Wrong Brexit deal could seal divisions in Ulster for generations, Rishi warned
STRIKING the wrong Brexit deal could cement divisions in Northern Ireland for ‘generations’, Rishi Sunak was warned last night.
DUP leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson told Tory Eurosceptics that he welcomed the ‘progress’ made by the Prime Minister in talks with Brussels and suggested there was ‘the potential to resolve this issue’.
But he warned there was ‘still some way to go’.
He told a meeting of the European Research Group of Tory MPs at Westminster: ‘The wrong deal will not restore power sharing but will cement division for future generations.’ Sir Jeffrey welcomed Brussels concessions that would allow most retail goods shipped from Great Britain to Northern
‘He is not going to fold over this’
Ireland to be placed in a ‘ green lane’ where they would not be subject to EU law or checks.
But he said the DUP could not accept the EU’s insistence that goods produced in Northern Ireland must be subject to Brussels laws even if they are destined to be sold in the rest of the UK.
‘There will be no restoration of the Northern Irish Executive until the Protocol is replaced with arrangements that are good for Northern Ireland and its place in the United Kingdom,’ he added.
The DUP pulled out of power sharing last year in protest at the Northern Ireland Protocol, which governs post-Brexit trade rules.
Ex-Tory Cabinet minister Simon Clarke said last night there was ‘a long way to go’ before Eurosceptics were ready to sign a new deal. However, the EU said the ‘finishing line’ was in sight on an agreement with Mr Sunak.
Some sources suggested a deal could be struck as soon as tomorrow, with Foreign Secretary James Cleverly holding ‘high intensity’ talks with the EU’s vice-president Maros Sefcovic yesterday.
But a Unionist source said Sir Jeffrey ‘is not going to fold’ over the issue – and there were fears the wrong deal could trigger ministerial resignations.
Eurosceptic MPs believe Northern Ireland minister Steve Baker could be the first to resign if a new arrangement leaves Brussels with too much power over Ulster – although a source close to the minister, who previously resigned from Government over Theresa May’s Brexit deal, played down the prospects of an imminent departure.
Other ministers said to have concerns include Commons Leader Penny Mordaunt and the Transport Secretary Anne-Marie Trevelyan.
Mr Sunak told his Cabinet he views himself as a Conservative, a Brexiteer and a Unionist – and that ‘all three parts of me’ would have to be satisfied before he agreed a new deal. A Whitehall source said the Government did not need ‘a handshake moment’ with the DUP provided they did not oppose a deal outright.
It came as Attorney General Victoria Prentis KC warned that the Good Friday Agreement could be ‘looked at’ again if Britain opts to leave the European Convention on Human Rights in order to deal with the migrant crisis.