Never! May scorns Irish border plan
THERESA MAY accused the EU of trying to destroy the integrity of Britain yesterday after it published explosive proposals for a final Brexit deal.
The Prime Minister dismissed the Brussels document as unacceptable, accusing the bloc of trying to cut Northern Ireland adrift from the rest of Britain.
She is set for talks with Donald Tusk today after the publication of the plans – which would effectively subject Northern Ireland to EU rules by keeping it in the customs union, and extend the European Court of Justice’s power over Britain indefinitely by making it the arbiter of the divorce deal.
Yesterday, Mrs May told the Commons: ‘The draft legal text … would, if implemented, undermine the UK common market and threaten the constitutional integrity of the UK.’ She said the plan would create a ‘customs and regulatory border down the Irish Sea, and no UK prime minister could ever agree to it’.
The DUP raged that the EU was ‘playing roulette’ with Northern Ireland.
Last night, there were also suspicions of co-ordinated action between the EU and Labour. Michel Barnier appeared to give his backing to Labour’s U-turn this week, when the party said it would support staying in the customs union.
Mr Barnier, EU chief negotiator, said the stance could provide a ‘solution’ to the Northern Irish border issue.
Meanwhile, former Labour leader Tony Blair and shadow Brexit secretary Keir Starmer held separate meetings with Guy Verhofstadt, the European Parliament’s Brexit chief in Brussels last night.
The EU’s 118-page document is effectively its legalised version of the with- drawal agreement struck at the end of last year. While outlining more detail on the ‘divorce bill’ and rights of UK and EU citizens living abroad, a section on Northern Ireland proved the most explosive.
The argument centres on ways of avoiding a hard border between Northern Ireland and the Republic. The Government believes this will be solved in a trade deal with the EU or by using innovative solutions to avoid customs checks.
But the EU plans all but omitted these ideas, instead detailing a ‘backstop’ provision – triggered in the event of no other ‘agreed solutions’ – that would effectively tie Northern Ireland to the bloc.
Mr Barnier conceded his proposal would create a border in the Irish Sea between the UK mainland and Ireland which would be a ‘ common regulatory area’. He added: ‘ In ports and airports there will be controls but I will not refer to it as a border.’ He insisted the plan would have to be signed off by the UK, claiming his team would draw up ‘parallel’ plans if they received more information from the Government.
But Arlene Foster, leader of the DUP, said: ‘The EU draft text is constitutionally unacceptable and would be economically catastrophic for Northern Ireland.’
Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson said: ‘The issue of the Northern Irish border is being used quite a lot politically to try and keep the UK in the customs union.’
Another section said the ECJ will retain ‘jurisdiction’ while its rulings concerning the deal ‘shall be binding on the Union and United Kingdom’. Mrs May has repeatedly vowed to end the authority of EU judges over Britain. The document outlined how ECJ rulings affecting the rights of the three million EU citizens living in the UK will have direct effect in UK courts for their entire lifetimes.