Arlene Foster may have overplayed her hand
If Boris Johnson is gambling that he doesn't need the DUP's votes to secure his new Brexit deal, he might well be right
There will be time to study the details of the new Brexit deal and draw conclusions about which side gave in the most, and how it will work in practice. The immediate question is whether the UK and European Union can make the agreement stick, given that the Democratic Unionist Party is not on board.
The DUP’s refusal to back Theresa May’s deal ensured it was rejected three times in British parliamentary votes andbrought about her downfall. Boris Johnson, her successor as prime minister, seems to be betting that either the hard heads of the DUP will change their minds, or that their support is no longer essential. The first is unlikely, but the second is just about plausible.
