WATCH: Tory MP Heidi Allen: I cannot express how angry I am about DUP deal
2 min read
An outspoken Conservative MP launched a tirade against her own party in the House of Commons today - saying she could “barely put into words” her anger about their deal with the DUP.
South Cambridgeshire MP Heidi Allen said she wanted to register her “distaste for the use of public funds to garner political control”.
Theresa May signed the £1.5bn deal with the Northern Irish unionists after she lost her Commons majority at the general election earlier this month.
In a Queen’s Speech debate today backbencher Ms Allen ripped into the Tory election campaign which is widely considered to have thwarted the party at the ballot box.
Ms Allen said the party had failed to demonstrate a “positive vision” and must change to “put people at the heart of everything we do”.
“I want a Conservative party that people vote for because they want to - not because they feel they have to… right now we are a long way away from that,” she went on.
And witheringly, she added: “One of my goals since I became an MP has been to change how people feel about politicians. I want an honest transparent, collaborative, respectful and positive kind of politics.
“So I can barely put into words my anger at the deal my party has done with the DUP. We didn’t need to do it.
“I cannot fault the DUP for wanting to achieve the very best for their residents in Northern Ireland nor for their tough negotiation skills but I must put on record my distaste for the use of public funds to garner political control.
“We should have run with a minority government and showed the country what mature progressive politics looks like.
“The only comfort I can take is knowing that people in Northern Ireland will benefit. But this must never again be how this government prioritises spending.”
However she said she would back the Government in the Queen’s Speech vote since Labour’s spending plans would lead to "economic ruin".
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