Latest Stumbling Block in Brexit Talks: The Irish Question
- 6 years ago
Latest Stumbling Block in Brexit Talks: The Irish Question
The people of the U.K. must be given a vote on the deal
and an opportunity to exit from Brexit." To move the talks forward, Britain and the European Union were supposed to make "sufficient progress" by the end of next week on three areas: Britain’s outstanding financial commitments to the other 27 nations in the bloc; the rights of European citizens living in Britain; and the status of the border between Northern Ireland and Ireland, which will remain in the European Union.
4, 2017
LONDON — Britain’s divorce negotiations with the European Union hit a major snag on Monday, when a hard-line Northern Ireland party
that is a crucial ally of Prime Minister Theresa May pulled its support at the last minute from an agreement on the future of the border between the United Kingdom and Ireland.
The party’s leader, Arlene Foster, told reporters that her party rejected any "regulatory divergence, which separates Northern Ireland economically, or politically, from the rest of the U.K." Sammy Wilson, a lawmaker for the Democratic Unionist Party, described the rumored deal as a "threat" to the United Kingdom and as "mad negotiating." Mrs. May had consulted with the party,
but appeared to have miscalculated what it would accept.
Mrs. May’s government appeared to have reached a compromise
that would effectively allow Northern Ireland to behave as though it were to remain in the single market and customs union, while technically leaving, along with the rest of the United Kingdom.
Mrs. May tried to make the best of the situation, announcing
that talks would resume later in the week and that she was "confident we will conclude this positively." Mrs. May may hope that she can bring the Democratic Unionist Party on board.
In the referendum, Northern Ireland also narrowly voted to remain in the European Union,
but the territory was sharply divided, with heavily Protestant areas generally favoring Brexit while predominantly Catholic areas voting to remain in the bloc.
The people of the U.K. must be given a vote on the deal
and an opportunity to exit from Brexit." To move the talks forward, Britain and the European Union were supposed to make "sufficient progress" by the end of next week on three areas: Britain’s outstanding financial commitments to the other 27 nations in the bloc; the rights of European citizens living in Britain; and the status of the border between Northern Ireland and Ireland, which will remain in the European Union.
4, 2017
LONDON — Britain’s divorce negotiations with the European Union hit a major snag on Monday, when a hard-line Northern Ireland party
that is a crucial ally of Prime Minister Theresa May pulled its support at the last minute from an agreement on the future of the border between the United Kingdom and Ireland.
The party’s leader, Arlene Foster, told reporters that her party rejected any "regulatory divergence, which separates Northern Ireland economically, or politically, from the rest of the U.K." Sammy Wilson, a lawmaker for the Democratic Unionist Party, described the rumored deal as a "threat" to the United Kingdom and as "mad negotiating." Mrs. May had consulted with the party,
but appeared to have miscalculated what it would accept.
Mrs. May’s government appeared to have reached a compromise
that would effectively allow Northern Ireland to behave as though it were to remain in the single market and customs union, while technically leaving, along with the rest of the United Kingdom.
Mrs. May tried to make the best of the situation, announcing
that talks would resume later in the week and that she was "confident we will conclude this positively." Mrs. May may hope that she can bring the Democratic Unionist Party on board.
In the referendum, Northern Ireland also narrowly voted to remain in the European Union,
but the territory was sharply divided, with heavily Protestant areas generally favoring Brexit while predominantly Catholic areas voting to remain in the bloc.