Tory deal with DUP kingmakers `postponed` in wake of deadly London blaze

The historic deal that puts the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) at the heart of Britain`s government has been put on hold in the wake of the unfolding tragedy of a London “towering inferno”. Theresa May and Arlene Foster have reached “95 per cent agreement” towards the Northern Ireland party propping up the Conservative minority government. But the huge blaze overnight that has engulfed the 24-storey Grenfell Tower in north Kensington – claiming the lives of at least 12 people with the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) admitting it expects the number of victims to rise – has reportedly halted any announcement on the political union. Both sides see the timing as “inappropriate”. The DUP found itself as kingmaker following the shock general election result which saw Mrs May`s party lose its overall majority in the House of Commons. While most areas of the pact have already been hammered out, the two leaders are due to meet again to conclude the final details of the ground-breaking agreement. Tuesday`s (June 13) meetings between the Tories and the DUP went “unbelievably well” with “considerable progress” made on a wide range of issues. The DUP is expected to secure measures which it believes will help Northern Ireland`s economy with investment in infrastructure, the abolition of air passenger duty, a cut in corporation tax, and a softer Brexit among the issues under discussion. Mrs Foster, who remained in London overnight, said she believed there would be a “successful conclusion” to discussions with a deal reached “sooner rather than later”. Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn predicted that a Conservative minority government propped up by the DUP would be “a coalition of chaos”. But the Prime Minister insisted that any new arrangements could work. “What we are doing in relation to the productive talks that we are holding with the DUP is ensuring that it is possible to, with their support, give the stability to the UK government that I think is necessary at this time,” Mrs May said. She denied that a DUP-Tory deal would undermine the Good Friday Agreement and the chances of a return to devolution at Stormont. “We as a government remain absolutely steadfast in our commitment to the Belfast Agreement and the subsequent agreements and we continue to work with all the parties in Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland in ensuring that we can continue to put in place those measures necessary to fulfil those agreements,” Mrs May added. Meanwhile, more than 100 police officers are assisting with the fallout from the multi-storey block blaze that began in the early hours of Wednesday (June 14). Firefighters rescued “large numbers”, but six people are confirmed dead and London Mayor Sadiq Khan said “a lot” of people were unaccounted for. Some 74 are being treated in hospital with 20 in a critical condition. The 120-flat block, which is still on fire, looks at risk of collapsing. Up to 600 people could be living in the building. MPS Commander Stuart Cundy said: “I can confirm six fatalities at this time but this figure is likely to rise during what will be a complex recovery operation over a number of days.” He said it was likely to be some time before officers could identify the victims, adding that it was too early to speculate on the cause of the fire. Mrs May has said she is “deeply saddened by the tragic loss of life” in the Grenfell Tower fire. Policing Minister Nick Hurd will chair a meeting of the Civil Contingencies Secretariat later on Wednesday to co-ordinate the response to the disaster and the Government is ready to assist “as necessary”, a Number 10 spokesperson said. A London Fire Brigade spokesperson said firefighters worked in “extremely challenging conditions” to rescue people from the inferno.