DUP could put Labour in power in event of hung Parliament: Arlene Foster

Dame Arlene Foster has suggested the DUP could enter a coalition to put Labour in power in the event of a hung Parliament following the next general election.
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In 2017, the DUP’s ‘confidence and supply’ arrangement gave the Conservatives a working majority in the Commons – allowing a government to be formed under Theresa May.

However, the former DUP leader and Northern Ireland first minister believes the party’s “quite good relationships” with Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer and the shadow NI Secretary Peter Kyle could open the door to a similar arrangement.

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“I'm looking with interest at the polls at the moment and the possibility of a hung parliament coming again,” she told GB News.

Arlene Foster - GB News interviewArlene Foster - GB News interview
Arlene Foster - GB News interview

"And at that time we took a decision not to go into formal coalition but to go into a confidence and supply agreement where we would support on particular issues, particularly around Brexit at that time and to bring benefit for the people of Northern Ireland, which we did through the arrangements.

“I think if it happens at the next general election again the party leader will have to decide whether to go into coalition, whether to go into a confidence and supply agreement, and whether it's good for the people of Northern Ireland and whether it's good for the nation as a whole, which is one of the reasons why we did it.

"We felt we were allowing the nation to honour the Brexit vote which had taken place. So there's a whole load of imponderables, but I'll watch very carefully with interest if it happens the next time around.”

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Under the previous arrangement with the Conservatives, the DUP agreed to support the Government on all key votes, including the Queen’s speech and on key financial legislation, and in return the Government agreed to provide the Northern Ireland Executive with additional financial support – amounting to an additional £1 billion over a five-year period.

Asked by Gloria De Piero if it was “fanciful to even think that there could ever be any sort of agreement with the Labour Party and the DUP” she said: “No, I don't think so. I don't think so at all. I think there are quite good relationships with the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, the Shadow Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, Peter Kyle, and indeed with Sir Keir as well.”

​In September 2021, after 18 months as Labour leader, Keir Starmer delivered his first party conference speech to a packed hall in Brighton, insisting that Labour is the party of the Union.

In the same speech he accused both Nicola Sturgeon and Boris Johnson of “exploiting the constitutional divide for their own ends”

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Sir Keir said: “We are more progressive together. We are more secure together. We are a bigger presence in the world together. We are greater as Britain than we would be apart”.

​DUP MLA for East Belfast David Brooks said the current speculation around the prospect of a hung Parliament has been sparked by a disasterous local council election for the Conservatives in GB. The Tories lost more than 1,000 councillors and control of more than 40 councils.

Despite widespread Labour successes, experts have forecast that Labour would still fall short of an overall Commons’ majority if that voting trend was replicated in a general election.

Mr Brooks said: “After the council election results from Great Britain, some have started talking about hung parliaments. The General Election is likely some way off and lots can change between now and then.”Mr Brooks added: “Unionists have limited control over the outcome in GB but we can work together and stem our splits and divisions so we elect more unionist MPs.

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"More seats means more influence for Northern Ireland in the House of Commons regardless of the size of the Labour Party or the Conservative Party."

In the interview, ​Dame Arlene’s talks about an IRA murder bid on her father, and her decision to share power with former IRA commander Martin McGuinness.

“It was difficult, but I think it was the right thing to do. I mean, other people didn't think it was the right thing to do and I absolutely acknowledge that and have a lot of empathy for where they came from. But in order to move things forward in Northern Ireland, I felt it was the right thing to do”.