Johnson plea to ‘junk border backstop plan’
MP in draft Brexit deal warning at DUP event
BORIS Johnson has called for the backstop to be “junked” as he warned the draft Brexit deal was at risk of turning the North into an “economic semi-colony” of the EU.
The arch-brexiteer and former British foreign secretary received a warm welcome at the DUP conference in Belfast as he demanded the axing of the contentious proposal that could see the North aligned with EU regulatory rules post-brexit.
After a week which saw the unionist party refuse to support the government in the Commons, Mr Johnson stressed the need to maintain the Conservatives’ “crucial” confidence and supply deal, warning of consequences if Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn came to power.
He said: “And so to our allies in the DUP, I hope you agree it is absolutely vital we keep this partnership going and we are not so complacent as to abandon the government to a man whose avowed policy is to break up this country.
“And we should work together to ensure the whole UK – Northern Ireland included – can seize the opportunities of Brexit.”
Mr Johnson said the UK
was on the verge of “making a historic mistake”. He added: “If we are not careful, we are going to stay in the customs union, we are going to stay in the single market, we are going to be rules takers. Unless we junk this Arlene Foster backstop, we will find that Brussels has got us exactly where they want us – a satellite state. “We will continue to accept the terms under which they have a surplus in trade in goods with us of £95billion [€107billion]. But with no power, no British influence on those terms we won’t be able to do free trade deals of any value or significance.” Mr Johnson called for a “sensible agreement”. He said: “We need to junk the backstop and agree that neither side will introduce a hard border in Northern Ireland.” news@irishmirror.ie
€107bn The reported surplus in trade in goods between the EU and Britain