We’re not warming to sof t Brexit, says Foster

ARLENE Foster has dismissed a report that her party is warming to the idea of a soft Brexit.

A report in yesterday’s London Times had suggested that leading figures in the DUP had indicated they were open to the idea of the UK entering a customs union with the EU.

Such a customs union would remove the need for a border backstop as it would mean the entire United Kingdom would be bound by the same customs regulations as the EU.

Meanwhile, at a meeting of the Fine Gael parliamentary party last night, the Taoiseach said the Government will continue to ‘hold their nerve’ in relation to Brexit.

He said to expect a better indication of the UK’s position by next Monday, when Theresa May tables her Brexit Plan B.

The Taoiseach also said the Government can use public funds to help industry sectors that are left exposed if a hard Brexit occurs, according to Fine Gael sources.

The reported shift in DUP policy would have put the party at odds with hardline Tory Brexiteers who are determined that the UK should leave the customs union in order to forge its own trade alliances with countries around the world.

But yesterday, Mrs Foster rejected the report which she claimed was ‘an attempt to cause division’.

She said the party is very committed to the idea that Britain would split from the EU.

‘The report published in the Times this morning about the DUP is inaccurate and no doubt designed to undermine efforts to get the necessary changes to the Withdrawal Agreement,’ she said.

‘The prime minister is very clear on our position. We have been consistent that – for us – it is the backstop which needs to be dealt with.

‘For the future, we want an agreement which returns control of our money, our laws and our borders through a UK-wide free trade arrangement with the EU.’

She added: ‘The story in the Times is an attempt to cause division.

‘Such tactics are not new to us and, as in the past, will not succeed.’

Her comments came as Taoiseach Leo Varadkar invited leaders from all the opposition parties to meet with him on Tuesday to discuss Brexit. The collective meeting will take place in Government Buildings on Tuesday afternoon after Cabinet.

A spokesman for the Taoiseach said he will use this meeting to ‘bring them up to speed’ on the Government’s ongoing preparations for Brexit.

This includes work an ‘omnibus bill’ that will allow the Government make the changes needed to prepare for a no-deal Brexit, as well as details of their contingency planning.

Simon Coveney yesterday opted not to urge the DUP to back calls for a customs union. The Tánaiste said: ‘I know the DUP well enough to know that if I encourage them in a direction, they may go in the other direction.

‘I am not going to say anything about the DUP – they will make their own decisions.

‘They are one party in Northern Ireland, the largest party. Obviously they have been a big part of the debate in Westminster because they have ten seats there.’

Mr Coveney added: ‘I respect the DUP and recognise that they have a view. It is not a view that I share in relation to their concerns about the backstop.

‘For me, the backstop is about a protection for everybody.

‘It is a fallback position – it is an insurance mechanism to reassure people they are not going to face the impact of the consequences of border infrastructure in the future.’