DUP still has ‘principled objections’ to May’s Brexit deal after Downing Street meeting

Theresa May’s hopes of winning key support for her Brexit deal appear to have suffered another blow after the DUP said its “principled objections” remain.

Nigel Dodds, the DUP’s leader in Westminster, met with May in Downing Street on Thursday lunchtime as the Prime Minster sought to calm fears over the so-called ‘backstop’ in the Brexit deal.

The DUP, which provides the Government with its majority in Parliament, believe the backstop could see regulatory borders put up between the UK and Northern Ireland indefinitely.

In a statement after the meeting, Dodds called on Brussels to scrap the backstop from the withdrawal agreement, but Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadker repeated his claim the UK/EU deal would not be changed.

The lack of movement from the DUP and the Irish means May is facing an increasingly difficult battle to get her deal through Parliament within the next two weeks as planned.

In a statement on Twitter, Dodds said: “The withdrawal agreement, as currently proposed, flies in the face of the government’s commitments on Northern Ireland as we leave the EU.

“Contrary to pro-EU spin, the backstop is not the best of both worlds.

“It is potentially indefinite in time, would place a barrier between us and our main trading partner in Great Britain and give enormous leverage to the European Union in the negotiations on the future relationship with the United Kingdom."

In an attempt to put the heat back on the EU, Dodds insisted the backstop was not needed as the UK and Ireland had committed to avoiding a hard border on the island.

He added: “Brussels must now demonstrate that if it truly cares about Northern Ireland, then erecting a new east-west barrier should be no more palatable than having any new north-south barriers.”

May has been attempting to seek clarifications from the EU that if the backstop arrangement came into force, it would only ever be on a temporary basis.

It is believed more than 100 of her MPs were prepared to vote down the Brexit deal last month, leading May to pull the vote and seek assurances over the backstop issue from Brussels.

However, EU leaders are against reopening the deal to insert such a specific clause, and speaking in Dublin on Thursday, Varadkar doubled-down on that position.

“We want to be in a position to give guarantees, give assurances, give clarifications [but] we need to know what the United Kingdom parliament wants," he said, adding: "But they need to also understand that there will be no explanation, guarantee or clarification that contradicts or renders inoperable any part of the withdrawal agreement.”

Varadker confirmed he had spoken with German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Thursday, and the two had agreed it was down to the UK to find a solution to the current stalemate.

MPs will resume the debate on the Brexit deal in Parliament next week, with a vote due the week beginning January 14.