Statement by Jim Allister MLA, TUV Party Leader:
“The hiatus over ‘the backstop’ arises from the abject folly of HMG ever agreeing in December 2017 to the EU’s devious ploy of inserting this as a precondition to any Withdrawal Agreement.
“If ever there was a “cart before the horse” scenario, then, the backstop is it. Since a so called backstop is only relevant if there is no trade agreement, the logical approach was to negotiate the trade deal and then see what requirements, if any, that created on the border – remembering it is the EU Treaties, not British law, which insists on the maintenance of the EU’s borders.
“Instead the UK Government was tricked or knowingly agreed to an EU dictated backstop which removed any incentive on Brussels’ part to negotiate seriously – as we have seen ever since.
“If at this stage the only way to escape the trap of the backstop is a no deal scenario, then such is preferable to the dismemberment of the UK which the backstop necessitates. Over coming days we will see whether Mrs May’s unionism is for real or for the optics.”