Professor Jon Tonge, an expert in Irish politics at the University of Liverpool, told Xinhua: "Theresa May had no choice, as the DUP is the Conservative's only ally.

"Both the Conservatives and the DUP are Brexiteers, and that will help with the negotiations with Brussels, as well as the vexed issue of the border between the Irish Republic and Northern Ireland.

"The link will enrage other parties in Northern Ireland, and the DUP will exact a high price for their support, which may not be visible, but will be there. They will want their goodies from May's government.

"The one thing about the DUP is they are loyal enough to stick with their promise, and as long as it holds May's government should survive. The last thing the Conservatives need now is another election, particularly after the disastrous results of the general election," Tonge said.

Commentators in Northern Ireland say Foster and the leaders of the pro-republican Sinn Fein party have already been set an end of June deadline to come up with power-sharing arrangements to rescue the devolved Northern Ireland assembly which is currently dissolved.

The fear in Belfast is that a close working relationship between May's government and the DUP could affect the devolution crisis.

Meanwhile in Scotland, Conservative leader Ruth Davidson Friday called on Nicola Sturgeon of the Scottish Nationalist Party (SNP) to scrap her call for a second independence referendum.

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