THE DUP’s has renewed its opposition to Theresa May’s Brexit deal less than two weeks before it is due to face a crunch vote in the Commons.
Sammy Wilson, the party’s Brexit spokesman, has said “there’s not” any way in which they can support the Prime Minister’s withdrawal agreement.
His comments come after DUP deputy leader Nigel Dodds insisted his party’s opposition to the backstop proposals had not lessened after a meeting with May on Thursday.
Wilson, appearing on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme yesterday, said: “It’s not just because of the regulations which Northern Ireland would be subject to with the backstop, but also the fact we would have to treat the rest of the United Kingdom as a third country, we would not participate in any trade deals which the United Kingdom may enter into in the future and we would find that there would be a border down the Irish Sea which would impede trade with our biggest trading partner, namely GB.”
Wilson continued by saying that Northern Ireland farmers and businesses should be “totally relaxed” by the prospect of a no-deal Brexit.
He added: “They should be more worried about this deal because this deal is going to keep them tied to EU regulations, it’s going to cut them off from the GB market where we send 60% of our exports and it’s going to stop us participating in UK trade deals in the future.”
However, the Ulster Farmers’ Union – which backs May’s deal – said the comments from Environment Secretary Michael Gove on the need for MPs at Westminster to back the deal confirmed concerns about the risk a no deal Brexit would pose for agriculture in Northern Ireland.
UFU president Ivor Ferguson said: “The most immediate threat remains the fallout from a no deal Brexit, if parliament cannot agree a way ahead.”
Meanwhile, it emerged the UK Government is to use up to 150 lorries in a major test of its plans for UK border disruption in the event of a no-deal Brexit.
A “live test” on Monday will examine the proposal to use Manston airfield near Ramsgate as a mass “HGV holding facility” to alleviate congestion on the roads to the English Channel ports, the Department for Transport has confirmed.
In a letter to hauliers, obtained by Sky News, DfT and Kent County Council officials say they would run tests during the morning rush hour at 8am, and again at 11am, to “establish the safest optimum release rate of HGVs” from the airfield to Dover along the A256.
It said it would pay for 100-150 hauliers from the local area to take part in the test of Operation Brock.
MPs are due to debate the PM’s Brexit deal on Wednesday ahead of a meaningful vote the following week but the EU has yet to offer any changes and has said it will not negotiate any further.
They were due to vote on the deal on 11 December but the vote was pulled as the Government faced certain defeat.
A DfT spokeswoman said: “We do not want or expect a no-deal scenario and continue to work hard to deliver a deal with the EU.
“However, it is the duty of a responsible Government to continue to prepare for all eventualities and contingencies, including a possible no deal.
“We will be testing part of Operation Brock to ensure that, if it needs to be implemented, the system is fully functional.”
Congestion at the Channel ports caused by the reintroduction of customs checks on goods has been one of the most commonly cited negative impacts of a no-deal withdrawal from the EU at the end of March.
Brexit Secretary Stephen Barclay said a second EU referendum would “trigger a very populist reaction” and would further divide the UK.
Speaking to German newspaper Die Welt he said: “The current rate at which Britain is torn would be small compared to the tensions that a second vote would cause.
“It would continue to split our nation.”
The comments echoed his Cabinet colleague Jeremy Hunt, after the
Foreign Secretary said earlier this week that the consequences for democracy of another referendum would be “devastating”.
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