Northern Ireland's DUP party won't support new Brexit deal

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(Reuters) – The Democratic Unionist Party of Northern Ireland, a key voting bloc in the British parliament, said on Thursday it would not support a new Brexit deal agreed by
the European Union and the British government.

Below is the DUP’s full statement: “Following confirmation from the Prime Minister that he
believes he has secured a ‘great new deal’ with the European Union the Democratic Unionist Party will be unable to support these proposals in Parliament.

“The Democratic Unionist Party has worked since the referendum result to secure a negotiated deal as we leave the European Union. We have been consistent that we will only
ever consider supporting arrangements that are in Northern Ireland’s long-term economic and constitutional interests and protect the integrity of the Union.

“These proposals are not, in our view, beneficial to the economic well-being of Northern Ireland and they undermine the integrity of the Union. Our main route of trade on an East
–West basis will be subject to rules of the European Union

Customs Union, notwithstanding that Northern Ireland will remain part of the UK Customs territory.

“All goods would be subject to a customs check regime regardless of their final destination.

The default position, even for goods traveling from one part of our country to another, is that they are considered under the EU Customs code unless otherwise agreed.

We recognize that only those goods ultimately destined for the Republic of Ireland would
be subject to tariffs but the reality remains that the EU would have a veto on which goods would be exempt and which would not under the Joint Committee arrangements. This is
not acceptable within the internal borders of the United Kingdom.

“Consumers in Northern Ireland would face the prospect of increased costs, and potentially less choice due to checks being implemented in order to facilitate the European Union.

Throughout all the discussions on these issues we have been clear that Northern Ireland should not be subjected to administrative burdens which will be entrenched for the
future.

“On VAT Northern Ireland will again be bound into arrangements that the rest of the United Kingdom will not.

There is a real danger that over time Northern Ireland will start to diverge across VAT and Customs and without broad support from the democratic representatives of the people of
Northern Ireland.

“While some progress has been made in recognizing the issue of consent, the elected representatives of Northern Ireland will have no say on whether Northern Ireland should
enter these arrangements.

“The Government has departed from the principle that these arrangements must be subject to the consent of both unionists and nationalists in Northern Ireland. These arrangements
would be subject to a rolling review but again the principles of the Belfast Agreement on consent have been abandoned in favor of majority rule on this single issue alone.

“These arrangements will become the settled position in
these areas for Northern Ireland. This drives a coach and
horses through the professed sanctity of the Belfast
Agreement.
“For all of these reasons it is our view that these
arrangements would not be in Northern Ireland’s long term

interests. Saturday’s vote in Parliament on the proposals will
only be the start of a long process to get any Withdrawal
Agreement Bill through the House of Commons.”

Reactions in Britain to new
Brexit deal
(Reuters) – The European Union and the British government
have finally clinched a new deal setting the terms of Britain’s
exit from the bloc.
However, it needs to be approved by the British parliament
in order to take effect and Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s
Conservative Party does not have a majority in the House of
Commons.
Below are reactions from key players in Britain to the new
deal, and some comments from business groups and analysts:
NORTHERN IRELAND’S DUP PARTY:
“Following confirmation from the Prime Minister that he
believes he has secured a ‘great new deal’ with the European
Union the Democratic Unionist Party will be unable to
support these proposals in parliament,” the DUP said in a
statement which outlined its objections to the proposed new
agreement.
“For all of these reasons, it is our view that these
arrangements would not be in Northern Ireland’s long term
interests. Saturday’s vote in parliament on the proposals will

only be the start of a long process to get any Withdrawal
Agreement Bill through the House of Commons.”
JEREMY CORBYN, LEADER OF THE MAIN
OPPOSITION LABOUR PARTY:
“This sell-out deal won’t bring the country together and
should be rejected. The best way to get Brexit sorted is to
give the people the final say in a public vote.”
He said Labour would not vote for the deal in parliament.
NICOLA STURGEON, LEADER OF THE SCOTTISH
NATIONAL PARTY:
“The Brexit envisaged by Boris Johnson is one which sees a
much looser relationship with the EU when it comes to issues
like food standards, environmental protections and workers’
rights.
“Scotland did not vote for Brexit in any form, and SNP MPs
(lawmakers) will not vote for Brexit in any form.”
JO SWINSON, LEADER OF THE PRO-EU LIBERAL
DEMOCRATS:
“The fight to stop Brexit is far from over. This Brexit deal
would be bad for our economy, bad for our public services
and bad for our environment.”
NIGEL FARAGE, LEADER OF THE BREXIT
PARTY:

“It binds us into so many other commitments on foreign
policy, military policy – a list as long as your arm, and I
frankly think it should be rejected.
“Would I rather accept a new European treaty that is, frankly,
very bad for us, or would I prefer to have an extension, and a
general election? I would always go for the latter option. I
genuinely believe that a clean break and being able to be
competitive is the absolute key to our future economic
success. We cannot do that with this new treaty.”
IAIN DUNCAN SMITH, SENIOR MP, FORMER
CONSERVATIVE LEADER, STRONGLY IN FAVOUR
OF BREXIT:
“I am reserving my position on this,” he said, adding that he
wanted to understand the DUP’s position on some of the
details before deciding whether to vote for the deal or not.
JEREMY HUNT, SENIOR MP, FORMER RIVAL TO
BORIS JOHNSON IN CONSERVATIVE LEADERSHIP
CONTEST:
“Fair play Boris. Many doubted it was possible to do this
before Oct. 31st, including me on some occasions, but he has
ditched the backstop and brought the deal home. Bravo.”
MICHAEL GOVE, CABINET MINISTER, STRONGLY IN
FAVOUR OF BREXIT:
Asked what the government would do if parliament voted
against the new deal on Saturday: “We don’t contemplate

defeat. There is a lot in this deal for everyone who wants us
to leave in a smooth and orderly fashion.”
ADAM MARSHALL, HEAD OF THE BRITISH
CHAMBERS OF COMMERCE:
“Let’s not forget, we’ve been here before. There is still a
long way to go before businesses can confidently plan for the
future. Companies across the UK and around the world will
be paying close attention to what happens next – and whether
the deal agreed can secure parliamentary support.
“For business, this deal may be the end of the beginning –
but it is far from the beginning of the end of the Brexit
process.”
JONATHAN GELDART, HEAD OF THE INSTITUTE
OF DIRECTORS:
“As MPs study the draft deal, they must keep firmly in mind
the damage a disorderly exit could cause businesses large
and small. A further extension offers no guarantees of
avoiding this outcome, but if a passable deal is in touching
distance then politicians on all sides should be pragmatic
about giving us the time to get there.
“If the immediate choice is between leaving the EU in an
orderly versus a disorderly manner, politicians must be
mindful of the longer-term consequences their actions may
bring to bear.”
CONSTANTINE FRASER, POLITICAL ANALYST AT
INVESTMENT RESEARCH FIRM TS LOMBARD:

“It’s a better deal for the Tory right than May’s, because it
allows for greater future UK-EU divergence (though it
doesn’t make it inevitable); it’s worse for the DUP, because
NI is essentially semi-detached from the UK for the
foreseeable future and quite likely forever. It’s no longer so
much a backstop as the default future status for NI.
“The main takeaway is that the Conservative party is now
committed to this deal, not no-deal, and will campaign for

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