Parliament must approve £1bn payment in Tory-DUP deal

Theresa May’s government must seek parliamentary approval over a deal to provide £1bn in funding to Northern Ireland as a result of the coalition agreement between the Conservatives and the DUP.

The funding has not yet been released to NI, and the government has now conceded that it will have to put the deal past MPs before it can be forwarded.

Legal campaigner Gina Miller, who rose to prominence after challenging the government previously on Brexit, led the case for a more stringent scrutiny of the agreement between the Tories and the largest party in NI.

Arlene Foster’s outfit held the leverage following a hung parliament which came about following June’s general election result, with May needing the support of her party’s 10 MPs to ensure a slim majority in the Commons.

A letter sent from Miller and the Independent Workers Union of Great Britain asked for clarification on the payment, with Treasury solicitor Jonathan Jones confirming that the money will require ‘parliamentary authorisation’.

In comments to The Guardian, Miller said that it was unthinkable that the cash could be handed over without consulting parliament.

“It beggars belief that, neither at the time the government sealed its dubious deal with the DUP in exchange for their votes in the Commons, nor at any point since, has the government made it clear that the £1bn of taxpayers’ money for Northern Ireland could only be handed over following parliamentary approval,” she said.