Former Ulster Unionist MEP, Jim Nicholson, has expressed his concern about what comes next after the DUP was prepared to accept a border in the Irish Sea, breaching a long held red line.

Jim Nicholson said:

“The extent of the DUP U-turn on a border in the Irish Sea is absolutely staggering and deeply regrettable. It`s disastrous for the long term future of the Union. The DUP have surrendered a key point of principle on the economic and constitutional integrity of the United Kingdom. Once that is done, it sets the direction of travel for years to come. They should have put the Union first rather align themselves with a plan which chisels away at its foundations.

“The ongoing problem now will be that the Prime Minister`s proposals are only the beginning of negotiations. If the DUP are prepared to concede a border in the Irish Sea under pressure from Boris Johnson what else are they prepared to give away? 

“It is very hard to see how Northern Ireland escapes the consequences of being locked into a perpetual debate about UK or EU alignment. These proposals would also create a bureaucratic monster. How can any business hope to plan ahead with this hanging over them and the uncertainty of which rules and regulations they will be following every four years?

“The Irish Government and the EU also need to reflect on their role in negotiations. The comments from Leo Varadkar and Simon Coveney have been at times deeply unhelpful and have antagonised people rather than lowering the temperature. It has been very easy to pay lip service to the Belfast Agreement. Now it`s time to walk the walk. For too many months they have been dismissive of unionist concerns, but it`s not too late to change path.

“The last thing we need at the minute are the likes of Guy Verhofstadt coming in and winding things up further with careless comments. These are serious issues which need addressed behind closed doors. The megaphone diplomacy could lead us on an inevitable path to a no-deal Brexit which is in no-one`s interests.”