped until until lunchtime about the details of the Democratic Unionist deal with the Tories.

They are currently holding talks with Ireland’s new foreign minister Simon Coveney at Stormont ahead of a meeting between the leaders of the main parties represented in the Northern Ireland assembly. They have perhaps 72 or maybe even 48 hours to reach a deal that would bring back power sharing. Otherwise that extra cash today will be overseen by ministers from London under direct rule.

Open Britain, which is campaigning for a “soft” Brexit, has put out a briefing note saying the DUP manifesto shows that the Brexit it wants it less extreme than that favoured by Theresa May. Open Britain points to four of the DUP’s demands.

Retaining a frictionless border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland and the continuation of the Common Travel Area;

A comprehensive free trade and customs agreement with the EU;

Safeguarding the rights of EU citizens living in the UK and UK citizens living in the EU;

Continued participation in EU programmes such as research funding.

James McGrory, Open Britain’s executive director, said:

The Democratic Unionists have chosen to prop up a government that remains intent on a hard and destructive Brexit. It is crucial that they do not betray the voters by going back on their manifesto promises and caving in to ministers’ obsession with an extreme and chaotic exit from the EU.

Here is more from Ian Blackford, the SNP leader at Westminster, on the Tory/DUP deal. In a statement he said:

After weeks of secret backroom negotiations, the Tories have now signed a grubby deal with the DUP. For years the Tories have been cutting budgets and services, but suddenly they have found a magic money tree to help them stay in power ...

Only 24 hours ago David Mundell was categorically assuring us that Scotland would be in line for Barnett consequentials as a result of the DUP deal (see 1.37pm) – so he has seemingly either been deliberately misleading people, or he is completely out of the loop even in Theresa May’s crumbling government.

This was the first big test of the new Scottish Tory MPs, but despite all of their bluster, they clearly have no authority and no influence – and now they have no credibility.

Ruth Davidson said they would stand up for Scotland – but instead they have bowed down to their Westminster bosses and sold Scotland out so they can cling to power.

SNP MPs will demand Scotland gets it fair share of any funding that is going to Northern Ireland – the Scottish Tory MPs should join us in standing up for Scotland and making sure that we get our fair share.

Corbyn says Tory/DUP deal 'clearly not in the national interest'

Jeremy Corbyn has put out a statement saying the Tory/DUP deal is not in the national interest. He said:

Austerity has failed. Cuts to vital public services must be halted right across the UK, not just in Northern Ireland.

The government must immediately answer two questions. Where is the money for the Tory-DUP deal coming from? And, will all parts of the UK receive the much needed additional funding that Northern Ireland will get as part of the deal?

This Tory-DUP deal is clearly not in the national interest but in May’s party’s interest to help her cling to power.

Downing Street has been warned it risks undermining support for the UK after ruling out any additional money for the Scottish government following its £1bn in extra funding for Northern Ireland in Theresa May’s deal with the DUP.

The refusal to offer Scotland and Wales any so-called Barnett consequentials (see 1.37pm) or additional funding follows pledges at the weekend from David Mundell, the Scottish secretary, that the devolved administrations would get a fair share of any extra funding for Stormont.

Mundell was quoted by the Sunday Post at the weekend saying the UK government would have “a totally transparent arrangement with the DUP.” He went on”:

I’m not going to agree to anything that could be construed as back-door funding to Northern Ireland.

There are rules. The Barnett formula is to Scotland’s advantage. I’m not going to do anything to prejudice it. Any funding that goes to Northern Ireland, then Barnett rules will ensure the appropriate funding comes to Scotland.

While this funding does not come under the Treasury’s Barnett formula rules for allocating central government funding to the devolved nations, that contradiction puts Mundell and Ruth Davidson, the Scottish Tory leader, under intense pressure to prove that the new 13-strong group of Scottish MPs will fight for some share for Scotland.

Nicola Sturgeon, the first minister, accused May of doing “a grubby deal”, tweeting:

Ian Blackford, the Scottish National party’s Westminster leader, added:

The financial aspects of this deal entirely sum up how little the Tories care about Scotland – while £1bn is being handed over to Northern Ireland, Scotland is seemingly to be offered little more than scraps from the table.

Kezia Dugdale, the Scottish Labour leader, said Scotland needed immediate guarantees of extra spending. “If Scottish Tory leader Ruth Davidson has any influence in Downing Street at all, she will be demanding extra cash to reverse the spending cuts her government has inflicted on Scotland,” she said.

By attempting to secure her future by throwing money at one part of the UK, the prime minister’s deal risks weakening the bonds that unite the UK – and shows how empty her rhetoric is about the future of the union.

Other commentators said Scotland has already had extra UK funding worth hundred of millions of pounds which Northern Ireland did not share in, through the city deals which Glasgow and Aberdeen, and soon Edinburgh and Dundee will benefit from.

Gerry Braiden at the Herald tweeted:

Sky’s Faisal Islam says the extra money for Northern Ireland will not automatically lead to extra spending for Scotland and Wales under “Barnett consequentials” - the rule that says certain extra spending to some parts of the UK has to be matched by extra spending elsewhere, according to the Barnett formula.

He also points out that public spending per head was already higher in Northern Ireland than in the rest of the UK.

(Much of that is explained by Northern Ireland having to deal with the consequences of the Troubles.)

Plaid Cymru says, if Northern Ireland is getting an extra £1bn, Wales should get almost £2bn. Its leader at Westminster, Liz Saville Roberts, said:

Despite Wales voting overwhelmingly to reject the Conservatives, we seem destined to be governed by the Conservatives once again, propped up by an extreme right-wing party opposed to gay rights, who criminalise women who have an abortion and is supported by armed terror groups.

Our country did not vote for this government and Plaid Cymru will oppose this government at every step of the way.

Any commitments for Northern Ireland should be matched for Wales. If reports that the DUP has secured a £1bn increase in public spending in Northern Ireland are realised, Wales’ population share would be around £1.7bn – a substantial boost to the Welsh economy that must be delivered.

The TaxPayers’ Alliance has criticised the Tory/DUP deal. This is from Alex Wild, its research director.

Taxpayers resent politicians cooking up deals behind closed doors that invariably end with their cash being thrown wherever is politically advantageous rather than where it could be best spent. The unfair way in which money is allocated between the home nations has been clear for decades, best illustrated by the significantly higher levels of public spending in Scotland than in considerably poorer parts of England. But until there is a major decentralisation of tax raising powers, Westminster politicians will always have ultimate control of the purse strings and be able to dish out taxpayers’ cash in a way that benefits them more than the general public.

Damian Green, the first secretary of state, is being interviewed now about the deal on the World at One.

He says people will be more confident about the government being able to get its legislation through as a result of this deal.

The deal is also good for Northern Ireland, he says.

Q: What do you say to claims you have found a “magic money tree” for money for Northern Ireland?

Green says the government has found the money because it has run the economy properly. Other parts of the UK have benefited from city deals, he says.

Michael Heseltine, the Conservative former deputy prime minister, is talking about the deal on the World at One now.

He says he is reminded of Enoch Powell’s saying:

Once you have paid the Danegeld, you never get rid of the Danes.

He asks what Ruth Davidson and Scottish Conservatives will say to Scottish voters who are unhappy about Northern Ireland getting extra money not going to Scotland. Welsh Tories will have the same problem, he says.

And he says the deal offers a boon to Jeremy Corbyn, who will be able to tour marginal seats saying they are being treated unfairly by Westminster.

He says that after two years he expects Theresa May to be forced from office.

I will post more quotes from the interview shortly.

Tory/DUP 'confidence and supply' deal - Summary and analysis

Here are the key points from the deal, and what they mean.

  • The DUP has agreed to support the Tories on Brexit and national security, as well as on the conventional “confidence and supply” measures (confidence motions and budget votes). Here is the key passage from the deal (pdf).

The DUP agrees to support the government on all motions of confidence; and on the Queen’s speech; the budget; finance bills; money bills, supply and appropriation legislation and estimates.

In line with the parties’ shared priorities for negotiating a successful exit from the European Union and protecting the country in the light of recent terrorist attacks, the DUP also agrees to support the government on legislation pertaining to the United Kingdom’s exit from the European Union; and legislation pertaining to national security.

Support on other matters will be agreed on a case by case basis.

So, technically it is not a “confidence and supply’ deal. It is a “confidence/supply/Brexit/security” deal. This will boost Theresa May’s chances of getting her Brexit legislation through the Commons, although it also suggests that the government’s legislative programme will consist of little more than Brexit, security and consensus measures (ie, those that won’t be opposed by Labour).

But boost by only a bit. The Tories have 317 MPs, but once you allow for one MP becoming a deputy speaker, the DUP deal will give them a combined 326 votes. Once you allow for two Labour MPs becoming deputy speakers, and for the fact that the seven Sinn Fein MPs will not take their seats, the combined opposition party vote is 313. That is a working majority of 13. For the government to lose, all it would take would be for seven Tory MPs to switch sides.

The DUP are generally seen as hard Brexiteers, and so in theory the deal, and the Brexit clause, should increase the chances of Brexit leaning towards the hard end of the scale. But the DUP are strongly committed to keeping the border between Northern Ireland and the Republic open and so, although they have committed to supporting the government’s line, in areas where the government’s position is unclear they may end up acting as Brexit softeners.

  • The Tories and the DUP have reached limited agreement on welfare and defence measures. Specifically, the Tories are dropping their plans to means test winter fuel payments and to end the pensions triple lock, and both parties are committing to spending 2% of GDP on defence and to extending the armed forces covenant to Northern Ireland. The first three of these are relatively token concessions that give the DUP a cosmetic “win”. In the light of Theresa May’s failure to win a majority, she was going to have to drop plans to means test winter fuel payments and end the triple lock anyway, and on both these issues DUP manifesto policy trumps Tory manifesto policy. The Tories (and Labour, remember) both committed to spending 2% of GDP on defence in their manifesto, so that is not much a concession. The only significant one is the one about extending the military covenant to Northern Ireland, although in practice Sinn Fein may be able to block this because the Northern Ireland assembly would have to have a say.
  • The government has agreed extra spending for Northern Ireland worth £1bn. Most of the money will be spent over the next two years, but two of the commitments are for spending over five years. Here are the details.

An extra £400m for infrastructure over two years

An extra £150m for broadband over two years

An extra £100m over two years for health and education

An extra £200m over two years for health service transformation

An extra £100m over five years to tackle deprivation

An extra £50m over five years for mental health.

The agreement also says that any money left over from allocations for education and housing will be dispersed “flexibly”.

  • The Tories and the DUP have both committed to upholding the Good Friday agreement. Whether or not this will be enough to neutralise complaints that the deal undermines the UK’s government impartiality when it comes to adjudicating between unionists and nationalists/republicans in Northern Ireland remains to be seen, although the deal does say the Northern Ireland secretary will not sit on the co-ordination committee being set up by the Tories and the DUP to oversee the agreement. That is an attempt to protect the Northern Ireland secretary’s perceived impartiality.
  • The Tories and the DUP have both stressed their commitment to restoring power sharing in Northern Ireland.
  • Both parties have agreed that the deal will last “for the length of the parliament”, although it will be reviewed after each parliamentary session (ie, for the first time in 2019, when the current session ends). It can also be reviewed “by the mutual consent of both parties”. The fact that most of the spending commitments in the deal have a two-year lifespan may suggest that both parties are only really focusing on the deal lasting for the next two years, until Brexit has been delivered.

Here is Grant Shapps, the Conservative MP and former party chairman, on the Tory/DUP deal.

Welsh first minister says Tory/DUP deal is 'outrageous' and 'all but kills idea of fair funding' for rest of UK

Carwyn Jones, the Labour Welsh first minister, has criticised the Tory/DUP deal very strongly. He said that it was “outrageous” and “unacceptable” and that “all but kills the idea of fair funding for the nations and regions”.

Here is the statement in full.

Today’s deal represents a straight bung to keep a weak prime minister and a faltering government in office. Only last week we were told that the priority was to ‘build a more united country, strengthening the social, economic and cultural bonds between England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales.’ This deal flies in the face of that commitment and further weakens the UK, and as currently drafted all but kills the idea of fair funding for the nations and regions. It is outrageous that the prime minister believes she can secure her own political future by throwing money at Northern Ireland whilst completely ignoring the rest of the UK. I have spoken to the secretary of state for Wales this morning to clearly state my view at this unacceptable deal – as Wales’ voice at the cabinet table, he has a duty to fight against this deal and secure additional funding for our country.

However, the UK government are not the only ones with questions to answer today. It appears that the DUP have given the Tories the go-ahead to legislate how they please on Brexit, which could include taking powers and resources away from the devolved administrations. This is a short-term fix which will have far-reaching and destabilising consequences.

Updated

There has been some confusion over any pre-conditions supposedly laid down as to if and when Northern Ireland get this extra one billion pound plush cash injection.

The only pre-condition is that the DUP supports a minority Conservative government and that is now the case.

It does NOT hinge on what happens at the talks in Stormont aimed at restoring power sharing devolved government in Northern Ireland. Rather the additional money for capital spending is an incentive to local politicians to seal their own deal and take full control of how that money is allocated across various devolved ministries like health and education.

If they can’t reach a deal by deadline day on Thursday then it will probably be either Northern Ireland civil servants or even London based Tory ministers who will manage the additional spending on a direct rule basis.

Theresa May's statement on the Tory/DUP deal

Here is the full statement Number 10 has issued from Theresa May on the deal.

A confidence and supply agreement has been made between the Conservative & Unionist party and the Democratic Unionist party.

This means the DUP will support the Conservative government on votes on the Queen’s Speech, the Budget, and legislation relating to Brexit and national security.

The agreement makes clear that we remain steadfast to our commitments as set out in the Belfast Agreement and its successors, and in governing in the interests of all parts of the community in Northern Ireland.

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. In the interests of transparency, the full terms of this agreement have been published.

Time is running short for the parties to come together and reach agreement to re-establish a power-sharing executive by 29 June. I hope the parties will look beyond their differences and come together with a shared sense of common purpose to serve all communities in the best interests of Northern Ireland. Northern Ireland needs a functioning devolved government at this important time.

Her Majesty’s government will continue to do everything we can to work with the parties in Northern Ireland, alongside the Irish government, to bring back a strong voice at Stormont for a positive future for everyone in Northern Ireland.

Updated

And here is the crucial bit, the separate three-page financial annex to the deal (pdf).

The full text of the deal is now here (pdf), on the Number 10 website.

Northern Ireland to get an extra £1bn over two years as a result of deal, Foster says

Arlene Foster, the DUP leader, is speaking outside Number 10 now.

She says today she has reached an agreement with the Conservatives on support for the government in parliament.

The DUP’s guiding principle has been acting within the national interest, and enhancing the union, she says.

They have focused on enhancing prosperity, strengthening the union and working towards Brexit.

The details will be published in full, she says.

They have agreed to:

  • Keeping the triple lock for pensions
  • Keeping winter fuel payments for all pensioners
  • Keeping defence spending at 2% of GDP
  • Extending the armed forces covenant to Northern Ireland

There is also a financial package, she says. It is worth £1bn over two years. There will also be “new flexibilities” in terms of how £500m already committed to Northern Ireland can be spent, she says.

  • Northern Ireland to get an extra £1bn over two years as a result of the deal, Foster says.

Foster also says the government and the DUP will set up a coordination committee to oversee implementation of this deal.

Updated

Grenfell Tower inquiry to cover use of widespread flammable cladding, No 10 says.

Number 10 has announced that the inquiry into the Grenfell Tower fire will cover the use of flammable cladding on tower blocks. This is from my colleague Jessica Elgot.

Arlene Foster says Tory/DUP deal 'works for national stability'

Here’s Arlene Foster, the DUP leader, on the deal.

We’re delighted that we have reached this agreement, which I think works, obviously, for national stability.

In terms of the Northern Ireland executive, of course we are determined to see it back in place as soon as possible as well, because we believe we need a strong voice for Northern Ireland when dealing not least with the Brexit issue.

May says Tory/DUP deal is a 'very, very good one'

According to the Press Association, Theresa May said this to the DUP about their deal.

As we set out at the beginning of the talks, we share many values in terms of wanting to see prosperity across the UK, the value of the union, the important bond between the different parts of the United Kingdom.

We very much want to see that protected and enhanced and we also share the desire to ensure a strong government, able to put through its programme and provide for issues like the Brexit negotiations, but also national security issues.

So the agreement we have come to is a very, very good one, and look forward to working with you.

Here is a selection of some of the better Twitter jokes about the deal.

From Jane Merrick

From the FT’s Jim Pickard

From the TLS’s Stig Abell

Tory/DUP deal worth £1bn to Northern Ireland, DUP say

DUP sources in Belfast say the deal is worth more than £1bn extra into the Northern Ireland budget. The extra cash will be spent on hospitals, schools and roads in the region, the DUP say.

They stress that the allocation of the extra £1bn plus into Northern Ireland’s block grant depends on what happens back at Stormont.

If the parallel talks leads to power sharing restore then the DUP-Sinn Fein led coalition could preside over the distribution of the extra money, they say.

Updated

This is from my colleague Anushka Asthana.

The Democratic Unionist Party has agreed to support Theresa May’s minority government through a confidence and supply deal, which will see the party support the Queen’s Speech this week.

The Northern Irish party have been pushing for increased capital spending on health and education, the granting of special lower corporation tax status for the region and the possible abolition of air passenger duty.

The deal comes just days before May has to put her Queen’s speech - with its heavy focus on Brexit - to a vote in parliament. She will need the support of 10 DUP MPs to have any chance of getting the legislation through and allowing the Conservatives to govern without a majority.

Tories and DUP sign 'confidence and supply' deal

Footage has just been released of the Tory/DUP talks in Number 10.

Here are the two teams in the cabinet room. On the left sits Theresa May, with Damian Green, the first secretary of state, to her right and Gavin Williamson, the government chief whip, on her left.

Opposite them sits Arlene Foster, the DUP leader, with her Westminster leader, Nigel Dodds, on her right, and Jeffrey Donaldson, her Westminster chief whip, to her left.

Tories and DUP meeting in Number 10
Tories and DUP meeting in Number 10 Photograph: BBC
Jeffrey Donaldson (left) and Gavin Williamson sign Tory/DUP deal
Jeffrey Donaldson (left) and Gavin Williamson sign Tory/DUP deal Photograph: BBC

The Tory/DUP deal has been agreed, the Sun’s Tom Newton Dunn says.

My Guardian colleague Rajeev Syal has had that confirmed.

Updated

Theresa May was advised by the Conservative’s election guru, Lynton Crosby, to call Nicola Sturgeon’s bluff and agree to her demand for a fresh independence referendum before Brexit, the Times has reported (paywall).

It quotes a leaked memo from Crosby written the day after Sturgeon said in March she wanted to stage one by spring 2019, which argued allowing the vote to go ahead would “harness the uncertainty caused by Brexit and use it to secure support for the status quo”.

Crosby admitted it was risky. His advice was rejected by May, suggesting instead there was a battle within the Tories between Crosby and Ruth Davidson, the Scottish Tory leader, over the right strategy to pursue. Supported by David Mundell, the Scottish Secretary, Davidson won.

The prime minister announced three days she had no intention of authorising the vote, with the phrase “now is not the time.”

In the event, Davidson could claim her strategy proved correct. The Scottish Tories won 13 seats at the general election, its best result since 1983, even while May’s snap election strategy flopped, as the Scottish National party lost 21 seats – more than expected.

Sturgeon’s quest for a fresh referendum contributed heavily to a major backlash by voters, and the first minister is expected to confirm in Holyrood this week she is dropping her spring 2019 timetable.

Here is some video from the Press Association’s Sam Lister of the DUP delegation arriving at Number 10.

After the deal is signed in Downing Street today the Democratic Unionists will shore up the Conservative government on a “confidence and supply” basis.

The best way to understand this arrangement is to cast your eyes across the Irish border into the Republic where already this policy has operated in Dublin. In the Dail the main opposition party Fianna Fail keeps the Fine Gael-led minority coalition in power due to the same “confidence and supply” scenario. So Fianna Fail either votes against or abstains in motions calling for a vote of no confidence in the current Irish government.

Fianna Fail also backs budgets which they have some say in whilst still remaining out of government on the opposition benches of the Dail.

Indeed earlier this month Fianna Fail crucially abstained in election of Leo Varadkar as Taoiseach (prime minister) in the Dail, enabling the Fine Gael leader to have enough votes to take up the highest office in the land.

There will be some differences between the DUP deal and Fianna Fail’s. The 10 DUP MPs will vote for Theresa May and the Queen’s Speech. But the general outline of this unique “confidence and supply” agreement in the House of Commons is already clear in the way the current Irish government has been propped up since last year’s general election in Ireland.

The Irish experiment has lasted now for over 12 months and is expected to survive at least one budget this autumn. That should be of some encouragement to Tory high command as it guesses which way the DUP will move over the next few months in the Commons.

Arlene Foster and her DUP colleagues arrive at No 10 for talks with May

Arlene Foster, the DUP leader, Nigel Dodds, the DUP leader at Westminster, and Jeffrey Donaldson, the DUP chief whip at Westminster, have just gone into Number 10 for their talks with Theresa May.

Theresa May shakes hands with Jeffrey Donaldson, alongside Arlene Foster and Nigel Dodds.
Theresa May shakes hands with Jeffrey Donaldson, alongside Arlene Foster and Nigel Dodds. Photograph: Sky News

As we reported over night the Tory-DUP deal will be underlined by a joint Downing Street press conference between the two parties.

Arlene Foster travelled to London last night with two of the DUP’s MPs - Nigel Dodds and Jeffrey Donaldson. And in parallel with the sealing of this agreement that puts Theresa May back in power the discussions aimed at restoring power sharing will continue back in Belfast.

Those talks are ready to hit the wall by Thursday unless a deal is done at Stormont. After June 29 the Northern Ireland Secretary James Brokenshire has to decide whether to call another assembly election or start the process of transferring power to direct rule from London - a move he has insisted the British government is reluctant to take.

Irish government sources were optimistic last night that a deal would be done on this side of the Irish Sea as well in time for the devolution deadline on Thursday.

Meantime, a new post-election opinion poll in Northern Ireland shows huge public support across the sectarian divide for the restoration of devolved power sharing government in Belfast. The poll for Lucid Talk in conjunction with the Ulster edition of The Sun shows that 76% of those surveyed since the election support the re-establishment of devolved institutions at Stormont now.

In the comments BTL Calimocho asked for a regional breakdown of flats where cladding has failed the fire safety tests being conducted by the government. The government released its latest figures (pdf) last night. Here is the chart.

Some 60 buildings, from 25 council areas, have failed the tests. The government has only identified the council areas where residents have been informed. Here is the chart.

Council areas where tower blocks have failed fire safety tests.
Council areas where tower blocks have failed fire safety tests. Photograph: DCLG

On the BBC’s Victoria Derbyshire show the Labour MP Stephen Kinnock said the Tory/DUP deal meant Arlene Foster, the DUP leader was now “the most powerful politician in the United Kingdom”. She would get to decide what the government could do, he claimed.

He also said Theresa May should have never tried to strike a deal with the DUP in the first place. It could wreck the Northern Ireland peace process, he claimed.

I think that Theresa May should have tried to govern on a minority basis. I think by going into this formal agreement with the DUP you are in serious danger of wrecking the Northern Ireland peace process, and people’s lives are at stake here ... The Northern Ireland peace process is one of the great achievements of recent times and I think it is now in serious risk of being dislodged by this confidence and supply motion.

The Conservative MP John Redwood said Kinnock was wrong about this.

I don’t think that’s true. The government would not do anything to jeopardise the talks that are continuing between the different parties in Northern Ireland ... The idea is that the government will still be a strong advocate of the parties in Northern Ireland talking through the issues that they have got with each other so that we can restore devolved government. That will remain the government policy, just as it was before suggestions of this agreement. And no Northern Ireland secretary, I think in any government, would jeopardise that for the sake of some deal on some vote going on in the House of Commons.

Redwood also confirmed that the Tory/DUP deal would involve higher government spending in Northern Ireland.

I suspect there will be a package of extra economic support for Northern Ireland. I think that could be justified for all sort of reasons, and that will be reported to parliament and will need parliamentary approval in the normal way. But clearly there will be enough votes for that because the DUP are bound to vote for that, and the Conservatives will as well.

Stephen Kinnock and John Redwood.
Stephen Kinnock and John Redwood. Photograph: BBC

The BBC’s Laura Kuenssberg thinks the Tory/DUP deal will finally get agreed this morning.

Good morning. With the general election now more than two weeks behind us, and the Queen’s speech out of the way, Westminster politics seems to have slipped out of mega-crisis mode into, well, moderate-crisis mode. The front pages are no longer dominated by stories about a possible leadership challenge to the prime minister, but she is still facing severe challenges on multiple fronts. Three are going to dominate the news today.

1 - Brexit

Later today May will publish details for Brexit offer regarding the rights of EU nationals living in the EU. The initial response when she gave some details to EU leaders on Thursday was lukewarm. Here is our preview story.

2 - Tory/DUP deal

May is hoping to finalise the Tory/DUP deal today that will help to keep her minority government afloat. Here is our preview story.

3 - Grenfell Tower

The government is still struggling to cope with the consequences of the Grenfell Tower fire, and the inspections being carried out as a result that have discovered that another 60 tower blocks are unsafe because they are covered in combustible cladding. Alok Sharma, the housing minister, has been doing a round of interviews this morning to discuss the problem, but he hasn’t had an easy time.

From the Sun’s Steve Hawkes

From the Financial Times’ George Parker

From Newsnight’s Ian Katz

Here is the agenda for the day.

10.30am: Theresa May is due to meet Arlene Foster, the DUP leader, in Downing Street in the hope of finalising the Tory/DUP deal.

11am: Number 10 lobby briefing.

12pm: Iain Duncan Smith, the Conservative former work and pensions secretary, stands in for Jeremy Vine in his Radio 2 phone-in. He is hosting the programme all week.

2.30pm: Theresa May is expected to make a statement to the Commons about the UK’s Brexit proposals for the rights of EU nationals.

Around 4pm: MPs resume the debate on the Queen’s speech, with Brexit and foreign affairs the key topics.

As usual, I will be covering breaking political news as it happens, as well as bringing you the best reaction, comment and analysis from the web. I plan to post a summary at lunchtime and another in the afternoon.

You can read all today’s Guardian politics stories here.

If you want to follow me or contact me on Twitter, I’m on @AndrewSparrow.

I try to monitor the comments BTL but normally I find it impossible to read them all. If you have a direct question, do include “Andrew” in it somewhere and I’m more likely to find it. I do try to answer direct questions, although sometimes I miss them or don’t have time. Alternatively you could post a question to me on Twitter.

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