Delayed Vote Must Not Affect Backstop- Alliance

Alliance Leader Naomi Long has stressed the need to bank the backstop in response to Prime Minister Theresa May's decision to postpone the withdrawal agreement vote.

It comes after a further Brexit development which saw Mrs May announce to the House of Commons that the so-called meaningful vote would not go ahead as planned for today, Tuesday 11 December.

"For Northern Ireland, this represents further instability and challenge for jobs and growth, and compounds political instability," Mrs Long said, before stressing that the "best option" is to hold a second referendum and return to the people for the final say.

"Northern Ireland voted to remain, and staying in the EU continues to be the best way forward. The local business community and civic society, and parties representing the majority of opinion, are willing to be pragmatic in supporting the backstop, recognising that it protects this region from the worst effects of Brexit and offers us the economic opportunity to have a foot in both camps.

"If Brexit is to happen, then the backstop must be the bottom line. Instead, MPs, including those who claim to be representing Northern Ireland's interests, are rejecting the Withdrawal Agreement and the stability it offered, placing it in jeopardy, whilst offering no alternative in return.

"It now looks increasingly likely that Brexit is undeliverable. Those who campaigned for it are entirely responsible for the failure. They had no plan and completely unrealistic expectations of the UK's negotiating strength against 27 other nations in the EU."

The east Belfast MLA condemned the lack of a coherent vision on Brexit and the future arrangement with the EU at such a late stage in the negotiation process.

The referendum took place in June 2016 and Brexit is set to be implemented on 29 March 2019.

"Instead of accepting a Withdrawal Agreement which would ensure that an orderly, managed Brexit could proceed, they instead want to drag the country over a cliff edge into a chaotic future, in which the only certainty is that people will be worse off than they are now.

"The best option now is for the Prime Minister to return to the people and give them the final say on this debacle. Let the public decide whether they want to vote for the reality of Brexit - a deal worse than we have now, a future poorer than we are now - or whether they want to stop this act of national self-harm and rescind Article 50."



(JG)