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You can find the current article at its original source at https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2018/oct/09/brexit-dup-leader-dampens-hopes-of-irish-border-compromise
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| Brexit: DUP leader dampens hopes of Irish border compromise | Brexit: DUP leader dampens hopes of Irish border compromise |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| Arlene Foster, the leader of the Democratic Unionist party, has dampened hopes of a Brexit compromise by insisting Northern Ireland cannot be treated differently to the rest of the UK. | Arlene Foster, the leader of the Democratic Unionist party, has dampened hopes of a Brexit compromise by insisting Northern Ireland cannot be treated differently to the rest of the UK. |
| The DUP leader delivered an uncompromising message after meeting the EU’s chief negotiator, Michel Barnier, on Tuesday morning, as Brexit talks head for a showdown at an EU summit next week. | The DUP leader delivered an uncompromising message after meeting the EU’s chief negotiator, Michel Barnier, on Tuesday morning, as Brexit talks head for a showdown at an EU summit next week. |
| Foster offered little hope to negotiators that she was ready to compromise on her core red line, that Northern Ireland should not be treated differently to the rest of the UK on movement of goods, although she did not repeat her threat to to bring down Theresa May’s government. | Foster offered little hope to negotiators that she was ready to compromise on her core red line, that Northern Ireland should not be treated differently to the rest of the UK on movement of goods, although she did not repeat her threat to to bring down Theresa May’s government. |
| “I am the leader of the Democratic Unionist party. The clue is in the title. I am a unionist, I believe in the union of the United Kingdom, all four elements of the United Kingdom,” she told journalists. “We do not want Northern Ireland going off in a different direction from the rest of the UK.” | “I am the leader of the Democratic Unionist party. The clue is in the title. I am a unionist, I believe in the union of the United Kingdom, all four elements of the United Kingdom,” she told journalists. “We do not want Northern Ireland going off in a different direction from the rest of the UK.” |
| Talks on the Irish border are at a critical moment, as the EU and UK seek to resolve their differences over the so-called backstop, a fallback plan to avoid a hard border on the island of Ireland in the absence of a solution through trade talks. | Talks on the Irish border are at a critical moment, as the EU and UK seek to resolve their differences over the so-called backstop, a fallback plan to avoid a hard border on the island of Ireland in the absence of a solution through trade talks. |
| The UK is no longer expected to publish a fresh version of its backstop proposal in the coming days. Expectations of a new text were raised after Theresa May promised last month that the UK would set out an alternative, but the government appears to prefer to rework earlier proposals set out in June, rather than publish a new text. The DUP leader said she had not seen the government’s latest backstop text. | |
| The EU is attempting to “de-dramatise” the Irish backstop by allowing checks on goods to take place in factories, distribution centres and UK ports, in a bid to defuse the DUP’s concern of a border in the Irish Sea. | The EU is attempting to “de-dramatise” the Irish backstop by allowing checks on goods to take place in factories, distribution centres and UK ports, in a bid to defuse the DUP’s concern of a border in the Irish Sea. |
| But Foster said she could not accept any checks between Great Britain and Northern Ireland, even if controls were far away from the sea border. “Why would we need checks between GB and Northern Ireland or between Northern Ireland and GB if we were an integral part of the single market of the United Kingdom?” she told journalists. | But Foster said she could not accept any checks between Great Britain and Northern Ireland, even if controls were far away from the sea border. “Why would we need checks between GB and Northern Ireland or between Northern Ireland and GB if we were an integral part of the single market of the United Kingdom?” she told journalists. |
| She insisted her concerns were not only constitutional, but aiming to avert damage to Northern Ireland’s economy by avoiding barriers to intra-UK trade. | She insisted her concerns were not only constitutional, but aiming to avert damage to Northern Ireland’s economy by avoiding barriers to intra-UK trade. |
| Barnier has insisted the EU plans do not pose a threat to the constitutional integrity of the UK, but the DUP remains unconvinced. | Barnier has insisted the EU plans do not pose a threat to the constitutional integrity of the UK, but the DUP remains unconvinced. |
| Foster insisted there was no binary choice between a hard border on the island of Ireland, or a border down the Irish Sea. “Those are not the choices ahead of us. We are trying to find a deal that works for everyone.” | Foster insisted there was no binary choice between a hard border on the island of Ireland, or a border down the Irish Sea. “Those are not the choices ahead of us. We are trying to find a deal that works for everyone.” |
| She also sought to defuse criticism of her remark that her red lines were “blood red”, saying she had meant that “these were issues that mattered greatly to Northern Ireland”. | She also sought to defuse criticism of her remark that her red lines were “blood red”, saying she had meant that “these were issues that mattered greatly to Northern Ireland”. |
| Following the meeting, Barnier issued a short tweet that he was “working hard to explain and de-dramatise the backstop”. | Following the meeting, Barnier issued a short tweet that he was “working hard to explain and de-dramatise the backstop”. |
| Continuing discussions with Northern Irish political leaders today: @DUPleader, @DianeDoddsMEP & @RobinSwannUUP, @JNicholsonMEP. Working hard to explain and de-dramatise the backstop #Brexit pic.twitter.com/JLW2oQNYzG | Continuing discussions with Northern Irish political leaders today: @DUPleader, @DianeDoddsMEP & @RobinSwannUUP, @JNicholsonMEP. Working hard to explain and de-dramatise the backstop #Brexit pic.twitter.com/JLW2oQNYzG |
| The DUP had billed the talks “an intensive three-day round of meetings with the EU’s chief negotiator, Michelle [sic] Barnier, as well as representatives from other member states”. | The DUP had billed the talks “an intensive three-day round of meetings with the EU’s chief negotiator, Michelle [sic] Barnier, as well as representatives from other member states”. |
| Barnier had been scheduled to see Foster and the DUP MEP, Diane Dodds, for 30 minutes, although the meeting overran. He had a separate meeting with James Nicholson, the Ulster Unionist MEP. | Barnier had been scheduled to see Foster and the DUP MEP, Diane Dodds, for 30 minutes, although the meeting overran. He had a separate meeting with James Nicholson, the Ulster Unionist MEP. |
| The European commission says the meetings are to provide updates and are not part of the official negotiations. | The European commission says the meetings are to provide updates and are not part of the official negotiations. |
| In the last week, Barnier has met British and Irish politicians on all sides of the Brexit argument, including the Irish taoiseach, Leo Varadkar. | In the last week, Barnier has met British and Irish politicians on all sides of the Brexit argument, including the Irish taoiseach, Leo Varadkar. |
| On Friday, political leaders from four Northern Irish pro-remain political parties – Sinn Féin, the SDLP, the Alliance party and the Greens – met Barnier, where they reaffirmed their support for special status for the region. | On Friday, political leaders from four Northern Irish pro-remain political parties – Sinn Féin, the SDLP, the Alliance party and the Greens – met Barnier, where they reaffirmed their support for special status for the region. |
| These parties, which have more seats in the Northern Ireland assembly than the unionists, want to keep Northern Ireland in the EU single market and customs union. | These parties, which have more seats in the Northern Ireland assembly than the unionists, want to keep Northern Ireland in the EU single market and customs union. |
| “We need clarity, because we have bottom lines also and we do speak for the majority of people in the north who voted to remain,” Michelle O’Neill, Sinn Féin’s leader in the Northern Ireland assembly, said. | “We need clarity, because we have bottom lines also and we do speak for the majority of people in the north who voted to remain,” Michelle O’Neill, Sinn Féin’s leader in the Northern Ireland assembly, said. |
| Barnier was “insisting on decisiveness and clarity for [the summit in ] October,” O’Neill told the Guardian. “I think he probably understands us better than the British government understands our situation.” | Barnier was “insisting on decisiveness and clarity for [the summit in ] October,” O’Neill told the Guardian. “I think he probably understands us better than the British government understands our situation.” |
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