General Election: DUP won’t back down on Brexit deal
The DUP will seek changes to Boris Johnson’s Brexit deal if the Conservatives are re-elected on 12 December.
DUP leader Arlene Foster launched the party’s manifesto in Belfast today, reiterating that Boris Johnson’s Brexit deal was unacceptable.
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Deputy leader Nigel Dodds said the deal represented a blow “to the economic and constitutional position of Northern Ireland”.
The deal would see Northern Ireland remain in a customs union with the EU.
The DUP has repeatedly said this is unacceptable as it means Northern Ireland would be treated differently to the rest of the UK – something that unionist politicians stridently oppose.
“The outcome of this election across the UK is still uncertain,” Foster said
“As we have proved over the past two years our votes may still be crucial.
“The DUP is committed to a deal that works for the whole of the UK and which does not leave Northern Ireland behind, with no border in the Irish Sea.”
Dodds added: “I believe strongly and so do others in the Commons that after this [Brexit] is done, there should be a full proper inquiry set up at a high level into what went wrong with the British government’s negotiations, how could we have such a catastrophic conduct in negotiations for one of the most important issues of our time?”
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The party’s other key priorities in today’s launch included abolishing television licences fees, funding for a 2021 celebration of the anniversary of Ireland’s partition and restoring the Stormont Assembly.
Stormont, home of the country’s parliament, has not sat since January 2017, after no majority could be formed in the last election.