DUP's New Signing Scores Against Scotland

Not one Member of the Scottish Conservative Party has stood up to condemn the DUP deal that bypasses the Barnett formula. This means that any additional funding that Scotland would have got as part of this deal as stated by David Mundell the Scottish Secretary has been cleverly circumvented by exploiting a loophole.

The agreement will see a total of £1.5bn in funding - consisting of £1bn of "NEW MONEY" and £500m of previously announced funds - to be spent over the next two years on infrastructure, health and education in Northern Ireland.

Mr Mundell said the day before the deal was signed that “any funding that goes to Northern Ireland, then Barnett rules will ensure the appropriate funding comes to Scotland.”

Mr Thomson, the Aberdeen South MP, was asked by presenter Gary Robertson whether Scottish Conservative MP's were “going to ignore any extra money that might come Scotland’s way” Mr Thomson said Mr Mundell had been “very clear” and insisted the 13-strong Scottish Conservative group would “always fight for Scotland’s corner and would do so from the heart of government” The Scottish Secretary is now insisting that he hadn’t suggested Scotland would see a cash windfall from the deal, which will not see funding for Northern Ireland matched anywhere else in the UK, and said the agreement did not undermine the Barnett formula that calculates the size of Scotland’s block grant.

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