Sinn Fein’s MPs should use votes on Brexit, says Taoiseach
SINN Fein is coming under mounting pressure to take its six seats in the Westminster parliament ahead of potentially crucial votes on Brexit.
Taoiseach Leo Varakdar has urged Mary Lou McDonald’s party to consider using its numbers in the House of Commons to influence the outcome on what are likely to be tight votes on the issue.
Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn last night delivered a speech calling for the UK to remain in a customs union with the EU.
He said: “We have long argued that a customs union is a viable option for the final deal, so Labour would seek to negotiate a new, comprehensive UK-EU customs union to ensure there are no tariffs with Europe and to help avoid any need whatsoever for a hard border in Northern Ireland.”
Its believed that some Conservative MPs could support Labour’s position in a Commons vote on future customs arrangements.
Given Theresa May’s lack of an overall majority, and her reliance on the DUP for support, the result of any vote on the matter is likely to be close and could hinge on Sinn Fein’s six seats.
Mr Varadkar last night said such a vote may not take place for a number of weeks. But he added: “It is important that people who do have influence, people who could attend the House of Commons — bear in mind the effect that they could have.”
He said that Irish MPs’ votes haven’t always mattered historically, but that at key points in the past they held the balance of power and “were able to really make things better for Ireland by forcing things like land reform for example”.
“So I’d hope that those who could cast their votes will bear that in mind,” he added.
However, Sinn Fein said: “This is not even a topic of discussion within the party, we are an abstentionist party, and we are mandated to abstain from Westminster by the people who vote for us.”