THE furious DUP went on strike last night after issuing an ultimatum to Theresa May on Brexit to sink her Government.
The Ulster unionists’ ten MPs abstained in votes on the Finance Bill for the second night in a row.
Their refusal to back the Government on the all-important money legislation is a clear breach of the ‘confidence and supply’ agreement that cost taxpayers £2billion.
But senior DUP sources last night told The Sun the party would continue to stay away from Commons votes until Mrs May agrees to rip up her controversial Irish backstop.
The senior DUP figure said: “I don’t think we’ll see much Government legislation tabled next week, as they know what we’ll do now.
“They are breaking the agreement, not us. They are nor delivering on our joint priorities – which is the Union.”
The demand comes as the PM heads out to Brussels this afternoon to take personal charge of negotiations ahead of Sunday’s summit of EU leaders to sign off the deal.
During a 90 minute meeting with EU Commission boos Jean-Claude Juncker, Mrs May will spell out what she still wants to see in the deal’s political declaration of future hopes for a trade deal.
The Cabinet yesterday backed Theresa May to “win a game of two halves” and turn around bitter Tory and DUP opposition to her divorce deal by winning a promise of a good trade deal from the EU in the future.
Attorney General Geoffrey Cox presented the PM’s top table with the football analogy, adding: “I am confident we can win it back in the second half”.
Environment Secretary Michael Gove added: “It’s a European Cup tie – a home fixture and then an away fixture”.
But the DUP also insist she must tell Mr Juncker she is to abandon the controversial Irish backstop agreed last week that places Northern Ireland under a different set of EU rules to the rest of the UK.
The DUP’s deputy leader Nigel Dodds said: “It is time for the Prime Minister to work for a better deal.
“The only option is to look beyond this Withdrawal Agreement.
“A stubborn determination by the PM to pursue a binary choice of this deal or no deal is not in the country’s interests.”
Mrs May’s minority administration relies on the DUP’s ten MPs to give her a majority in the Commons.
If they abstain on votes, it reduces her majority to just three and if they vote against the Government the Tories will be defeated.
Chancellor Philip Hammond as well as Brexit rebel Boris Johnson are both expected to speak at the DUP’s annual conference this weekend to try to court the pro-British party for their opposing causes.
2nd vote 'No'
ONLY 40 per cent of voters want another Brexit referendum with 45 per cent against and the rest unsure.
But when asked who had the best ideas for Brexit a bleak “None” was the highest response to a list of MPs, with 18 per cent of people choosing that option.
Tory Jacob Rees-Mogg and ex-Ukip boss Nigel Farage had eight per cent and Theresa May five per cent, said OnePoll’s survey.
But the DUP’s Sammy Wilson told ministers that they will not back down with more bribes, adding: “We fought through a terrorist campaign – we had 3,000 people killed in Northern Ireland to remain in the United Kingdom.
“If you think we’re going to be bought off by a few baubles in order to allow this deal to go through we won’t be”.
Sources claim Downing Street chief of staff Gavin Barwell told Cabinet Ministers last week the Government was “one nil” down given concessions in the Withdrawal Agreement.
When told, Eurosceptic Iain Duncan Smith joked: “I’d say they’re three nil down, against Barcelona and they’ve had a player sent off.”
Commons Leader Andrea Leadsom also professed her loyalty to Mrs May yesterday during Cabinet after last week’s resignations, despite being the ringleader of the ‘Pizza Club’of plotters.
Brexiteer Ms Leadsom opened her speech to the table by saying: “Prime Minister, I don’t even like pizza”.
Last night the Government took the extraordinary step of accepting opposition amendments on the Finance Bill, which is the legislation that passes the Budget.
Government whips feared a humiliating loss on the votes – which were Labour and SNP demands for more action on tax evasion and tax avoidance – in the wake of the DUP’s decision not to back the Government in the crucial votes.
It raised even further questions about Mrs May’s ability to govern a majority in the Commons.
A Labour source said: “The Government in all effect has given up on government. Governments simply do not accept amendments to the Finance Bill. They’ve been forced to accept amendments. It’s extraordinary.
“Fundamentally when a government can’t pass Budgets, they’re not in power.
This is a pretty significant moment.”
Former Tory leader Lord Howard last night tore apart Mrs May’s plans to avoid a hard border in Ireland.
He questioned how the proposed backstop plan would mean “taking back control”.
He said: “Under Article 50 the United Kingdom has a unilateral, untrammelled right to leave the European Union.
“Under the backstop provisions of the withdrawal agreement, the United Kingdom can only leave with the consent of the European Union.
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“How can that be described as taking back control?”
Brexit Minister Lord Callanan replied: “There are mechanisms to bring the backstop to an end. But he is right to say they are mechanisms that would need to be mutually agreed.
“I do understand the point he is making.”
The Sun Says
OF all Theresa May’s Brexit miscalculations, her most suicidal would be to think the DUP is bluffing.
They want the Irish “backstop”, which weakens the Britain/Northern Ireland union, binned. Or they’ll collapse the Tory Government their votes prop up.
To the DUP the sanctity of the union is everything — far more fundamental even than keeping Corbyn, a notorious supporter of the IRA, and a united Ireland, out of Downing Street. Mrs May’s deal is an immediate threat. Corbyn can be fought later, if he ever takes power.
The Sun doesn’t see the DUP coming round. The PM must fix the backstop.
No, the EU won’t play ball. But the deal is in disarray anyhow, here and in Brussels. Spain, France and Germany want it rewritten to punish us further.
Others want more fishing rights.
Our MPs won’t back it as it is, let alone an even harder version.
But, that aside, Mrs May cannot govern at all without the DUP. And she must not try just to tough this out.
She and Michel Barnier need solutions.
https://textbacklinkexchanges.com/furious-dup-go-on-strike-during-budget-votes-again-after-issuing-an-ultimatum-to-theresa-may-on-brexit-to-sink-her-government/
News Pictures Furious DUP go on strike during Budget votes again after issuing an ultimatum to Theresa May on Brexit to sink her Government
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