Legal challenge launched over Conservative/DUP deal

A judicial review into a "confidence and supply" deal struck between the Britain's ruling Conservative Party and the Northern Ireland's Democratic Unionists will be launched at the High Court on Thursday.

The case was brought by Green Party politician Ciaran McClean and it will look into the legality of the £1 billion ($1.32 billion) deal where DUP votes in parliament will allow Prime Minister Theresa May's Conservatives to rule.

The deal was reached following the June 8 snap election, which saw the Conservatives lose their parliamentary majority.

McClean, who is filing the case in his capacity as a private individual, has raised thousands by crowdfunding for the legal action and accuses the May government of "buying DUP votes" to hold on to power.

He will argue that the "money for votes" agreement breaches the Bribery Act 2010, and is a "corrupt bargain".

The DUP has insisted the arrangement to support the minority Tory government will provide stability for the U.K. at a time of uncertainty while securing a big slice of investment for Northern Ireland.

The U.K. government has rejected claims that the deal was not impartial based on the articles of the 1998 Belfast Agreement, despite criticism by various parties, including Sinn Fein.

David Greene, a partner at London law firm Edwin Coe, which is representing McClean, said that nothing in the government's case relating to the court action "dissuades us from concluding that the DUP agreement is corrupt and very simply unlawful".

The application will be heard by two judges.