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DUP MP Jeffrey Donaldson has said his party still needs legal assurances on the backstop to support Theresa May\u2019s deal.<\/p>\nDUP MP Jeffrey Donaldson has said his party still needs legal assurances on the backstop to support Theresa May\u2019s deal.<\/p>\n
Mr Donaldson said he and colleagues would \u201cwork day and night\u201d to get such assurances.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf those issues are not adequately addressed than I don\u2019t think this agreement is going to go through,\u201d he told BBC Radio Ulster.<\/p>\n
When asked what the party specifically required, Mr Donaldson declined to be drawn, but he did highlight paragraph 50 of the EU\/UK joint report on Brexit from December 2017 that referenced a strong role for Stormont in the operation of the backstop.<\/p>\n
The paragraph was not subsequently included in the Withdrawal Agreement.<\/p>\n
The interview came after days of speculation that the British Government may move to strengthen the role of the Assembly in domestic law in order to win DUP support for the Brexit withdrawal treaty.<\/p>\n
\u201cI am not going to negotiate with the Government over the airwaves, all I will say is that last December 2017 paragraph 50 of the joint report, which we insisted on having included in that report, gives safeguards to Northern Ireland,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n
\u201cThose safeguards were removed in the Withdrawal Agreement. We need that issue addressed by the Government and that\u2019s what we are working towards.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mr Donaldson said the British Government needed to translate \u201cverbal commitments\u201d on the issue into \u201claw\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur priority is preserving the Union and getting an outcome that is economically good for Northern Ireland,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe do not want a no-deal outcome, that is not the preferred outcome of the DUP. It is not what the DUP is working towards.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are working towards an agreement that we can support that delivers Brexit and is good for Northern Ireland and good for the United Kingdom as a whole.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat\u2019s on the table at the moment is potentially harmful to Northern Ireland, which is why we want the legal assurances that we are seeking in relation to the backstop before we can commit to support this deal.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat is our objective \u2013 clear, simply and absolute.\u201d<\/p>\n
However, Sinn Fein\u2019s Stormont leader has said that Sinn F\u00e9in would reject any move to bolster the powers of the devolved administration in relation to the backstop\u2019s operation.<\/p>\n
Michelle O\u2019Neill made her party\u2019s stance clear today.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere will not be any situation where there will be a veto handed to this Assembly,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
The British Government has already committed to giving Stormont a consultative role before a decision is made to either enter the backstop or extend the implementation period.<\/p>\n
And, if the backstop does come into effect, the Stormont Assembly and Executive would be asked to consent to any new or amended EU laws applying to the region.<\/p>\n
Mrs O\u2019Neill said: \u201cOf course there can be a consultative role, that was set out in the Withdrawal Agreement as it stands, but there cannot be any veto afforded to the DUP or anybody else in this situation.\u201d<\/p>\n
Likewise, The European Council\u2019s draft conclusions document, being considered by the EU27 leaders, warns that any unilateral commitment or statement should be compatible with the letter of the Withdrawal Agreement, meaning that any promises made by the British Prime Minister to the DUP cannot undermine the backstop.<\/p>\n