Why are people so concerned about the DUP?

The DUP regularly make headlines with their controversial policies:

They are historically the biggest pro-forced pregnancy party in the UK. And, in 2016, Foster vowed to block any reforms to Northern Ireland’s strict abortion laws, saying: “I would not want abortion to be as freely available here as it is in England, and don’t support the extension of the 1967 act.”
Staunchly anti-LGBTQ rights, the party have blocked gay marriage in Northern Ireland. Even more worryingly, members have also described LGBT people as an “abomination” on numerous occasions, called for a lifetime ban on sexually active gay men giving blood, and claimed that children should not be brought up by homosexual couples, as they are “far more likely to be abused or neglected”.
In 2011, they famously called for the return of the death penalty – and recently made it abundantly clear that they wish the issue to be considered again.

It is also worth noting that the DUP appointed Sammy Wilson, a vehement climate change denier, as the Northern Ireland environment minister – and defended him from critics when they began calling for his resignation.

The party also boasts a number of creationists — those who believe the universe and all organisms were “created by a supernatural being less than 10,000 years ago” — as senior leaders. In fact, some 40% of DUP party members believe creationism should be taught in schools as well as, or instead of, mainstream science.

Images: Rex Features

Who are the DUP? Everything you need to know about the Democratic Unionist Party