DUP insists substantial changes made to revised Brexit agreement
Posted By: December 09, 2017
IRISH CONGRESSIONAL BRIEFING
Distributed by Irish National Caucus
“The DUP is adamant that substantive changes were made to the text of the EU-UK agreement after the party scuppered the original deal earlier this week.
But University of Liverpool academic and DUP expert Jon Tonge said Mrs. Foster’s party ‘signed up yesterday for what they opposed on Monday’.
He said he did not believe it was a bad deal for the DUP but that it did not differ significantly from what was on the table on Monday.”
John Manley. Irish News. Belfast. Saturday, December 9, 2017
The DUP is adamant that substantive changes were made to the text of the EU-UK agreement after the party scuppered the original deal earlier this week.
An expected agreement between the EU and Britain broke down on Monday after the DUP rejected a proposal about the future of the Irish border.
The DUP signed a confidence and supply deal with the Tories in June which sees its 10 MPs prop up Theresa May’s minority government in Westminster.
After a revised deal was announced yesterday morning, Taoiseach Leo Varadkar downplayed changes in the wording of the agreement.
He said the amendments were “stylistic changes in language” or “just statements of fact” that his government had “no difficulty with”.
DUP leader Arlene Foster said yesterday morning that there had been “substantial changes made to the text”.
Lagan Valley MP Sir. Jeffrey Donaldson also stressed that the text of Monday’s draft and yesterday’s final agreement were different.
He pointed to a paragraph that had been added ruling out “new regulatory barriers” between Northern Ireland and Britain.
The rest of the UK— unless, consistent with the 1998 Agreement—the Northern Ireland Executive and Assembly agree that distinct arrangements are appropriate for Northern Ireland.
In all circumstances, the United Kingdom will continue to ensure the same unfettered access for Northern Ireland’s businesses to the whole of the United Kingdom internal market.
“We secured the key changes that we needed to get in terms of the original draft on Monday,” Sir Jeffrey told The Irish News.
“Crucially there’s a paragraph that says Northern Ireland businesses will have unfettered access to the UK internal market – and that’s key insertion that we had pressed for.”
The DUP MP said there were other changes “made to the language” which were “consistent with ensuring that there’s no ambiguity around Northern Ireland’s position and its access to the UK internal market”.
He also highlighted how yesterday’s deal stated: “that nothing is agreed until everything is agreed.”
But University of Liverpool academic and DUP expert Jon Tonge said Mrs. Foster’s party “signed up yesterday for what they opposed on Monda.y”
He said he did not believe it was a bad deal for the DUP but that it did not differ significantly from what was on the table on Monday.
“They didn’t get many concessions but it’s not a bad deal for the DUP, in that they got reassurance that Northern Ireland was leaving on the same basis as the rest of the UK and that there’ll be no red line down the Irish Sea,” he said.
“That said, the phrase that’s used in the document is full alignment with the customs union and internal markets of the EU – we can argue about how much full alignment differs from no regulatory divergence.”
But University of Liverpool academic and DUP expert Jon Tonge said Mrs. Foster’s party ‘signed up yesterday for what they opposed on Monday’.
He said he did not believe it was a bad deal for the DUP but that it did not differ significantly from what was on the table on Monday.”
John Manley. Irish News. Belfast. Saturday, December 9, 2017
The DUP is adamant that substantive changes were made to the text of the EU-UK agreement after the party scuppered the original deal earlier this week.
An expected agreement between the EU and Britain broke down on Monday after the DUP rejected a proposal about the future of the Irish border.
The DUP signed a confidence and supply deal with the Tories in June which sees its 10 MPs prop up Theresa May’s minority government in Westminster.
After a revised deal was announced yesterday morning, Taoiseach Leo Varadkar downplayed changes in the wording of the agreement.
He said the amendments were “stylistic changes in language” or “just statements of fact” that his government had “no difficulty with”.
DUP leader Arlene Foster said yesterday morning that there had been “substantial changes made to the text”.
Lagan Valley MP Sir. Jeffrey Donaldson also stressed that the text of Monday’s draft and yesterday’s final agreement were different.
He pointed to a paragraph that had been added ruling out “new regulatory barriers” between Northern Ireland and Britain.
The rest of the UK— unless, consistent with the 1998 Agreement—the Northern Ireland Executive and Assembly agree that distinct arrangements are appropriate for Northern Ireland.
In all circumstances, the United Kingdom will continue to ensure the same unfettered access for Northern Ireland’s businesses to the whole of the United Kingdom internal market.
“We secured the key changes that we needed to get in terms of the original draft on Monday,” Sir Jeffrey told The Irish News.
“Crucially there’s a paragraph that says Northern Ireland businesses will have unfettered access to the UK internal market – and that’s key insertion that we had pressed for.”
The DUP MP said there were other changes “made to the language” which were “consistent with ensuring that there’s no ambiguity around Northern Ireland’s position and its access to the UK internal market”.
He also highlighted how yesterday’s deal stated: “that nothing is agreed until everything is agreed.”
But University of Liverpool academic and DUP expert Jon Tonge said Mrs. Foster’s party “signed up yesterday for what they opposed on Monda.y”
He said he did not believe it was a bad deal for the DUP but that it did not differ significantly from what was on the table on Monday.
“They didn’t get many concessions but it’s not a bad deal for the DUP, in that they got reassurance that Northern Ireland was leaving on the same basis as the rest of the UK and that there’ll be no red line down the Irish Sea,” he said.
“That said, the phrase that’s used in the document is full alignment with the customs union and internal markets of the EU – we can argue about how much full alignment differs from no regulatory divergence.”
