HAS THERESA WON OVER THE DUP?
PM close to persuading Ulster allies to vote for her plan ‘in return for more cash’
THERESA May was last night closing in on an agreement with the DUP that could salvage her Brexit deal.
Ministers held intensive talks with senior Democratic Unionist Party figures yesterday which could see Northern Ireland benefit from fresh post-Brexit protections and more cash – in return for the DUP backing the Prime Minister’s agreement.
The talks are set to continue over the weekend, with ministers targeting an agreement on Monday ahead of a third attempt to win parliamentary approval for Mrs May’s deal, probably on Tuesday.
Talks are focusing on a series of legal assurances designed to prevent the Irish backstop driving a wedge between Northern Ireland and the rest of the UK. But sources said the DUP also discussed their demand for air passenger duty to be abolished in Northern Ireland during a working lunch with Chancellor Philip Hammond and Government chief whip Julian Smith yesterday. A source said the possibility of extending the confidence and supply deal between the Democratic Unionist Party and Conservatives, which is currently due to end in June, was also part of the negotiations designed to secure DUP support. In the first round of talks in 2017, the DUP secured an extra £1billion for Northern Ireland.
DUP deputy leader Nigel Dodds said the two sides had ‘good discussions’, adding: ‘We want to get a deal.’ Mr Dodds insisted that the talks were focused on securing protections for the Union.
Asked if extra money for Northern Ireland had been discussed with Mr Hammond, Mr Dodds insisted: ‘We are not discussing cash.’
But Tory sources last night acknowledged that cash was likely to form part of any deal, even if the final sum is not agreed until later in the year.
The scrapping of air passenger duty would also make a significant difference, with campaigners claiming Ulster loses one million passengers a year to Dublin as a result of the charge.
The DUP’s support for the Brexit deal is seen as critical, with dozens of Tory Eurosceptics saying they will never support it unless the unionists are satisfied.
One Tory source said: ‘They know how to negotiate and they know we need them. But the Chancellor is also in deal-making mode.’
As momentum appeared to be building behind the Prime Minister, Downing Street was putting the final touches to new proposals designed to win the support of Labour MPs.
These included the promise that parliament will get a say on the Government’s negotiating aims for the second part of the Brexit talks.
No.10 also confirmed Mrs May would next week seek to delay Brexit from the scheduled leaving date of March 29 if her deal is rejected again. Other senior figures involved in yesterday’s talks included Environment Secretary Michael Gove, Mrs May’s deputy David Lidington and the Cabinet Secretary Sir Mark Sedwill.
Speaking after the talks, Mr Dodds said: ‘We have had a long series of discussions with a series of Cabinet ministers today. We have had a constructive dialogue. Those discussions will continue over the coming period of time.’ He added: ‘From day one, our focus has been on the red line of how Northern Ireland is treated separately from the rest of the UK. That is the issue that has been the priority concern for us.’
DUP demands include legislation for a so- called ‘Stormont Lock’ that would give the Ulster assembly a say over any new EU regulations imposed under the backstop. The party also wants legislation that would prevent the rest of the UK diverging from Northern Ireland on regulatory issues during any period in the backstop.
Attorney General Geoffrey Cox is ‘updating’ his legal advice on the Irish backstop ahead of next week’s vote. A Government source said Mr Cox ‘will not change his advice on the facts’, but added: ‘He could elaborate on things and answer different questions.’
Mr Cox is said to be expanding on the possibility that the Vienna Convention could provide a way out of the backstop, which critics fear could leave the UK locked in a customs union indefinitely. He is
‘They know how to negotiate ‘Answer different questions’
said to believe that the UK could withdraw from the backstop if it could be shown to be undermining the Good Friday Agreement.
Legal advice circulated by Brussels to EU ambassadors yesterday makes clear that member states cannot attach ‘special conditions’ to any granting of an extension of Article 50 – the mechanism that enacts Brexit – such as demanding the UK hold a second referendum.
The advice also states it is ‘in principle, possible’ for the UK to seek more than one extension of Article 50, holding out the possibility that the UK’s exit date could continue to recede into the future if no deal can be agreed.
But it warns that no further extension will be possible unless the UK agrees to hold elections to the European parliament on May 23, as failure to do so would leave British citizens unrepresented.
AFTER a week of chaos and confusion in Westminster, the stage is set for another vote on the Brexit deal. Could it be third time lucky for Theresa May?
There are reasons for hope. The DUP hailed the ‘constructive dialogue’ after talks with ministers yesterday.
If the Northern Irish party can be brought back into the fold, significant numbers of rebel Brexiteers will surely follow.
Any wavering Tory MPs, whether Leavers or Remainers, should consider the findings of today’s Mail poll, which shows Conservative voters back the deal by a margin of two to one, and clearly prefer it to any of the available alternatives – whether a Customs Union Brexit, a second referendum or a lengthy delay in leaving.
Worryingly, the poll also shows a sharp fall in support for the Conservatives, who now trail Labour by four points. Further rebellion risks a general election and handing Jeremy Corbyn the keys to No 10.