• PM gives assurance that any agreement with the DUP will be published  
• Parties must stop looking for problems and start seeking solutions in talks 

Ulster Unionist Party Leader, Robin Swann MLA said:

"We had a constructive meeting with the Prime Minister today. I passed on my condolences on behalf of the Ulster Unionist Party to the Prime Minister about the Grenfell fire tragedy and also in recognition of those who lost their lives and were injured in the terrorist attacks in London and Manchester.

"In regard to current negotiations I also warned the Prime Minister of side deals in any negotiations and asked that any arrangements are open and transparent. She assured us that any agreement with the DUP would be published. Too often in the past we have seen the detrimental impact of 'side deals' on politics in Northern Ireland. An agreement may be reached with the DUP but what will Sinn Fein seek in return? If the DUP get a deal for the benefit of all the people in Northern Ireland, that should be welcomed. We will wait and see. In the past Labour governments made despicable side deals over 'on-the-run' letters and Royal Prerogatives of Mercy. Under no circumstances should anything like that ever be allowed to happen again. Victims were betrayed and confidence in politics was shattered.

"Given the extremely tight timeframe for talks, the time for people prevaricating over the ability of the Secretary of State to chair these talks is over. It is a sideshow.

"We've got two weeks from today to sort this out and get the Northern Ireland Executive up and functioning again and to try to bring in a new chair is actually a waste of time and a distraction. Instead of some parties looking for problems, all parties should be seeking solutions. It's time to drop the rhetoric and the grandstanding.

"The quarter of a million people waiting on health appointments and those lying on hospital trollies should be shown some respect by political parties by getting the Executive and Assembly up and running again. The head teachers should be shown equality of opportunity, so they can balance their budgets.

"We were assured by the Prime Minister that she wasn't looking a 'hard' Brexit or a 'soft' Brexit, but rather the 'right' Brexit. With months and years of negotiations in front of us the Prime Minister demonstrated realism about the way ahead. I reaffirmed that a border up the middle of the Irish Sea was totally unacceptable and as unionists we would always work to retain the integrity of the United Kingdom and that is a goal we share with the Prime Minister. We will continue to do what's right for Northern Ireland."