NI Bid For European Union Special Status Defeated

A bid to give Northern Ireland special designated status in the European Union following Brexit has been rejected.

The proposals, which were put forward by a bloc of left-wing parliamentarians including Sinn Féin, were defeated in the European Parliament by 374 votes to 66.

Sinn Féin MEP Matt Carthy said the result was "disappointing" however the party will continue to build support for the case for the north to secure designated special status within the EU.

"We have already ensured that the European Parliament is in agreement that the Good Friday Agreement should be protected in all its parts," he said.

"Moreover, the European Council's negotiation guidelines support the need to protect the Good Friday Agreement and recognise the unique circumstances on the island of Ireland and the need for flexible and imaginative solutions.

"We are engaging with hundreds of political representatives and officials  from across Europe in order to gather further support for special status for the north within the EU and will continue to do so."

DUP MEP Diane Dodds welcomed the decision by MEPs in Strasbourg.

"Since last June Sinn Fein and others have made a special designated status their big ticket priority for Brexit," she said.

"Their plan would see Northern Ireland remain under Brussels control while the rest of the UK leaves. This would prevent our Province from harnessing new opportunities which flow from Brexit as an integral part of the Union. Critically it would also cut us off from the GB market - by far the most importance marketplace for local goods and services from Northern Ireland."

(LM)