Tory MP calls man who questioned if the Tories are violating the Good Friday Agreement 'a dick'

Thursday's election resulted in a hung parliament, which means the Conservative party are in talks with the DUP to form some kind of deal in order to have a majority.

It's not clear yet quite what form of government this will result in as the DUP have said there's no agreement made yet, whereas the Conservatives are saying there will be a "confidence and supply deal".

Any kind of deal has received substantial criticism, due to the socially conservative views of the DUP (they're anti-same sex marriage, anti-abortion, and it's former leader addressed a rally of terrorists).

Social conservatism aside - people are worried that a deal of any kind could be a breach of the Good Friday Agreement and potentially be detrimental to peace relations in Northern Ireland.

One twitter user @youlittlequilt tweeted

Sinn Fein are saying that the Tories are in breach of the Good Friday Agreement by forming a coalition with the DUP - and they're right, too.

He received a response from the newly re-elected MP for Poole, who called him a d*ck, and denied it was a coalition.

To the point.

The Digital Editor of the i website, Felicity Morse, also pointed out he somewhat undermined Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson's column in the Sun:

Speaking to the Bournemouth Echothe Tory MP defended his behaviour:

I was replying to a tweet by someone with a picture of Corbyn (not Jeremy Corbyn who I have respect for) and a journalist called Tim Harcourt who were spreading fake news.

Adding that he was:

just pointing out that the agreement is not a coalition, which they were alleging.

Mr Syms has not responded to indy100's request for comment.

Alastair Campbell, a former aide to Tony Blair, who negotiated the deal, argued on the BBC that any deal with the DUP is a breach of the Good Friday Agreement.

He argued:

She [Theresa May] has no idea what she's playing with here.

This is about the role of the government in the Northern Ireland peace process.

When the peace process is in trouble, as it is at the moment with the administration not operating, the British and Irish governments are the mediators between the unionists and the nationalists.

How can they be the mediator when the unionists are now being brought into government?

However, Alastair Campbell's own party may have negotiated with the DUP in 2010 and 2015.

Buzzfeed's Jim Waterson tweeted that Labour tried to do an informal deal with the DUP to cling to power in 2010 and Ben Howlett, the former Conservative MP for Bath who just lost his seat tweeted a letter that alleges Gordon Brown attempting to make a deal.

So is it a breach of the Good Friday Agreement?

Due to the inexact wording of the agreement it's a little unclear.

It states:

The power of the sovereign government with jurisdiction there shall be exercised with rigorous impartiality on behalf of all the people in the diversity of their identities and traditions and shall be founded on the principles of full respect for, and equality of, civil, political, social and cultural rights, of freedom from discrimination for all citizens, and of parity of esteem and of just and equal treatment for the identity, ethos, and aspirations of both communities.

The argument that it breaches the agreement is:

How can the "sovereign government" (the Conservative party), show "rigorous impartiality" if they're being propped up by unionists?

Enda Kenny, Prime Minister of Ireland, has also expressed his concern about a potential deal.

The counter argument - that it doesn't breach agreement - is presumably that the Conservative government will attempt to ensure impartiality by not favouring the DUP manifesto in issues pertaining to Northern Ireland.

If that is the case, it's hard to see what they have to offer the DUP in exchange for their votes.

More: 17 quotes from DUP politicians that are actually real