Europe

UK's Next Government Is Finally A Done Deal, But It Wasn't Cheap

The Conservative Party's deal with the Democratic Unionist Party won't be cheap.

UK's Next Government Is Finally A Done Deal, But It Wasn't Cheap
Getty Images
SMS

U.K. Prime Minister Theresa May finally has her much-needed government majority.

Her Conservative Party reached a deal with Northern Ireland's Democratic Unionist Party, or DUP, on Monday. That's more than two weeks after the country's snap election ended with no clear winner.

Under the deal the DUP's 10 lawmakers will back the Conservatives in key votes in the House of Commons, which includes the budget and the queen's speech.

The DUP will also support legislation on national security and Brexit. That's not surprising because Brexit negotiations were the reason May called for a snap election.

So what does the DUP get in return? Almost $1.3 billion.

Here's What The Queen Laid Out In Her Speech To Parliament
Here's What The Queen Laid Out In Her Speech To Parliament

Here's What The Queen Laid Out In Her Speech To Parliament

Like the State of the Union address in the U.S., the queen's speech usually outlines the ruling party's goals and proposals for the next year.

LEARN MORE

That's on top of the more than $600 million it was already set to get from the government before the deal.

The DUP will spend the total $1.9 billion over the next two years on infrastructure, high-speed internet access and education in Northern Ireland.

U.K. regional leaders were very critical of the deal; one said it was pretty much a "blank cheque" for a Conservative-backed Brexit.