AG百家乐在线官网

DUP leader Arlene Foster has said she is prepared to work with either Conservative leadership candidate once they become prime minister.

Mrs Foster, whose party is in a confidence and supply arrangement to provide support to the minority Tory government, said she has worked with both Jeremy Hunt and Boris Johnson in the past.

But she said she will need to strike a fresh deal to prop up the administration of the victor after the new leader is elected by Conservative members.

She said she is confident both contenders recognise what she called the "fundamental flaws" in the current EU-UK "deal" to exit the bloc - referring to the Northern Irish backstop.

But she is keen for the timetable to remain as it is, with the UK due to leave the European Union by 31 October.

Mrs Foster said: "We'll be talking to whoever the new prime minister is about the confidence and supply agreement.

"We look forward to having those conversations with whoever the PM is and then striking a deal to move things forward.

"I think it's very important for whoever becomes prime minister to recognise the fundamental flaw with the withdrawal agreement.

"If we want to get a deal, if we want to leave with a deal - which we do - then we need to deal with that issue very quickly and to do that in order to leave on 31 October."

The current government has no working majority and, as a result, draws on the support of the 10 Democratic Unionist Party MPs to get its legislation through parliament.

The confidence and supply agreement signed was negotiated by Mrs Foster and Theresa May after the Conservatives failed to win enough seats in the June 2017 snap election.

:: Listen to the All Out Politics podcast on , , ,

Mrs Foster said leaving the EU on 31 October was important, but stopped short of saying she would find it unacceptable if it did not happen.

While Mr Johnson has ruled out any further extension to Brexit, Mr Hunt has said sticking relentlessly to a 31 October leave date would be a "fake deadline".

Mrs Foster said: "I don't think we should be talking about an extension now. What we should be talking about and focusing on are the difficulties with the current withdrawal agreement, let us find a way through those difficulties and let's focus on getting a deal."

The DUP has consistently opposed the withdrawal agreement negotiated by Brussels and Theresa May because it is dependant on the backstop, that proposes effectively keeping Northern Ireland in key parts of the bloc's single market and customs union if a deal on future trading and customs arrangements is not reached.