LONDON (Reuters) – The leader of Northern Ireland’s Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) on Monday said his party was now studying the legal texts published earlier in the day setting out proposed new post-Brexit trading arrangements agreed between Britain and the EU.
Jeffrey Donaldson said that in broad terms it was clear that significant progress had been secured across a number of areas on the trade rules for Northern Ireland but that key issues of concern remain.
“The DUP will want to study the detail of what has been published today as well as examining the detail of any and all underpinning legal texts. Where necessary we stand ready to engage with the government in order to seek further clarification, re-working or change as required,” Donaldson said in a statement.
“There can be no disguising the fact that in some sectors of our economy EU law remains applicable in Northern Ireland.”
The DUP has boycotted Northern Ireland’s regional assembly for the last year in protest at the post-Brexit checks between Britain and Northern Ireland, and Donaldson said on Monday that this “principled position” had been vindicated.
He said the party would assess the new arrangements against the “seven tests” it had drawn up during the negotiation and this would decide whether the deal “respects and restores Northern Ireland’s place within the United Kingdom.”
(Reporting by Padraic Halpin, writing by Muvija M, Editing by William James)
