Foster says he is "married" to the idea of ​​an Irish maritime border


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The DUP said the alarm had been launched in a letter from British Prime Minister Theresa May this week.

The leaked document seen by the London Times was a response to a letter sent by the DUP to Ms May on 1 November and suggests that the EU is pleading for a customs border in the Irish Sea between the US and the EU. Northern Ireland and the UK if the Brexit trade negotiations fail.

This is to avoid any return to a hard border on the island of Ireland.

Ms May told DUP chief Arlene Foster and Deputy Chief Nigel Dodds that she would not allow a division between Northern Ireland and the rest of the United Kingdom. come into force".

This led the DUP to believe that the clause could be included in the Brexit agreement, which could be announced in the coming days.

Ms Foster said that the Prime Minister seemed "attached to the idea of ​​a border on the sea of ​​Ireland" despite assurances to the contrary of Downing Street.

In the letter to Ms May, the DUP stated that it resolutely opposed any specific support system for Northern Ireland, saying that it would leave them "rule-takers in Brussels" because, if it is subject to the regulation of the EU single market, it will be so too. submitted to the European Court of Justice.


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The DUP stated that it was "totally unacceptable that there could be a withdrawal agreement providing that Northern Ireland could at any time be subject to the rules of the customs union or the of parts of the single market while the rest of the UK was. "

In their letter, Ms. Foster and Mr. Dodds stated that such an agreement would mean that Northern Ireland "must abide by the rules and laws established by other countries that have not complied with it. not their say and who have a border of goods in the sea of ​​Ireland ".

The letter adds that the EU has not always made the strategy of constructive engagement of the UK government negotiators. On the back panel, he says that the EU ignored what had been agreed and "instead proposed what it wanted to be accepted".

The DUP, he said, recognizes that the withdrawal agreement is legally binding.

"Contrary to previous political statements, the room for delay, fudge or obscurantist language is over.The time has come for the clarity and clarity of things," says the letter.

"We are staunchly opposed to any specific support for Northern Ireland that not only leaves Northern Ireland aligned with specific sectoral regulations of the EU market, but which, when it does not exist, is the only way to go. it is operational, is limited in time by date.

The letter DUP states that if Northern Ireland is subject to the rules of the EU single market, it will also be submitted to the ECJ.

He says it would leave Northern Ireland as a "Brussels rule-maker" and create a "democratic deficit" for the manufacturing and agricultural sectors of their economy.

He says the risk of a tough border has been swollen and that the Scottish nationalists are "ready to embark on" for a specific treatment of Northern Ireland.

The EU's proposal to avoid a rigid border would keep Northern Ireland in alignment with the Customs Union and the Single Market in Brussels.

In the Times' letter, Ms May said: "I am well aware that I can not accept the circumstances or conditions under which this" backstop to backstop ", which would break the United Kingdom's customs territory, could enter into force. conflict.

The DUP interpreted the wording of its letter as meaning that the measure will be contained in the Brexit divorce agreement, despite Ms. May's insistence that it will never be enforced.

Ms. Foster said: "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 sake of it. whole of the United Kingdom.

"It seems that the Prime Minister is attached to the idea of ​​a border between Northern Ireland and the Irish Sea within the regulatory framework of the European Single Market".

Such inclusion would create serious difficulties for Ms. May with DUP as well as with the Brexiteers of her own party.


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The DUP spokesperson for the Brexit has accused Downing Street of having leaked the letter "as part of a process to bring into the public domain what will eventually be agreed" in Brexit.

Sammy Wilson called on the UK government to make public the legal advice it received when negotiating the withdrawal agreement "for the sake of clarity".

Speaking on BBC Radio 4, Wilson said the DUP wanted to "trust" Ms. May, but added "you have to judge any promise based on what is actually delivered by an agreement".

He said the letter made it clear that a backstop reserved for Northern Ireland, requiring a specific alignment of regulations, is under study.

He stated that the promise made in paragraph 50 of the joint report in December, which allows the Northern Ireland Assembly to have its say on what has been agreed, appears to have been deleted, describing it as a breach of a given promise that would ensure that "Northern Ireland would not be cut off from the rest of the United Kingdom".

A spokesman for Downing Street said that Ms. May's letter set out her commitment "in which she has been absolutely clear several times never to accept circumstances in which the United Kingdom is divided into two customs territories.

"The government will not accept anything that can create a hard border on the island of Ireland".

He stated that there already existed existing agreements, such as the single market for electricity and animal health, "which reflect the unique relationship between Ireland and Ireland of the North, and we want to make sure that nothing is detrimental to the integrity of the UK's domestic market and that companies in Northern Ireland, they can continue to access them as they do now, and that's what they do. what our proposals provide. "

Scottish Prime Minister Nicola Sturgeon and Northern Secretary Karen Bradley will attend a meeting of the British Irish Council in the Isle of Man, where Brexit and Northern Ireland will be the focus.

Supplementary reports PA

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