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LONDON (Reuters) – The northern Irish party that backs Premier's government, Theresa May, said on Friday that her talks had sounded the alarm and she would not support an agreement on Brexit that would divide the United Kingdom.
DUP's chief, Arlene Foster, addresses the media at a press conference in Stormont, Belfast, Northern Ireland, November 2, 2018. REUTERS / Clodagh Kilcoyne
Less than five months before Britain left the EU on March 29, an agreement was reached at least 95%, but officials said they were still discussing the fate of the land border between Northern Ireland, under British rule, and Ireland, member of the EU.
The Times newspaper reported that the EU wanted a customs border in the Irish Sea in the case of a Brexit without agreement, citing a leaked letter of May to the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP). ), who supported his government.
May told the DUP that she would never allow such a division of the UK "to come into force", a line interpreted by the party as meaning that a clause would be inserted into the law. And could potentially separate Northern Ireland from the rest of the country. UNITED KINGDOM.
"The Prime Minister's letter sounds the alarm for those who attach importance to the integrity of our valuable union and for those who want a real Brexit for the whole of the United Kingdom "said Arlene Foster, leader of the DUP.
"According to his letter, it appears that the Prime Minister is attached to the idea of a border between the Irish Sea and Northern Ireland in the regulatory regime of the EU's single market, "Foster said.
The DUP has threatened to torpedo discussions on Brexit before. Almost a year ago, his refusal to sign an agreement on the border had caused the temporary failure of negotiations on Brexit at a crucial stage. Negotiators later found a way to keep all parties on board.
The Brexit agreement – or lack thereof – will determine Britain's prosperity for future generations and have long-term consequences for the global influence of the European Union.
Both parties need an agreement to maintain trade between the world's largest trading bloc and the world's fifth-largest economy. The other 27 EU members together have about five times the economic power of Britain.
"ALARM BELLS"
May repeated several times that she would never agree to a Brexit deal that would split the UK.
But she told the DUP that the EU continued to claim an alleged "technical support" that would allow the province to remain aligned with the regulations with the Republic of Ireland in order to avoid a hard border, reported the Times.
"We will not support agreements leaving Northern Ireland separate from the rest of the UK and tied to the customs or regulatory regimes of the European Union," Foster said in a letter to May released Friday.
"It is totally unacceptable that there is a withdrawal agreement providing that in the future, Northern Ireland could at any time be subject to the rules of the customs union." or parts of the single market, unlike the rest of the UK, "she said. added.
If May can conclude an agreement with the EU, she still has to get this agreement approved by Parliament. But we do not know if it has the numbers: about 320 votes in the House of Commons are needed to be sure to win a vote.
Since her failed bet on an instant election in 2017 caused her party to lose her majority in parliament, May relied on the DUP to govern.
The Conservative party of May has 315 legislators. It counts on 10 legislators DUP to adopt legislation.
Edited by Paul Sandle and Hugh Lawson
