Thank you for writing to me on the subject of the Supply and Confidence agreement into which the Government has entered with the Democratic Unionists.
As you know the Conservative Party won a higher share of the national vote than any party has in any election since 1997 and the highest Conservative share of the vote in any election since 1983. The Conservatives have more MPs than the combined total of those of the Labour, LibDem and Green Parties, the SNP and Plaid Cymru combined. The result however left Mrs May just short of an overall majority.
It matters that the UK is seen to have a Government confident of lasting the long-term.
It matters for investors deciding whether to put money into the UK economy.
It matters for those who decide at what price they are prepared to buy UK Government debt. At present they know they have a Government committed to a tough but sensible economic policy, if there was an imminent risk of a Government being elected expecting to raise tens of billions extra in debt the interest rate the UK would have to pay would massively rise. At present we are already spending more in interest every year than the entirety of what we pay on policing and schools so this matters.
It matters also for our relationships with other countries and critically for our negotiation with the EU.
That was why an arrangement with the DUP, which provides certainty, is in our national interest.
It is not a coalition. The DUP have agreed to support the Government on key matters of "confidence" such as the Queens Speech and "supply" (the budget). They will on occasion disagree with the Government on other issues I have no doubt. Similarly the Government may disagree with them. As a Party they are traditionally much more socially conservative than the Conservative Party (under whose governance equal marriage came into law in England and Wales). All UK citizens can take cases up to the European Court of Human Rights but beneath this, similar issues are mostly devolved to individual parts of the UK. However where the UK Government is in a position to make its views matter (for example last week on access to abortions on the NHS in England for Northern Ireland women) it is quite prepared to do so. Presumably because of the devolution of these competencies I cannot recall the DUP taking an active interest in them in Westminster. In our last debate on a matter relating to equality (the pardoning of individuals accused of "sexual offences" when Homosexuality was illegal) I spoke in favour of the principle, I cannot recall a single DUP member speaking on the issue or indeed being present
The Government announced £1bn of investment in Northern Ireland. The DUP, unsurprisingly, are seeking credit domestically. However Northern Ireland is structurally the most economically weak part of the UK and investment is no bad thing provided - and I have made this point in the Commons - it is supported by private sector and foreign direct investment. The funds will be spent cross-community and have been welcomed by the Nationalist community.
I have delayed responding to your email because I had earnestly hoped, and continue to hope, that a power sharing agreement would be resumed in the Province and I wanted to write with this agreed. I am very sorry that it has not and the summer months are not a propitious time in Northern Ireland to secure agreements. The talks are currently stalled on the Nationalist demand for assistance for the Irish Language and the Unionist demand for similar assistance for the Scots-Ulster dialect. In this context £1bn of economic assistance is a lot of money but it is money well spent if it gets the communities working together.
Gordon Brown and the Labour Party attempted to do a deal with the DUP in 2010 and I understand there were also subsequently approached by Ed Miliband. The DUP have every right to form agreements in Westminster. It will not prevent a UK Government, of any political persuasion, dealing fairly and appropriately with all sides in Belfast.
Thank you once again for taking the time to contact me.
