The Prime Minister announced that a confidence and supply agreement has been signed with the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP).
Under the terms of the agreement, the DUP will support the Conservative Party on votes on the Queen’s Speech, the Budget, and on legislation relating to Brexit and national security. Support on other matters will be agreed on a case-by-case basis and a co-ordination committee will be convened, chaired by the Government. The agreement is due to remain in place for the length of the Parliament and can be reviewed by the mutual consent of both parties.
The Conservative Party has had a strong relationship over many years with the DUP and at this crucial time, particularly in the context of Brexit negotiations, it is in the national interest that a working Government is formed. With the most seats and most votes, only the Conservative Party has the ability and legitimacy to do this. Using our relationship with the DUP to ensure a working Government will allow our leadership to deliver a successful Brexit and carry on pushing forward on issues that are important to our party's goals. This means, among countless other things, building on our economic record of more jobs, cutting the deficit and investing more in public services like the NHS. As a confidence and supply agreement with the DUP is the best way to achieve this, it is a move that I support.
Employment in Northern Ireland is below that of the UK and successive governments have tried to find ways to enhance the prospects of Northern Ireland’s economy through infrastructure investments. The new investment in broadband will, I hope, bring Northern Irelands service standards up to speed with the rest of the UK. When I visited Northern Ireland on a select committee visit earlier this year I was impressed by the progress made in establishing Norther Ireland as a location for creative industries and I hope any new investment will help continue this positive momentum.
I was pleased that the agreement includes a commitment by the Government to commission a report into the impact of VAT and APD on tourism in Northern Ireland. This is an issue that I have raised frequently in this House and I hope that the Government will consider widening the scope of the report to include other nations in the UK.