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Call for James Brokenshire to clarify role of Tory-DUP ‘consultative committee’

Secretary of State James Brokenshire addressing the House of Commons
Secretary of State James Brokenshire addressing the House of Commons Secretary of State James Brokenshire addressing the House of Commons

Secretary of State James Brokenshire has been urged to clarify the exact role of Tory-DUP ‘consultative committee’ as SDLP leader Colum Eastwood voiced fears that it could act as an “interim executive”.

Mr Eastwood’s call comes amid continued confusion about how the committee of MPs will operate.

The confidence and supply deal agreed between Theresa May and Arlene Foster’s parties last month will see the DUP prop up the Tories’ minority government in return for an additional £1 billion of funds for Northern Ireland.

But uncertainty remains about who will decide where the money is spent in the continued absence of a Stormont executive.

Two statements issued by the Northern Ireland Office (NIO) and the Conservative Party have failed to clear up the confusion.

In the NIO statement it is claimed the consultative committee will only “discuss and agree the handling of legislation”. In a second statement from Tory HQ, however, its role is described as a “mechanism” by which both the Tories and DUP “can agree the funding Northern Ireland needs”.

Mr Eastwood told The Irish News that the secretary of state needed to “urgently clarify” if the committee would deal solely with Westminster legislation or whether its remit would extend to allocating funds.

The SDLP leader said that if there was no Stormont executive it could not be “supplanted by DUP-Tory rule”.

“He (James Brokenshire) should also consider that if the resource is to be allocated on the basis of the consultative committee between the DUP and his party in the event of a direct rule scenario, there will be less incentive for the DUP to compromise to restore devolution,” Mr Eastwood said.

“People in Northern Ireland voted for a broad range of parties to represent them in the assembly– our pluralistic institutions cannot be supplanted by DUP/Tory rule.”

Mr Eastwood said the consultative committee “cannot act like an interim executive”.

“The prospect that the Tories under the DUP thumb will have a free hand to spend this money, supposed to be for all of us, is a dangerous one,” he said.

“This should be an incentive to all political parties to get a deal done.”