DUP to repeat opposition to Boris Johnson’s Brexit deal at party conference
2 min read
DUP leader Arlene Foster is to repeat her party’s opposition to the Prime Minister’s Brexit deal at the DUP conference today but will not announce their stance on his election bid until Monday.
Yesterday, she told BBC Radio Ulster’s Inside Politics programme that she couldn’t support a deal which does not protect Northern Ireland’s position in the United Kingdom
Ms Foster also claimed her party needed to decide if a general election was “the right thing to do at this time” and wouldn’t announce their stance until Monday.
Her priority, she added, was that “the union comes first” and that they reach a deal that is “best for the people of Northern Ireland”.
She said: “This is not a straightforward election plea from Boris, it’s linked very much into the deal that he wants to rush through parliament without proper scrutiny.”
The Government tabled a motion on Thursday night calling for a December general election, with MPs voting on it on Monday.
The motion comes after after MPs rejected Mr Johnson’s plan to rush the Withdrawal Agreement Bill through Parliament in just 36 hours.
Ms Foster said Mr Johnson hadn’t “stood by the commitments” he made to Northern Ireland at the DUP party conference in 2018 to protect the integrity of the UK.
Speaking at her party’s conference in Belfast last year, Boris Johnson said that there should not be a border in the Irish sea.
She also refused to rule out whether the DUP would become a Remain party if they felt Northern Ireland’s position wasn’t being protected.
Despite the party’s confidence and supply arrangement with the Conservatives, all 10 DUP MPs opposed the Government on the EU withdrawal deal and the short Parliamentary timetable.
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