DUP says ‘no compromise’ on Brexit redlines after meeting with EU’s chief negotiator
DUP leader Arlene Foster refused to compromise on her Brexit redline today as she shot down the EU's proposal for the Irish backstop.
The EU wants Northern Ireland to stay in its customs union and Single Market after Brexit if no other solution can be found to keep the border with Ireland invisible.
That suggestion was met with anger by Theresa May, who claimed no Prime Minister could ever agree to a proposal which would effectively split the UK.
Brussels' chief Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier has sought to "de-dramatise" the issue by suggesting any customs checks could be carried out away from the border, but speaking in Brussels on Tuesday morning after a meeting with the Frenchman, Foster doubled down on her position.
"I am the leader of the Democratic Unionist party. The clue is in the title. I am a unionist, I believe in the union of the United Kingdom, all four elements of the United Kingdom.
"We do not want Northern Ireland going off in a different direction from the rest of the UK.”
She added: “Why would we need checks between GB and Northern Ireland or between Northern Ireland and GB if we were an integral part of the single market of the United Kingdom?”
May's compromise issue on the backstop would see the whole UK stay in a customs union with the EU after Brexit for a time-limited period.
However, the UK would not follow the same rules on regulations – something which Brussels is opposed to.
May has pledged to come up with a new plan on the backstop in a bid to force a breakthrough in the Brexit talks, but Foster revealed the Prime Minister has yet to show her any detail on the proposal.
She said: "We cannot talk in a vacuum. We need to see what has been proposed and we will check that against what we have called our red line."
The DUP's 10 MPs prop up May's Conservative government in Westminster, meaning Foster plays a key role in shaping Downing Street's Brexit strategy.