Northern Ireland

Brexit may be delayed

DUP leader Arlene Foster (left) struck a conciliatory tone as British prime minister Theresa May (centre) said Brexit may be delayed. Jacob Rees Mogg was less sensitive to the prime minister's predicament 
DUP leader Arlene Foster (left) struck a conciliatory tone as British prime minister Theresa May (centre) said Brexit may be delayed. Jacob Rees Mogg was less sensitive to the prime minister's predicament  DUP leader Arlene Foster (left) struck a conciliatory tone as British prime minister Theresa May (centre) said Brexit may be delayed. Jacob Rees Mogg was less sensitive to the prime minister's predicament 

THE dynamic of Brexit has shifted significantly with British prime minister Theresa May conceding for the first time that the UK’s departure might be delayed.

However, the DUP argued that it was still for the Dublin government and Brussels to move on the backstop so that a deal can be got through Westminster.

Arch Brexiteer Jacob Rees-Mogg labelled the move a “plot to stop Brexit” but in a statement issued after Arlene Foster met the prime minister, the DUP leader appeared more restrained, insisting her party supported a “sensible deal and a managed exit from the EU”. The former first minister put the onus on “Dublin and Brussels to be in a deal-making mode”. 

Mrs May hopes to return to Westminster in two weeks for a “meaningful vote” but if that is rejected, she will give MPs the choice to crash out of the EU or seek an Article 50 extension from Brussels.

Sinn Féin MP Chris Hazzard said Britain is in “total disarray”.

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“None of what is happening in Westminster is in the interests of Ireland. What we need to see is the EU and the Irish government standing firm and protecting the Irish backstop,” the South Down MP said.

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SDLP Brexit spokesman Daniel McCrossan said the statement did “nothing to allay fears” of a no-deal exit.

Brexit may be delayed
Brexit may be delayed

“The arithmetic in Westminster has shown that nothing should be presupposed or left to chance,” he said.

“That is why, time and time again, regardless of the possibility of extending Article 50 or a second referendum, the backstop must be banked.”

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UUP leader Robin Swann said delaying Brexit would be worthwhile if it ultimately yielded a deal that was “in the best interest of Northern Ireland in particular and the UK as a whole”.

“If it ensures we get a deal, then a short extension is unfortunate but worth it in the end,” he said.

Alliance’s Stephen Farry said Mrs May had “opened the door” to extending Article 50 but that a no-deal scenario must be “taken off the table”.

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn accused the PM of “kicking the can down the road” and confirmed he will table an amendment at Westminster seeking support for his party’s own customs union deal. He has pledged to throw his party’s weight behind a second referendum if his proposed deal is rejected.

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