OFFICIALS have been given the green light to begin preparations for European elections in May as a “contingency” measure.
David Lidington, effectively the deputy prime minister, said returning officers would be reimbursed by Whitehall for “reasonable” expenses incurred to prepare for the May 23 poll, which takes place almost three years after the UK voted to leave the EU. The UK would be required to take part in the elections if a delay to Brexit is sought by the Government.
Lidington stressed that “it remains the intention for the UK to leave the EU with a deal and not take part in the European Parliamentary elections in May”.
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But in a letter to the Electoral Commission, Lidington said: “I am able to confirm that Cabinet Office will reimburse reasonable spending by returning officers on contingency preparations for European Parliament (EP) elections.”
Advice issued to returning officers, the local officials responsible for running elections around the country, said that the rejection of Theresa May’s withdrawal agreement by MPs on Friday meant “the opportunity to guarantee that the UK would not participate in EP elections has been removed”.
European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker said the UK would have to take part in May’s elections if it remains an EU member beyond the current April 12 Brexit deadline.
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He said: “If the British haven’t left by April 12 and there is an extension, then Britain must take part in the European election.”
He added: “That is (in) the treaty.
“Whether I want that is another question.”
Meanwhile, Ireland’s foreign affairs minister has said there is no plan in place to protect the integrity of the EU single market in a no-deal Brexit scenario.
But Simon Coveney (pictured above) said it was not too late to create a plan that would protect the single market and the peace process on the island of Ireland in the absence of a backstop. Coveney made the comments as efforts intensify to find a way through the Brexit impasse as April 12 looms.
Sinn Fein leaders Mary Lou McDonald (pictured below) and Michelle O’Neill met EU negotiator Michel Barnier and the EP’s Brexit co-ordinator Guy Verhofstadt for discussions in Brussels on Tuesday. McDonald said any hardening of the Irish border was unacceptable in any form.
Irish premier Leo Varadkar will travel to Paris on Tuesday for a bilateral meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron, while German Chancellor Angela Merkel will meet Varadkar in Dublin on Thursday.
Coveney said: “In the absence of a British Government co-operating in the way that they have committed to, to actually prevent checks on the island of Ireland, well then we need to try to come up with another plan.”
Asked whether it was too late with the April 12 date looming, he said: “No, it’s not, because we need to continue to focus on the solution here, which is a solution that was agreed by the British Government and the EU institutions, which was to solve this problem on the basis of regulatory alignment.
“If the British Government refuse to follow through on that commitment that they have made well then, of course, we’ve to speak to the EU Commission about how we respond to that and that was always going to be left to the last number of weeks.”
Speaking after her meeting with EU leaders in the Belgian capital, McDonald said the Sinn Fein leadership reiterated the necessity to continue to protect Irish interests and prevent a hard border in the event of a no-deal scenario.
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McDonald said: “Irrespective of who occupies number 10 Downing Street, the British system needs to understand that there’s no getting away from the question of Ireland. The Irish question needs a resolution.”
She said the British Government had obligations under the Good Friday Agreement.
“In the event of a crash, we have a big, big problem at the Irish border,” she said.
“We’ve set out clearly to Mr Barnier and others that any hardening of that border would represent a step backwards for Ireland.
“We regard any hardening of the border on the island of Ireland to be unacceptable, however it is done.
“The reality is the peace that we enjoy, and the quality of life that people particularly living in border communities enjoy, is based on the premise of free-flowing movement.”
She said any interference to that will cause significant difficulties.
DUP leader Arlene Foster rejected suggestions her party is split on the withdrawal agreement.
She said reports that seven of her 10 MPs backed the deal were not true.
“No, there’s no splits within the DUP,” she said. “I’m not quite sure where that’s coming from.”
Foster also denied claims that her party was in negotiations with Labour MPs on the Common Market 2.0 Brexit alternative.
“We are not in any discussions with the Labour Party,” she said.
However, she did not rule out party support for a softer version of Brexit – one that would not include a backstop creating potential internal barriers within the UK.
“We have a very simple way of judging all of this,” said told reporters in Belfast when pressed on potential support for a soft Brexit. “It’s what will protect the Union and what will respect the referendum result and that’s always been our position.
“We have been very clear about our one red line and that remains the position. It’s of no surprise to anyone that the Union will always be our first priority and that still remains the case.”
Asked if she would prefer staying in the EU to the current withdrawal deal, she replied: “We do not like the current Withdrawal Agreement – I think everyone is very much aware of that – and the reason we don’t like it is because of the backstop issue.
“The fact that it separates Northern Ireland out from the rest of the United Kingdom puts an internal border within the United Kingdom and makes us subject to rules and regulations which the rest of the United Kingdom will not be subject to, without having any say in those rules and regulations.
“As I say, we will judge everything by what protects the Union and what protects the referendum result.”
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