...but Nigel Dodds rubbishes her plans as ‘meaningless’
THE DUP has rejected fresh UK government assurances on the border backstop as ‘cosmetic and meaningless’.
The party’s deputy leader Nigel Dodds said the series of commitments from Downing Street had not altered his party’s strong opposition to Theresa May’s Brexit deal. In a 13-page paper published yesterday, the British government pledged to enact domestic laws to assuage concerns that the North would be treated differently to the UK if the backstop were enacted.
The backstop, which would come into effect if a wider UK-EU trade deal fails to materialise by the end of the Brexit implementation period, would see the North continue to adhere to a number of EU rules.
It is designed to maintain a freeflowing border on this island regardless of the outworking of Brexit. But the DUP claims it would undermine the constitutional integrity of the UK by creating barriers between the North and Great Britain.
The British government has now pledged to give the Northern Assembly a ‘strong role’ if the contentious backstop is ever triggered.
It has offered a legally binding commitment to ‘consult’ with Stormont before deciding to either enter the backstop or ask for an extension of the implementation period from 2020.
But the final decision will be taken by parliament in London.
Criticising the proposals, Mr Dodds said: ‘Consultation with the Assembly on whether to bring the backstop into effect would ultimately have no bearing on the decisions to be taken by parliament.’
Sinn Féin vice-president Michelle O’Neill said most MLAs were Remainers, adding: ‘In terms of giving the Assembly and the DUP a veto on any of those things in the future, that will not be acceptable to Sinn Féin and... the other [pro-Remain] parties.’