Cabinet revolt looms over ‘soft Brexit’
BRITAIN: Brexiteer cabinet ministers are backing Northern Ireland’s Democratic Unionist Party (DUP), heaping pressure on British Prime Minister Theresa May to tear up a promise to align rules with the European Union after Britain’s departure.
May cancelled a visit to Brussels planned for yesterday as the rebellion against proposals for so-called ‘‘regulatory alignment’’ to avoid a hard border with the Republic of Ireland gathered strength.
DUP leader Arlene Foster rebuffed an invitation for a face-toface meeting and kept May waiting for a phone call as the Tories’ allies in the House of Commons entrenched their opposition to the draft deal.
Foster blamed Dublin for the collapse on Tuesday of talks to pave the way to the next stage of Brexit negotiations, claiming Ireland had prevented the British government from showing the DUP the draft text it rejected. This was flatly rejected by the Irish government.
Brexiteer Tories thanked the DUP for scuppering a deal that they claimed would either break up the United Kingdom or ensure it could never fully leave the EU.
One senior Conservative said MPs would comprehensively reject any proposal that resulted in the UK signing up to maintain any kind of regulatory alignment with the EU.
May was challenged over her offer of ‘‘regulatory alignment’’ to protect North-South co-operation under the Good Friday agreement at yesterday’s cabinet meeting. A cabinet source said she failed to reassure her colleagues that the DUP was wrong to fear that the scope of the commitment left Northern Ireland vulnerable to being forced to mirror almost all EU rules.
Downing Street said May was likely to travel to Brussels today and was confident a deal would be agreed at the European Council next week.
Sources in Brussels said the DUP veto had brought the UK and European sides closer together. ‘‘There is a real desire to get an agreement,’’ they said.