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5.36pm BST
The prime minister will have to do a lot more, however, to convince us that the DUP tail isn’t wagging the Tory dog.
Their influence on the British government is a cause for deep concern that must be addressed to assure the public and political parties of the independence of the talks process [intended to lead to the restoration of power sharing]. The Irish government will be critical to that and they should reassert their role as co-guarantors of our agreements.
5.18pm BST
This is what Gerry Adams, the Sinn Fein president, said as he left No 10.
We have just finished a meeting with the British prime minister and her secretary of state. And we told her very directly that she was in breach of the Good Friday agreement and we itemised those matters in which she was dilatory or in default in relation to that agreement.
5.03pm BST
Gerry Adams, the Sinn Féin president, is speaking alongside his Sinn Féin colleagues after their meeting with Theresa May.
He says they told May that a deal with the DUP would be in breach of the Good Friday agreement.
Gerry Adams and the Sinn Fein team coming out of No10. http://pic.twitter.com/V6AURq5yFl
4.12pm BST
The Ulster Unionists also raised the transparency of any Tory/DUP deal in their talks with Theresa May. As ITV’s Carl Dinnen reports, the UUP leader Robin Swann said he was assured the deal would be published.
NEW Robin Swann, Ulster Unionist Party leader, says the Prime Minister has promised to make the whole deal with the DUP public.
4.08pm BST
At first minister’s questions in Edinburgh Nicola Sturgeon, the Scottish first minister, criticised the prospective deal between the Tories and the DUP. She told MSPs:
I want to record my deep-seated concern and, I believe, the deep-seated concern of many, not just in Scotland but across the UK right now, at the prospect of some sort of grubby deal between the Tories and the DUP to allow Theresa May to cling to office.
I don’t think that kind of deal, particularly if it is not completely and utterly transparent, is in the national interest in any way, shape or form.
4.05pm BST
David Laws, the former Lib Dem minister, has welcomed Tim Farron’s decision to resign as party leader, saying that Farron’s views on homosexuality were “fundamentally illiberal and prejudiced”. In an article for the i, Laws said:
You cannot be a leader of a liberal party while holding fundamentally illiberal and prejudiced views which fail to respect our party’s great traditions of promoting equality for all our citizens.
Many of us have despaired over the last few weeks in seeing all the good work of Liberal Democrats such as Lynne Featherstone, who drove through the equal marriage legislation under the coalition, undermined by Tim’s failure to be able to give direct and liberal responses on his own attitudes to homosexuality.
3.55pm BST
The Conservatives enjoyed a significant financial advantage during the general election campaign, taking in more than £2 in large donations for every pound received by other parties, the Press Association reports.
Electoral Commission figures covering donations worth more than £7,500 for all but the last two days of the campaign showed that the Tories added almost £12.5m to their battle chest compared with £6.1m by all the others combined.
The Conservatives took in £12,488,791, while Labour received £4,537,416, Liberal Democrats £1,215,594, the Women’s Equality party £152,960, Ukip £99,300, the Scottish National party £63,000, the Greens £52,866 and the Socialist party £10,000.
3.40pm BST
The Democratic Unionist leader and now Westminster kingmaker, Arlene Foster, will travel to Dublin tomorrow to meet Ireland’s new taoiseach, Leo Varadkar.
The Irish prime minister is hosting the leaders of all the main political parties in Northern Ireland as he weighs in on efforts to push them towards agreement to restore power sharing in the region by the end of this month.
3.37pm BST
Apologies for the lack of posts here while I have been covering the ministerial briefing for the Grenfell Tower fire blog.
Meanwhile, Theresa May has started her talks with the Northern Ireland parties. These are about restoring power-sharing at Stormont, not specifically about the Tory/DUP deal.
Naomi Long of NI Alliance party has come out of No 10 after PM talks saying she’s “not reassured” by UK Govt neutrality post DUP-Tory deal.
Long: “its the DUP having leverage over the UK Government” not the other way round… and she raises the issue of party funding arrangements
1.23pm BST
Nick Hurd, the fire minister, is going to speak to MPs in Westminster Hall at 1.30pm about the Grenfell Tower fire.
But it is not a proceeding of parliament, and it will not be televised. I’m heading off there now to cover it in person. I will be blogging about it in the Grenfell Tower blog.
Related: London fire: Theresa May orders public inquiry into Grenfell tower blaze – latest updates
1.21pm BST
Here is the Sun’s Tom Newton Dunn on the Tory briefing about the Queen’s speech.
Theresa now challenging DUP not to vote down her Govt, with potentially no deal agreed at all. Highest possible stakes brinkmanship. https://t.co/2EJOFz6IWr
1.09pm BST
Theresa May has announced a full public inquiry into the Grenfell Tower fire.
And Philip Hammond, the chancellor, has announced that he is cancelling his Mansion House speech because of the tragedy. There was speculation that he was going to use the speech to announce a shift in Brexit policy. (See 10.35am.)
In view of the Grenfell Tower tragedy, I have withdrawn from giving the Mansion House speech tonight. My thoughts are with local community.
12.40pm BST
We’ve just had a briefing in the Commons from a senior Conservative source about the talks with the DUP and the Queen’s speech. The source said:
Following the prime minister’s regular audience with the Queen, we can confirm that the Queen’s speech will be held on 21 June.
Talks with the DUP are progressing well and there is broad agreement on the principles of the Queen’s speech. Both parties are committed to strengthening the union, combating terrorism, delivering Brexit and delivering prosperity across the whole country.
11.59am BST
The Press Association has more on the ministerial statement that Nick Hurd, the fire minister, is giving to MPs later today.
Special arrangements have been made for MPs to question a government minister on the Grenfell Tower fire on Thursday afternoon.
MPs would normally expect to hear a ministerial statement on a tragedy of this scale in the House of Commons, but this is not possible because parliament has not yet formally reopened following the snap election.
11.46am BST
Here is my colleague Heather Stewart on the announcement that the Queen’s speech will take place on Wednesday.
So I understand DUP have signed off on stripped down Queens Speech; but details of confidence and supply deal still being negotiated.
11.25am BST
The Scottish National party’s new Westminster leader, Ian Blackford, has indicated thelikelihood of a second independence referendum is receding because there is now a greater chance of stopping a hard Brexit.
With a new Survation poll in the Daily Record showing 60% of Scottish voters opposed a second referendum and only 27% backed one, Blackford was asked on BBC Radio Scotland whether the SNP was “between a rock and a hard place”. It had to placate its core vote by keeping their independence hopes alive while not alienating the wider electorate, who opposed one. He replied:
Nicola Sturgeon has made it very clear that we would reflect on the results of the election last week. What we asked the Scottish people to do at the 2016 Scottish election was vote for us on the basis that if there were a change in circumstances, the [Scottish] government and the [Holyrood] parliament would have the right to seek a referendum if that were appropriate.
What we now see is a situation where I think it’s more likely we can achieve compromise while protecting the people of Scotland who have been dragged out of the single market against our will. So that’s the immediate priority.
We will be seeking to work with others that may share our views that there are consequences of a hard Brexit, I think that’s something we want to try to make sure we can stop.
11.21am BST
Nick Hurd, the fire minister, will make a statement to MPs in a Commons committee room at 1.30pm, the BBC is reporting.
Fire minister Nick Hurd will make Govt statement on #GrenfellTower at 1.30 in commons Grand Committee room
11.14am BST
The BBC’s Laura Kuenssberg says No 10 could also be trying to call the Treasury’s bluff. It has been reportedly raising reservations about the proposed Tory/DUP deal. (See 10.55am.)
Govt sources say tories and DUP all committed to getting on with the deal- trying to call Foster’s bluff ?
Or indeed, Number 10 trying to get Treasury to hurry up with the sums
11.12am BST
According to the Sun’s Tom Newton Dunn, the Queen’s speech will go ahead even if the Tory/DUP deal has not been finalised. He says Theresa May is calling the DUP leader, Arlene Foster’s, bluff.
Queen’s Speech announced for Weds June 21, with or without a DUP deal. PM is calling Arlene’s hand.
11.01am BST
The Queen’s speech was originally meant to take place on Monday.
So it is coming two days late.
10.58am BST
The government has announced that the Queen’s speech will take place on Wednesday next week. The Press Association has just snapped this.
The state opening of parliament and Queen’s speech will take place on Wednesday June 21, the leader of the Commons Andrea Leadsom has announced.
10.55am BST
You can read all today’s Guardian politics stories here.
As for the rest of the papers, here is the PoliticsHome list of top 10 must reads, and here is the ConservativeHome round-up of today’s politics stories.
Theresa May’s hopes of securing the support of the Democratic Unionist party for her minority government were faltering last night as the Treasury dug in against the costs of a deal ..
Mrs May faces an internal battle over “bribes” to Northern Ireland. One stumbling block is the “Barnett consequentials” — the system supposed to ensure fair funding for all four nations of the UK.
After months of arguments and occasional humiliation at the hands of Mrs May and her team of advisers in No 10, Mr Hammond is determined to reassert his authority on the Brexit process.
The chancellor wants Mrs May to push for a significant transition period to allow British business to adapt to leaving the customs union and single market after Brexit in 2019 and to soften her stance on immigration controls.
Theresa May will face Cabinet resignations if she gives in to demands from Philip Hammond to water down Brexit, senior Tories warned last night …
A senior Tory source said at least three cabinet ministers were prepared to quit if the prime minister bowed to the demands of her chancellor. International trade secretary Liam Fox has told friends his job would be pointless if the UK stayed inside the customs union.
Top Cabinet ministers today fought a major Brexit dust up with Theresa May in a bid to force her to rejig her negotiating strategy.
Chancellor Philip Hammond joined forces with Home Secretary Amber Rudd to demand the weakened PM prioritise jobs over tough immigration controls
10.35am BST
There will be a ministerial statement in parliament on the Grenfell Tower fire in parliament this afternoon, the BBC’s Norman Smith is reporting.
Govt Statement on #grenfelltower tragedy in Parliament this afternoon
Govt statement on #grenfelltower likely take place in Commons committee room
9.24am BST
Theresa May is expected to visit Grenfell Tower this morning, according to the BBC’s Katy Searle.
Sources have told the BBC the PM will visit the scene at Grenfell fire this morning
9.12am BST
Mostly I won’t be writing about the Grenfell Tower fire tragedy on Politics Live because we are covering it on a separate live blog, which you can read here.
This is the richest borough in our country treating its citizens in this way and we should call it what it is. It is corporate manslaughter. That’s what it is. And there should be arrests made, frankly. It is an outrage.
Many of use across the country have been caught up in an election knocking on housing estate doors, travelling up to the top floors of tower blocks, and we know as politicians that the conditions in this country are unacceptable.
8.32am BST
Good morning. I’m taking over from Graham.
It had been thought that the main candidates in the Lib Dem leadership contest would be Jo Swinson and Sir Vince Cable. But the BBC’s Norman Smith has been told they might not stand.
Am told likely contenders in @LibDems leadership will be @normanlamb and Ed Davey
Am told @vincecable cd takeover leadership of @LibDems on temporary basis as caretaker leader
8.22am BST
Our colleague Jessica Elgot has analysed Farron’s leadership here and those questions about his faith that kept cropping up. Here’s a bit of it:
In the crucial first week of the general election campaign however, Farron’s real chance to make an impression on the public was dogged with questions over his attitude to gay sex. Initially he attempted to deflect the question by insisting he was not a religious philosopher. When he finally sat down with the BBC’s Eleanor Garnier in an intervention to clarify he did not believe gay sex was a sin, the damage had been done.
He later faced questions too on his attitude to abortion, faced with a copy of an old interview he gave with a Salvation army magazine where he said the procedure was “wrong”. He acted far more decisively, insisting he was “pro-choice” and the time limit on abortion should be set by science.
8.04am BST
Meanwhile the shockwaves in Liberal Democrat circles over the resignation of leader Tim Farron are still being felt.
As you will see from our round up below Farron quit yesterday saying: “The consequences of the focus on my faith is that I have found myself torn between living as a faithful Christian and serving as a political leader.
7.53am BST
No room for politics on the front pages of the papers today. They all lead on the Grenfell Tower fire so all Brexit and post-election headlines have been, for a day at least, shelved.
The Telegraph though has an interesting enough Brexit story snuck away on its website. It’s behind a premium paywall but basically says that Theresa May is considering offering a ‘sweetener’ to Brussels as talks with the EU negotiator are set to start.
7.36am BST
Good morning and welcome to politics live on a day when the goings-on in Westminster will inevitably be overshadowed by the grim aftermath of the Grenfell Tower fire.
Here is where we stand in the political world:
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