Ulster Unionist Party Leader Robin Swann MLA has said that the UK response to the “backstop” position must be robust in the next, crucial round of Brexit negotiations.
Robin Swann MLA said:
“The UK Government, the European Union and all the Northern Ireland parties have said that they do not want a hard border on the island of Ireland, so upcoming negotiations need to see a tone that reflects this shared objective. Simply rejecting the UK proposals on sight, the favoured approach of the Irish Government to date, will not see a solution that best serves all the people of Northern Ireland.
“Clinging to the backstop is actually in direct conflict with saying you do not want to see a border along the Irish Sea. The reality is that those who have been agitating for a border poll from the minute the referendum result became clear now see it as the only way to save face. If other parties are serious about protecting the Belfast Agreement, then the backstop should be as unacceptable to them as it is to us.
“The Prime Minister made a commitment that she would not agree to anything that threatened the constitutional integrity of the UK. We will be expecting a robust response from her team as the next crucial round of negotiations gets underway.”