Sammy Wilson, the DUP Brexit spokesman, said the Tories had agreed to 'closer liaison' between the two parties

Ministers will now meet with the DUP 'almost weekly' to ensure they keep propping up Theresa May, it emerged today.

Sammy Wilson, the Brexit spokesman for the Northern Ireland party, said the Tories had agreed to 'closer liaison' between the two parties.

The new agreement comes weeks after DUP leader Arlene Foster pulled Theresa May out of Brexit negotiations by refusing to support a draft divorce agreement.

The extraordinary intervention almost collapsed the entire Brexit negotiation and underlined the weakness of the Prime Minister in Parliament.

The DUP and its 10 MPs signed a 'confidence and supply' agreement with the Conservative Party after Mrs May threw away her Commons majority last year.

The agreement guarantees support on crucial votes and is the only thing protecting Mrs May from routine defeat and the collapse of her Government.

DUP MPs negotiated an extra £1billion in spending on Northern Ireland as their prices for the deal last June.

Demands for closer ties will fuel critics' warnings that the party will now ask a higher a price for continued support.

Mr Wilson, the East Antrim MP, revealed the new arrangement to Politico.

He said: 'We expect that on an almost weekly basis we will be meeting with them to talk about these issues as the matters arise'.

The new agreement comes weeks after DUP leader Arlene Foster (pictured with her deputy and Westminster leader Nigel Dodds) pulled Theresa May out of Brexit negotiations by refusing to support a draft divorce agreement

The DUP agreement guarantees support on crucial votes and is the only thing protecting Mrs May (pictured yesterday at Frimley Park Hospital) from the collapse of her Government

Balancing the DUP demands with the rest of her agenda will be Mrs May's most delicate task this year.

If Mrs Foster's party refuses to countenance any agreement with the Irish government over Brexit everything could collapse.

A new row has already emerged this year after Irish premier Leo Varadkar made a new hint he hoped for a united Ireland after Brexit.

And in November Mrs Foster accused Irish Foreign Affairs Minister and Mr Varadkar's deputy, Simon Coveney, of 'aggressive' behaviour after he spoke of his desire for a United Ireland.

There is a further impasse over the Northern Ireland Executive, which is currently suspended after the DUP and Sinn Fein failed to strike a new powersharing agreement.

Mrs May's Government is attempting to broker a way out of the year-long crisis but is not seen as an honest partner by Sinn Fein because of its relationship with the DUP in Westminster.