Northern Ireland

DUP criticise Karen Bradley for linking peace fund pledge to withdrawal agreement

Karen Bradley said the proposed withdrawal agreement provided the 'legal basis' to offer of £300m of peace-building support. Picture by Brian Lawless/PA Wire
Karen Bradley said the proposed withdrawal agreement provided the 'legal basis' to offer of £300m of peace-building support. Picture by Brian Lawless/PA Wire Karen Bradley said the proposed withdrawal agreement provided the 'legal basis' to offer of £300m of peace-building support. Picture by Brian Lawless/PA Wire

THE DUP has accused the Secretary of State Karen Bradley of using the promise of a £300m windfall for peace-building as a "bargaining chip" to get the Brexit withdrawal deal over the line.

The party's MEP Diane Dodds said it was wrong that the interests of those who relied on the funds to be used for "short-term advantage at Westminster".

The secretary of state yesterday cast doubt on whether the money could be delivered if there is a no-deal Brexit.

She said the proposed withdrawal agreement provided the "legal basis" to offer the financial support to reconciliation initiatives.

The deal would see the British government and EU give a commitment up to 2027 to maintain funding streams first established in the mid-1990s to support projects in the north and the Republic's border counties.

Asked if the £300 million commitment announced by the British government yesterday was dependent on MPs backing the withdrawal agreement, she said: "The legal basis upon which this can be delivered is the withdrawal agreement.

"It is set out in there and if we leave the European Union without a deal, we will have difficulties in finding a way that the EU and Irish government can spend money jointly with the UK government in Northern Ireland on these important projects."

The proposed Peace Plus scheme will succeed the current Peace programme, which was designed to help promote economic and social progress in the north and border region.

The overall funding commitments, if rolled out, will enable work to continue on the construction of almost £1.8 billion worth of projects on both sides of the border.

The secretary of state did not go so far as to say the British government would stop funding the projects in a no-deal scenario, but she stressed that it would be difficult to find a way to do it.

But Mrs Dodds criticised the secretary of state for raising doubts about the funding ahead of next Tuesday's vote on the withdrawal deal.

"It is disgraceful and disingenuous that the Secretary of State should use the issue of peace funding as a bargaining chip aimed at securing more votes for the flawed deal," she said.

The DUP MEP said the EU had already allocated £109m of funding for a Peace Plus programme between 2021-2027, while Brussels had also made it clear in its no-deal contingency action plan that "current programmes between the border counties of Ireland and Northern Ireland continue in all scenarios".

"For Mrs Bradley to imply that the UK government could choose not to demonstrate similar good faith if a deal is not ultimately reached is a distasteful bluff," she said.