Theresa May’s hopes that she can force her withdrawal deal through parliament faded on Monday after the Democratic Unionist party leader, Arlene Foster, rejected a personal plea for support.

The prime minister then enraged the pro-leave party further by implying that preparations for a no-deal Brexit on the issue of the Irish border had not progressed because the Northern Ireland assembly had been suspended.

Support from the DUP is critical to May’s hopes of getting parliament to approve her Brexit plan. Last week, May’s government held lengthy talks with senior MPs in the party, including Jeffrey Donaldson and Nigel Dodds.

PM concedes lack of support for deal as MPs seek to take control Read more

DUP leaders have been unimpressed with the way May and her team have negotiated with the EU, and believe they will have to be closely involved if the government is to leave with a deal that keeps Northern Ireland closely aligned with Britain.

In a telephone call, Foster told the prime minister she would not change her party’s stance, which is to vote against the deal, if as expected it comes before the House of Commons this week. “The position remains unchanged,” a DUP source said.

Hours later, May said the lack of a functioning devolved government in Stormont – suspended two years ago following a row between the DUP and Sinn Féin – made it difficult to prepare for a no-deal Brexit.

“I am conscious of my duties as prime minister to all parts of our United Kingdom and of the damage to that union leaving without a deal could do when one part of it is without devolved government and unable therefore to prepare properly,” she said.

Dodds, the DUP’s leader in Westminster, replied by criticising May’s “fundamental lack of preparation” for Brexit.

“The prime minister has known for some considerable time, and so has the house, that 29 March was the target date, so why haven’t appropriate preparations been made?

“This is a fundamental lack of preparation and the government’s entirely responsible for that, if that’s the case,” he said.

Sammy Wilson, the DUP’s Brexit spokesman, accused May of using the Irish border as an excuse for failing to deliver Brexit.

“When are you going to stop using Northern Ireland as an excuse? And do you realise that the importance of this agreement to delivering Brexit, and also to the union of the United Kingdom, is such that we will not be used in a scare tactic to push this through?” he said.

DUP figures are already turning their thoughts to the next confidence and supply agreement, which will be raised by the party over the next two months. May’s government is highly dependent on the 10 votes of the DUP.

An informed source said: “Confidence and supply two is nearly upon us. It’s almost two years, so we’ll have to work on it. We aren’t in a coalition, but it’s pretty close. If anything, C&S2 will have to be even tighter than C&S1. Not talking about putting people in cabinet or anything like that, but deeply involved in every decision, especially on Brexit.”

The party negotiated £1bn in spending for Northern Ireland as part of a first confidence and supply agreement with the Tories in 2017 – giving the government a working majority.

Claims of splits in the DUP over whether to support May’s deal have been denied by the party.



A DUP spokesman said: “The party is focused on securing a way forward as we exit the EU which respects the referendum result and protects the Union. Confidence and supply discussions are for another time.”