Theresa May announces deal with DUP to form minority government

Theresa May - Neil Hall/PA Wire

Theresa May has agreed a deal with the DUP which will see her continue as Prime Minister.

The agreement stops short of a formal coalition, but will ensure that the Conservatives have a Commons majority to get through a Queen's Speech and Budget.

Details of the arrangement are not yet known, but it is thought the DUP will seek extra funding for Northern Ireland and an assurance that Mrs May will pursue a hard Brexit, albeit without a hard border between Northern Ireland and the Republic.

After meeting the Queen to outline her plans, May said: "The government I lead will put fairness and opportunity at the heart of everything we do, so that we fulfil the promise of Brexit together and – over the next five years – build a country in which no one and no community is left behind. A country in which prosperity and opportunity are shared right across this United Kingdom.

"What the country needs more than ever is certainty, and having secured the largest number of votes and the greatest number of seats in the general election, it is clear that only the Conservative and Unionist party has the legitimacy and ability to provide that certainty by commanding a majority in the House of Commons. As we do, we will continue to work with our friends and allies in the Democratic Unionist party in particular.

"Our two parties have enjoyed a strong relationship over many years, and this gives me the confidence to believe that we will be able to work together in the interests of the whole United Kingdom."

Last night DUP leader Arlene Foster said the Prime Minister may have to stand down in light of the election result.

Asked whether she would survive, she told BBC Radio Ulster: “I don’t know. I think that it will be difficult for her to survive, given that she was presumed at the start of the campaign – which seems an awfully long time ago now – to come back with over 100, maybe more, in terms of her majority.

“And now we’re in the position we find ourselves in tonight, so it will be an incredibly difficult evening for her.”