May: MPs could decide backstop
PRIME Minister Theresa May has signalled that MPs could be given the power to decide whether the UK goes into a controversial Brexit backstop arrangement regarding the Northern Irish border.
Mrs May indicated Parliament would choose between triggering the backstop or extending a transition period after the UK formally quits the EU.
The move is likely to be seen as a bid to bolster flagging support ahead of a crunch Commons vote on her EU withdrawal deal next Tuesday – a showdown the PM made clear she would not postpone.
Mrs May told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “There will be a choice between, if we get to that point, a choice between going into the backstop and extending the transition period.
“Now, there are pros and cons of both sides of that.
“People have a concern of the backstop, that we could be in it indefinitely.
“But, in the backstop we have no financial obligations, we have no free movement, we have very light level playing field rules with the EU. In the implementation period, we still have to negotiate the terms, but there will be concerns about the fact that they would require, I’m sure they would require, some more money to be paid, for example.
“So there would be arguments on different sides.”
Asked if she would be happy for Parliament to adjudicate on whether to go into the backstop or extend implementation, the PM said: “I think people are concerned about the role of the UK in making these decisions. And, the obvious, in terms of the UK, is for it to be Parliament that makes these decisions.”
The backstop, intended to prevent the return of a hard border in Northern Ireland, is highly controversial as Brexiteer MPs claim it traps the UK into obeying rules set by Brussels without a say over them.
The Government says it aims to conclude a comprehensive trade deal with the EU before a backstop arrangement would be needed.
Mrs May said that any deal with the EU, such as a Canada-style free trade agreement favoured by some Brexiteers, would also require a backstop arrangement.
Mrs May’s comments came as the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) insisted it will withdraw support for her Government if the Prime Minister presses ahead with the Brexit deal with the EU.
Asked if the DUP was prepared to precipitate a general election, the party’s Brexit spokesman Sammy Wilson told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “If it comes to the point where the Government makes, shows, a determination to implement the Withdrawal Agreement with its damaging terms at present, or some future version of it, which is still equally damaging, we will not be supporting the Government.”
A Downing Street spokeswoman rejected suggestions that the Withdrawal Agreement could be tweaked ahead of next week’s vote to take account of concerns expressed by MPs. “We have been perfectly clear that the Withdrawal Agreement is agreed and final,” she said.