British Govt Has 'No Idea' What Brexit Means - McGuinness

The British Government has "no idea" what Brexit means, according to deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness.

Mr McGuinness was responding to comments made by Prime Minister Theresa May that she will start negotiations on Brexit before the end of March next year.

He said: "Theresa May has also made a U-turn on comments she made before the referendum when she said it was inconceivable to suggest a Leave vote would not have a negative impact on the border.

"The reality is that the British government is taking a leap into the dark with no plan and no idea what Brexit means.

"What is clear is there is no good outcome from Brexit."

SDLP Leader Colum Eastwood said: "It appears now that not only is she intending to circumvent her own government by bypassing parliament, but also that she has no intent to reflect or consider the democraticly expressed views of Northern Ireland. To add insult to injury, she has used her conference speech to loftily declare that she won't be providing, as she put it 'a running commentary' on any negotiations.

"Few in Northern Ireland will draw any comfort from Theresa May's speech and in the absence of any defence of Northern Ireland's interests from London, it is imperative that the Executive now states clearly and comprehensively what they will be doing to ensure the people’s views are represented. We have waited 100 days for the Executive to do so and the urgency surrounding this unaddressed issue is only growing."

UUP MLA Steve Aiken MLA said the NI Executive needs to urgently pull a credible plan together.

He said: "The Executive now has nowhere left to hide and the clock has started counting down. Their approach so far has been lamentable, marked by mixed messaging and a complete lack of urgency. We need to exploit the opportunities presented by Brexit but if we're not careful we could be left behind.

"Perhaps First Minister Foster will be able to offer some clarity while she is sipping champagne at the Conservative Party Conference."

(CD/LM)