DUP threatens to bring down Theresa May's Government if it crosses Customs Union red line
the DUP has warned that it will cause the government of Theresa May to fall if Northern Ireland is forced to remain in the Single Market or in the Customs Union after Brexit.
Nigel Dodds, the leader of the Democratic Unionist Party in Westminster, said his party would vote against the government if it crosses any of its "red lines" on Brexit.
It occurs when Britain and the EU stagnate over how to ensure that there is no hard border between Ireland and Northern Ireland after Brexit.
Mr Dodds told the ConservativeHome website: "Yes, as a result of the Brexit negotiations, for example, there was some suggestion that Northern Ireland would be treated differently, for example, that we were part of a customs union and an only market and the rest of the United Kingdom was not ... for us it would be a red line, that we would vote against the Government.
"It is very possible that a Corby government openly pursues its anti-union policies as a conservative government has done by other means."
It occurs when the Tory MPs will hold a symbolic vote on Thursday to keep Britain in a customs union. Bob Neill, Nicky Morgan and Sarah Wollaston are among the conservative deputies who support the motion, which urges the government to "include as an objective in the negotiations ... the establishment of an effective customs union."
Ministers have said that the vote "does not make sense" because it is not binding. As a result, the Tory MPs will not be whipped to attend the vote.
David Davis, the Brexit secretary, said he would have "failed" personally if the United Kingdom had to remain in a customs union after Brexit.
He also suggested that the EU was taking a stand when last week it discarded Britain's solutions on the Irish border, insisting that Brussels was simply establishing "opening positions" for the negotiations.
He told the Treasury Select Committee: "I do not expect the solution to be an extension of the Customs Union, I would see it as a failure on my part."
Andrea Leadsom, Leader of the Commons, told BBC Radio 5 Live: "With respect to being in a customs union, once you leave the European Union if you remain in the Customs Union, you can not negotiate your own free trade agreements. Commerce.
"Genuinely, I can not understand why anyone agrees to leave the EU but remain in the Customs Union, which is the worst of all worlds."
On Commons, Ms May reiterated her promise to take Britain out of the Customs Union.
She said: "The British voted to leave the European Union, by voting to leave the European Union, they voted to leave the Single Market and the Customs Union."
Davis left open the possibility that Mrs May may be forced to return to Brussels to seek a new Brexit agreement if parliamentarians reject her original offer.
He admitted that a resolution by the Commons to approve the Brexit agreement could be amended by the deputies, amid concerns among Brexiteers that conservative pro-European parliamentarians could join forces with Labor to keep Britain in the Union Customs
Davis told the Brexit Select Committee that "significant vote" on a resolution to approve the Brexit agreement could be amended. "If you can tell me how to write a non-modifiable application, I'll take a tutorial," he said. It comes after Ms May postponed a Cabinet debate on Britain's future relationship with the EU until next week.
Prime Minister Brexit's war cabinet met on Tuesday but did not discuss the government's two options for a customs relationship with the EU after Brexit.
Boris Johnson, David Davis, Michael Gove and Liam Fox oppose the plans for a customs partnership, which would imply that Great Britain will collect tariffs on imports on behalf of the EU. They believe that the plan is impracticable and could lead the United Kingdom to stay in the Customs Union, which would limit its ability to reach a free trade agreement.
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