‘No way’ DUP will back May’s Brexit deal, says senior party member
A senior DUP member has said there is “no way” his party will back Theresa May’s Brexit deal due to concerns over the backstop agreement.
Sammy Wilson, who is Brexit spokesperson for the DUP, said he was “more alarmed” than ever about the impact the deal would have on Northern Ireland.
“It’s not just because of the regulations which Northern Ireland would be subject to with the backstop, but also the fact we would have to treat the rest of the United Kingdom as a third country, we would not participate in any trade deals which the United Kingdom may enter into in the future and we would find that there would be a border down the Irish Sea which would impede trade with our biggest trading partner, namely GB," Wilson told the BBC's Today programme.
Wilson added that people in Northern Ireland should be “totally relaxed” about the prospect of a no-deal Brexit.
The comments are the latest blow for May, who has been meeting with DUP members in a bid to whip up support for her Brexit deal.
Yesterday DUP deputy leader Nigel Dodds slammed the proposed withdrawal agreement, saying his party still has “principled objections”.
The DUP, which props up May’s government in parliament, has raised concerns about the so-called backstop agreement, fearing it could lead to a harder border in the Irish Sea.
In a discussion with German Chancellor Angela Merkel yesterday, Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar said the border issue is the only “red line” his country has in the Brexit negotiations.
May is seeking clarification from the EU about whether a backstop arrangement would be permanent if it came into force, but the EU has insisted negotiations will not be reopened.
Parliament is due to vote on May’s Brexit deal in the week beginning 14 January.