Northern Ireland ‘won’t be left behind’
BREXIT: David Davis insisted Northern Ireland would not be “left behind” in the single market and customs union after Britain leaves the European Union as Theresa May worked to get negotiations back on track.
TAOISEACH LEO Varadkar has told Theresa May ‘the ball is in your court’ in terms of resolving the Brexit border issue.
Mr Varadkar also warned the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) that agreement over a border deal will be between the UK government and the European Union – not one political party.
Speaking yesterday during leaders questions in the Dail in Dublin, the Irish premier reiterated his “regret” that the UK Government had backed down from a proposal that Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland should continue to be aligned after Brexit.
Mr Varadkar said: “There are many political parties in Northern Ireland and we will listen to and respect all political parties in Northern Ireland and recognise that the majority did not vote to leave the European Union.”
He added: “This is very important, the negotiations are taking place between a sovereign government, the UK in one hand and the European Union of which we are part.
“The negotiations are not involving one or any political party. This agreement, if we come to it, will not be involving one political party to the exclusion of others.”
The Taoiseach said that had the Stormont power-sharing Executive not collapsed in January, Northern Ireland would have had a united, cross-community voice in terms of Brexit.
Separately, DUP Westminster leader Nigel Dodds said yesterday that his party only received draft proposals on the Irish border from the Government on Monday morning before deciding they were “clearly unacceptable” and it scuppered the agreement in Brexit negotiations.
DUP Westminster leader Nigel Dodds blamed the Irish Government and European Union for the delay in seeing plans the party later rejected, because they would have shifted Northern Ireland’s customs border to the Irish Sea.
He said: “Despite several briefings over the course of the last few weeks, we only received written text late yesterday morning.
“We understand this was due in part to delays caused by the Irish Government and the EU negotiating team.”