Statement by TUV leader Jim Allister:-
“The mandate of Parliament through “the Brady amendment” was clear: find alternatives to the Backstop. I’m not sure Mrs May ever tried, but now even some Brexiteers are signalling readiness to settle for much less. Talk of a time limit or exit clause do not diminish the poisonous core of the Backstop which is such that it should not be contemplated for one minute, never mind one year, or more.
“We must never forget how antithetical to the Union the Backstop is:
It retains Northern Ireland, but not GB, formally and legally within the EU Customs Union, indistinguishable from the Republic and subject to the same EU customs code, tariffs and laws;
Northern Ireland for goods would remain part of the EU single market – GB would not – and subject directly, but without representation, to all its regulations as interpreted by the ECJ, and thereby we would be separated from the UK single market by a resulting regulatory border down the Irish Sea, but no regulatory border on the island of Ireland.
“It is not a matter of duration that makes such anathema, but a matter of sovereignty.
“I, therefore, urge all Brexiteers to hold their nerve and do not be bought off with promises of mere transitory pain. Once the principle of detachment of Northern Ireland is accepted, it will become a template for going forward in the long term trade arrangement. Now is not a time to weaken or to be tempted to pretend a bad deal is someone not so bad after all.”