After the general election yielded a surprise minority government, panic ensued in London as the previously obscure Democratic Unionist Party's 10 MPs unexpectedly held the balance of power at Westminster.
Attempts by the Conservatives to court the DUP's support for a pact which would prop up their minority government began immediately. The morning after the election result, Theresa May appeared bleary-eyed but determined on the steps of Downing Street, referring to the DUP as "friends and allies."
At the time, many Tories breathed a sigh of relief. They may not have secured a majority government, but the DUP's support seemed all but signed off, and that would be enough for May to cling to power and keep Labour out of Downing Street.
One week on, however, and the friendship is looking decidedly more strained. A pact has still to be formally agreed, and signs suggest tensions between the parties are growing.
Unconfirmed claims have emerged that the DUP has asked for £2bn of public money to be allocated to Northern Ireland in exchange for their support, but that the Conservatives have refused, fearing backlash from other parts of the UK at this apparent special treatment.
DUP sources have since briefed journalists in Westminster that they are not happy at how they are being treated by their new Tory colleagues, many of whom have been outspoken about the DUP's policy of blocking marriage equality in Northern Ireland and supporting the region's abortion ban. One told the Guardian that Conservative backbench MPs need to "stop whinging" and "show us some respect."
Today, government sources told the Daily Telegraph that the DUP refused to answer any phone calls from the Conservatives delegation for 36 hours.
The marriage of convenience appears to be at risk of unravelling.
Anyone familiar with Northern Irish politics will be unsurprised at the DUP's behaviour. While many in England have perceived the party as provincial country bumpkins who would jump at the chance of wielding power in Westminster—and take any deal offered to them—in reality the DUP are shrewd and highly skilled negotiators.
The nature of the Troubles conflict in Northern Ireland means that negotiations and power-sharing talks are the bread and butter of Northern Irish politics. Like all of the region's parties, the DUP have a strong and experienced team of ruthless and shrewd negotiators who will rinse the Conservative pact for all they can get.
The DUP's posturing began when the first day of negotiations saw the Conservatives' Chief Whip fly to Belfast for talks with DUP whip Jeffrey Donaldson, rather than having DUP representatives travel to Westminster for talks.
A further humiliation occurred last week when the Conservatives announced a deal had been sealed, only for the DUP to released a contradictory press release in which they said talks had been positive, but sign off wouldn't happen for another week. A government press officer had to release a new statement agreeing with the DUP's version of events.
Few English politicians or media outlets pay much attention to Northern Irish politics, and as such many may be unfamiliar with the DUP's negotiating style. However, those who have followed the party closely in Northern Ireland will be all too aware that the Conservatives should brace themselves to fight tooth and nail to get a pact agreed with them.
The state of local Northern Irish politics gives a strong indication of the DUP's approach to negotiations. The region has been without a government since power-sharing collapsed in January. The collapse occurred after the DUP became embroiled in allegations that their party leader Arlene Foster was responsible for a public scheme, the so-called "Cash for Ash" initiative, which saw close to half a billion pounds of money misspent. An investigation is ongoing into the claims, which Ms Foster strongly denies.
Sinn Féin demanded that she step down as Northern Ireland's First Minister until the inquiry results are announced—however, her party refused, and Sinn Féin subsequently pulled out of governance. Six months on, negotiations are still ongoing in Northern Ireland, with talks focussing on whether the DUP will accept Ms Foster standing down in order to see Sinn Féin return and power-sharing along with them. However, the DUP are steadfast in their resolution to not budge an inch, saying they would rather see Northern Ireland without a government than bow to the demand.
Ultimately, there is very little chance the DUP would ever refuse a pact with the Conservatives outright. The DUP are fiercely anti-Labour, due to Jeremy Corbyn's alleged Republican links, and turning down a pact with the Conservatives, which could boost Corbyn's chances of entering Number 10, would be difficult to justify to their voters.
However, the DUP know they are in a strong position.The pact—for however long it lasts—will likely be fraught throughout, with the DUP making many demands and Conservatives having little choice but to acquiesce to most of them. It seems many Tories at Westminster have learnt with surprise this week that their new "friends and allies" in DUP really aren't that friendly at all.
