The Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) tonight claimed they were being courted by Gordon Brown ahead of a possible hung parliament in Britain.
The party’s leader Peter Robinson released a letter from Mr Brown in which the Labour leader promised to maintain the size of the block grant from Westminster to Northern Ireland.
The unionists held nine seats in the last Parliament and they claimed the pledge from the prime minister pointed to the willingness of both Labour and the Conservatives to do a deal with the DUP after the election if necessary.
But Mr Robinson tonight initially used the letter to highlight claims that the Conservatives, who are standing joint candidates with the Ulster Unionist Party (UUP) in Northern Ireland, could introduce major cuts in the region if the Tories form the next government.
“I have received a letter from the prime minister confirming that because he recognises ‘the unique problems that arose as a direct consequence of the years of The Troubles’ he is committed not to interfere with Northern Ireland’s block grant in the current financial year which would put our recovery at risk,” said Mr Robinson.
“The Tory and UUP plan to cut £200 million out of the budget is unacceptable and must be opposed.
“The Conservatives and Unionists want your vote to cut our block grant whilst the DUP seeks your vote to preserve our public services, jobs and extract the best deal for Northern Ireland.”
Conservative leader David Cameron visited Belfast yesterday and denied he planned to target Northern Ireland for major public spending cuts, despite having identified it as a region where the public sector is much too large.
The Democratic Unionists have said that the Tory/UUP pact could fail to win any seats in Northern Ireland, leaving the DUP as the only major party in the region likely to be courted by the potential parties of government.
In the face of the DUP taunts, senior Tories today refused to contemplate the possibility of eventually doing a deal with the DUP, and insisted they were focused on winning the election.
But the DUP tonight used the letter from Gordon Brown to claim the unionist party could be significant players at Westminster in the event of a hung parliament.
In the letter Mr Brown writes: “I am writing to confirm my continued commitment to the block grant for Northern Ireland for the current financial year and to confirm the financial settlement for the budget of the newly established Department of Justice.
“As I have made repeatedly clear to you and the leaders of all the political parties in the Assembly, I continue to recognise the unique problems that arose as a direct consequence of the years of The Troubles. It is essential that the recently established political recovery is not put at risk.
“As you know, I believe it is an imperative to stabilise the economic recovery in Northern Ireland. It is very clear to me from my repeated visits and from meetings with you and the Deputy First Minister, we cannot take this recovery for granted. The work undertaken by all the Assembly parties to ensure political as well as economic stability remains equally vital.
“I want to see a growing and strong private sector in Northern Ireland. However, I recognise that the legacy of the past will make this more difficult to achieve in the coming months than we may expect in other parts of the United Kingdom. This is a challenge we must all meet.
“The achievements made by you and the political leaders of Northern Ireland have been an example to us all. I remain firmly committed to doing all I can to support this momentous progress and you can count on my continued support.”
