Anti-DUP petition hits 500,000 as anger grows over Tory deal

Petition: Hundreds of thousands of people have backed the call
Change.org
Sebastian Mann10 June 2017
WEST END FINAL

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More than half a million people have signed a petition to block a possible deal between Conservatives and the socially hardline Democratic Unionist Party.

Theresa May is seeking an agreement with the 10 Northern Irish MPs after her party lost its majority in an ill-judged snap election - but anger over the move continues to grow.

Over 500,000 have backed the call in the 24 hours since it was posted on Change.org on Friday.

It calls for Mrs May to resign and labels the DUP deal a “disgusting, desperate attempt to stay in power”.

The DUP has been criticised for its right-wing stance on social issues including gay rights and abortion.

The party opposes gay marriage and Northern Ireland remains the only part of the UK where women cannot access abortion unless their life is endangered by the pregnancy.

In 2016, DUP leader Arlene Foster said: “I would not want abortion to be as freely available here as it is in England.”

On Saturday Mrs May faced a backlash over the DUP's "deeply worrying" stance on abortion after former Northern Ireland Secretary Owen Paterson said: “You might get a debate I suppose on further reduction of abortion times as medical science advances.”

Meanwhile, in London on Saturday hundreds of protesters marched on Downing Street to protest against a "confidence and supply" agreement between Conservatives and the DUP.

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