The leader of Northern Ireland’s Democratic Unionist party, Arlene Foster, has met Theresa May in Downing Street sounding optimistic about reaching a deal to prop up a Conservative minority government.
Foster was greeted by May on the steps of No 10 amid speculation that a confidence and supply deal could be done by lunchtime on Monday.
Speaking to Sky News before the meeting, she said: “We’re back in London again and my hope is that we will be able to finalise the deal between ourselves and the Conservative party.
“I think that this agreement will bring the prospects of doing a deal at Stormont closer because this will have a positive impact in relation to Northern Ireland.”
She said a second deal on power sharing in the province could also be reached this week: “I very much hope that this week we will be able to conclude on two agreements.”
The former Northern Ireland secretary, Theresa Villiers, said Foster’s visit to London for more talks showed that an agreement with May was imminent.
Villiers told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “I think that is an indication that we are close to some form of an agreement on the confidence and supply between the Conservatives and the Democratic Unionist party.”
She predicted that the confidence and supply deal would involve economic support for the region. “I believe it is likely to involve a package of support for the Northern Ireland economy. There is definitely a credible case for supporting the Northern Ireland case with a financial package. Northern Ireland is different, it faces unique challenges as a result of the history of the violence which occurred over a period of 30 years.”
But Villiers cautioned against linking talks with the Conservatives with separate talks about a return to power sharing. “I think it would be very difficult to lock together the two sets of negotiations, the discussion on confidence and supply and the Stormont talks,” she said.
But she also said she hoped there would be no return to direct rule in Northern Ireland.
With the deal appearing to be edging closer to completion over lengthy talks, it was still facing criticism even within the Conservative party. Lord Patten, a former party chairman, called the DUP “toxic” and warned that any agreement would look as if the Conservatives have become “nasty” again if it was too favourable to Northern Ireland.
Villiers rejected Patten’s fears. Asked if the deal would amount to a return to the nasty party, she said: “I don’t accept that. There’s a lot of public support right across the country for getting power sharing up and running again in Northern Ireland. If the DUP are a fit party to be in government there, I don’t see that there’s a problem with their reaching this accommodation with the Conservatives.”
One controversial element that the DUP wants built into the deal is the extension of the military covenant to Northern Ireland. The covenant promises to give priority medical treatment, and special help with housing and school places, for children of former and current members of the armed services.
Sinn Féin has opposed the extension of the covenant to Northern Ireland, given the British army’s role in the Troubles. But Northern Irish government sources on Sunday said they were “reasonably optimistic” that aside from the Tory-DUP deal, the Stormont-based parties could also form their own deal before the 29 June deadline on devolution talks. “It’s still game on,” one source said.
