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Please make sure your browser supports JavaScript and cookies and that you are not blocking them from loading. For more information you can review our Terms of Service and Cookie Policy.</s>DUP leader Arlene Foster has warned its “red line” that there could be no Brexit deal that would divide Northern Ireland from the rest of the United Kingdom was “blood red”.

With reports that the UK is preparing to move its position on the legal text of the border backstop – the guarantee of no hard border in Ireland – the DUP has insisted it would vote against any proposal that would result in any new barriers between the North and the rest of the UK.

“There cannot be a border down the Irish Sea, a differential between Northern Ireland and the rest of the UK,” Ms Foster told the BBC on Tuesday. The interview was aired on Wednesday.

“The red line is blood red,” she said.

“All along we have said: ‘No new regulatory alignment.”

When asked if she was prepared to vote down Ms May on a Brexit deal, Ms Foster said: “We don’t want to be in that position.

“This is too important to be playing around with things because this is the union - this is what brought me into politics.”

The Government clashed publicly on Tuesday with the DUP over Brexit and the future of the Belfast Agreement, with Taoiseach Leo Varadkar rejecting suggestions the agreement could be changed to accommodate Brexit.

While Ms Foster had suggested the agreement “wasn’t sacrosanct”, Mr Varadkar told the Dáil it “is not a piece of British legislation”.

“It is an international agreement between the British and Irish governments as well as a multi-party agreement among the various parties,” he said.</s>Leader of the Democratic Unionist Party Arlene Foster seen at the Conservative Party Conference.

Leader of the Democratic Unionist Party Arlene Foster seen at the Conservative Party Conference.

THIS MORNING, DUP leader Arlene Foster said that the Good Friday (Belfast) Agreement isn’t sacrosanct and can be changed.

This has provoked quite a reaction from politicians and commentators – mostly expressing concern at what her comments could mean in relation to Brexit negotiations and the Irish border.

Foster said to the Telegraph, in an article published this morning:

Speaking on Bloomberg TV from the Tory Party Conference in Birmingham, Foster elaborated on this statement, saying she didn’t know why her statement to the Telegraph had created a buzz.

When asked if she had a choice between a border between Northern Ireland and Ireland and checks across the Irish Sea, Foster said:

“Of course there’s a border there at the moment: we have a different Vat regime, we have a different currency regime… The government has been very clear that the UK government will not be putting any physical infrastructure at the border.

“We support that because we want to continue to have a good relationship with our nearest neighbours and continue to allow people to flow in the way that they’re doing at the moment.”

The Chief Whip of the DUP Jeffrey Donaldson told Morning Ireland this morning that “if we get a no-deal outcome, that alters the way we do business on the island of Ireland… We are not seeking to alter [the Good Friday] Agreement. We are just reflecting reality.”

The Good Friday Agreement is seen as a political foundation for peace in Northern Ireland after decades of violence and uncertainty brought by the Troubles.

It passed after two referendums held in Northern Ireland and Ireland on 22 May 1998; the DUP opposed the agreement after walking away from negotiations.

It’s signed and guaranteed by both the British and Irish governments, and provides for the devolved government at Stormont (which has not sat for over 20 months now).

The Good Friday Agreement was the first acknowledgement by Ireland that Northern Ireland was a part of the UK, and the Irish Constitution was subsequently amended to reflect that.

The agreement also enshrines the right of “every person born in the island of Ireland, which includes its islands and seas, to be part of the Irish nation”. This allows citizens in Northern Ireland to apply for Irish passports.

Dr Ian Paisley (right) and Martin McGuinness in Belfast, March 2008. Source: PA Archive/PA Images

The agreement is composed of three main strands: Democratic Institutions in Northern Ireland; North/South Ministerial Council; the British-Irish Council and the British-Irish Intergovernmental Conference.

It outlines the functions Northern Ireland’s devolved government has, and the role of Westminster, which can still pass legislation for the North.

It also includes a pledge of office for those elected to the Assembly, and the Code of Conduct for ministers; and outlines areas for North-South cooperation (which include agriculture, transport, waterways, and tourism).

Any significant changes to Northern Ireland’s status as part of the UK or in its affiliation with Ireland would have to be put to the voters first through a referendum in the North and the Republic.

“Foster is wrong to say the GFA is not sacrosanct,” Labour leader Brendan Howlin said.

Can it be changed?

This is a difficult question to answer because Arlene Foster didn’t specify what aspect of the Good Friday Agreement would be open for change.

Taoiseach Bertie Ahern, former Prime Minister Tony Blair and former US President Bill Clinton at an event to mark the 20th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement. Source: PA Wire/PA Images

The two agreements Foster mentioned in the Bloomberg interview – St Andrews and Stormont House – are not amendments of the Good Friday Agreement, but are two separate agreements.

They form part of the North-South cooperation that is in the spirit of the Good Friday Agreement, but are not a part of it.

In short, the agreements formed part of establishing a Northern Ireland Executive between the DUP and Sinn Féin at Stormont. The St Andrews Agreement also pledged to set up an Irish language strategy which has been a source of disagreement between the two parties in reestablishing an executive.

Although Foster did not specify what part of the Good Friday Agreement was open to change, the question Foster was responding to was about Brexit.

In this context, the Good Friday Agreement is referenced as something that needs to be upheld no matter what deal is struck, in order to protect peace on the island and the rights of citizens.

That’s a reference repeatedly used by UK Prime Minister Theresa May – especially in relation to the Northern Ireland backstop and the importance of avoiding a hard border.

Theresa May and Arlene Foster during a visit to Belleek pottery factory in July 2018. Source: PA Wire/PA Images

“I want to reinforce my commitment to the Joint Report in its entirety, including reaffirming the UK Government’s view that the Belfast or Good Friday Agreement of 1998 must be protected in all its parts,” May wrote to European Council President Donald Tusk in March of this year.

She repeated her commitment to the Good Friday Agreement during her Belfast speech in July, and used it to reject the EU’s suggestion for the backstop:

Media reports indicated today that Theresa May is prepared to limit the UK’s ability to strike trade deals outside the EU after Brexit in order to reach a compromise on the Irish backstop issue.

“I have respect for Arlene, but she is wrong on this,” Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs Simon Coveney said.

“We will defend and protect it through Brexit,” he said.

Responding to the DUP leader’s comments, Varadkar said the Irish government will defend the “primacy” of the Agreement, adding that it is a “co-defender” of it.

“As far as this government is concerned, the Good Friday Agreement is not up for negotiation,” added Varadkar.</s>LONDON, Oct 3 (Reuters) - The Northern Irish party which props up Prime Minister Theresa May warned that its "blood red" line was that there could be no Brexit deal that would divide Northern Ireland from the rest of the United Kingdom.

The border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland is the last major sticking point in Brexit talks, though both sides are trying to work out how to monitor and regulate trade over the border.

"There cannot be a border down the Irish sea, a differential between Northern Ireland and the rest of the UK," DUP leader Arlene Foster told the BBC on Tuesday. The interview was aired on Wednesday. "The red line is blood red."

"All along we have said: 'No new regulatory alignment'," Foster said.

When asked if she was prepared to vote down PM May on a Brexit deal, she said: "We don't want to be in that position."

"This is too important to be playing around with things because this is the union - this is what brought me into politics," Foster said.

The DUP's 10 lawmakers prop up May's minority Conservative government. (Reporting by Guy Faulconbridge; editing by Alistair Smout)</s>Sinn FÃ©in has branded as “absolutely bizarre” Arlene Foster’s description of her Brexit red line as blood red, claiming the DUP leader has “lost the run of herself”.

Sinn FÃ©in vice president Michelle O’Neill accused Mrs Foster of being “out of touch” after the former Stormont first minister made clear she would not support any increase in regulatory checks across the Irish Sea as a means to break the deadlock over the Irish border.

Stressing the party’s unwillingness to give ground on the issue, the DUP leader said: “The red line is blood red, it is very red.”

Mrs Foster has insisted that British Prime Minister Theresa May needs to show her any new proposals on the Irish border before presenting them to the EU, but she declined to state whether her party would vote against the Government if she considered any proposals unacceptable.

She told BBC Radio Four: “I think we are selling the Prime Minister short, she understands where we are at in all of this and therefore I need to give her that space to share that information with me.”

Her comments came amid reports – denied by senior Conservatives – that the Government was considering allowing more regulatory differences between Northern Ireland and the rest of the UK to ensure a free-flowing Irish border is maintained on the island.

The DUP has made clear it will not countenance any move that would create divisions between Northern Ireland and the rest of the UK’s internal marketplace.

“I think it demonstrates once again that he DUP have lost the run of themselves,” she said.

“I think the comments themselves are bizarre. They are bizarre in the context that people are worried about their future, their future prosperity, their jobs, the economy, students are worried about how they are going to study across Europe, our rights in terms of the future and what that means for all of us.

“So I think the comments are absolutely bizarre in the context of the serious consequences which there are in regard to Brexit.

“When I look at the last few days and the behaviour of the DUP in England, particular in relation to the Tory party conference, they purport to speak for the people of the North, they do not speak for the people of the North.”

Mrs O’Neill suggested Mrs Foster was attempting to take the focus off a public inquiry into a botched green energy scheme in Northern Ireland, which has seen the actions of senior DUP figures come under intense scrutiny.

“I think the DUP would rather have us talking about blood red lines and everything else to avoid us talking about the calamity that is RHI (Renewable Heat Incentive) and the calamity that is Brexit,” she said.

Sinn Fein’s Stormont leader also reiterated her view that the DUP’s confidence and supply deal with the Conservative Party was standing in the way of restoring powersharing in the region, 21 months after the devolved executive collapsed.

“The biggest fault line in getting an executive up and running is the fact there is a supply and confidence deal between the DUP and the Tories,” she said.

“And I think the DUP are demonstrating it day on day that they are more interested in propping up the Brexiteers than they are in the economic interests, the cultural interests, and the rights of citizens here in the North – that has been demonstrated time and time again.”</s>Arlene Foster warned the Prime Minister the DUP will not "call anyone's bluff" over the Northern Irish border issue as the UK enters the last phase of Brexit negotiations. Threats about the creation of a hard border between Northern Ireland and the Republic has been deadlocking talks with the European Union since the DUP trashed proposals to keep Belfast closely aligned with the bloc after the UK withdraws officially in March 2019. Speaking to the Today programme, Ms Foster said: "This is too important for us to be playing around with things. This is a union, this is what brought me into politics. "This is very important we get this right. The red line is blood red, it is very red."

Asked whether the DUP would be willing to vote down Theresa May's proposed plan in the coming months, Ms Foster said: "We don’t want to be in that position but we are not calling anyone’s bluff around us." The Northern Irish politician insisted her party would not back plans for further alignment with the EU but would seek to maintain current shared regulation to maintain food and health standards. She continued: "We’ve been very clear all along and said no new regulatory alignment because there are those checks in relation to the export of live animals. "We recognise of course that we are on an island so there’s a need to protect the health and wellbeing of the people who are going to eat those animals when they become meat and lamb."

Mrs May had wanted the DUP to accept that Northern Ireland would remain more regulatory aligned with the EU as a Brexit backstop. DUP’s Westminster leader Nigel Dodd threatened to vote down any Brexit deal which crosses the party’s red lines. Mr Dodd said that if it does, the DUP would not support it adding “if others join with us on that, great”. He went on to launch a stunning attack on the Government’s negotiating strategy. The DUP politician said: “There’s only a fortnight left now until October’s council meeting. “It seems a bit ludicrous to us that the British Government are still not in a position to put forward proposals to show anybody. “Instead some people are running around briefing people behind the scenes. It all seems slightly odd to us.”</s>BIRMINGHAM, England (Reuters) - The leader of the Northern Irish party which props up Prime Minister Theresa May’s government said she would look at any new offer to the European Union on the Irish border, but Northern Ireland must leave on the same terms as rest of Britain.

Earlier, British Prime Minister Theresa May said she is preparing to make a new offer on the border aimed at breaking the deadlock in the Brexit negotiations.

“We should wait to see what the text actually says in relation to any offer that has been made to the European Union,” Arlene Foster, the leader of the Democratic Unionist Party told Bloomberg Television on Tuesday.

“We always said that we have just the one red line - we cannot be separated from the rest of the United Kingdom, from a constitutional position and also from an economic reason as well.”</s>DUBLIN: The leader of Northern Ireland's highly influential Democratic Unionist Party on Tuesday warned British Prime Minister Theresa May against any Brexit compromise with Brussels that could increase checks on trade between the province and the rest of Britain.

The DUP are key allies for May, providing her Conservative government with a slim parliamentary majority after the Tories lost their overall majority in the 2017 general election.

ALSO READ | UK says EU immigrants won't get priority after Brexit

"We cannot have either a customs border down the Irish Sea or a regulatory border, because that would make us separate from the rest of the United Kingdom", DUP chief Arlene Foster said in an interview with Bloomberg.

"That doesn't work from a constitutional perspective and that doesn't work from an economic perspective either."

The European Union has proposed that Northern Ireland be allowed to remain in Europe's single market for goods in order to keep the border with the Republic of Ireland open.

London has countered that this would breach the integrity of the United Kingdom.

Earlier on Tuesday, May said on BBC radio that a new proposal would soon be put to the EU, which would preserve trade between Northern Ireland and mainland Britain whilst also satisfying the requirement for some form of checks.

"We believe that there is a way that this can be done which does preserve our integrity -- that's the proposal that we're working the details on," May said in an interview, adding that the plan would be revealed "in due course".

ALSO READ | UK Brexit chief says no deal better than being tied to bloc

After a bruising summit in Salzburg, during which her Brexit proposal was roundly rejected by EU leaders, there have been reports that May's latest plan offers a compromise by allowing for some form of regulatory checks in the Irish Sea in exchange for avoiding a customs border.

A hard border in Ireland is forbidden under the 1998 Good Friday Agreement, which brokered peace in the region after decades of border clashes between nationalists, unionists and British troops.

However in a separate interview published Tuesday, Foster claimed the terms of the accord -- also known as The Belfast Agreement -- could be altered to shape Northern Ireland's relationship with the EU.

"It has been deeply frustrating to hear people who voted 'Remain' (in the EU) and in Europe talk about Northern Ireland as though we can't touch the Belfast Agreement. Things evolve, even in the EU context," she said in an interview with The Daily Telegraph.

"There has been a lot of misinterpretation, holding it up as a sacrosanct piece of legislation."

Mary Lou McDonald, leader of the all-Ireland nationalist party Sinn Fein, said the comments "reveal a reckless disregard for the peace process, prosperity and progress".</s>The leader of the Democratic Unionist Party has suggested that the Good Friday Agreement could be changed to accommodate Brexit.

In an interview with the Telegraph Arlene Foster claimed the Irish peace deal was not a “sacrosanct piece of legislation.”

“It has been deeply frustrating to hear people who voted remain and in Europe talk about Northern Ireland as though we can’t touch the Belfast Agreement,” she said.

“Things evolve, even in the EU context.

She claimed it was a “misinterpretation” to hold the Belfast peace agreement up as sacrosanct.

She also backed the “belief” and “spirit” of former UK Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson’s blueprint for Brexit and criticised a lack of aspiration for the future among some UK Government ministers.

She said the DUPs confidence and supply arrangement with the Tories is a “party to party” deal that does not rely on British Prime Minister Theresa May remaining as leader.

“I think people want that hope, they want to be positive,” she said.

“We haven’t been able to talk about the aspirations for the nation; we have spent so much time arguing about what’s happened; is it going to be a disaster for Ireland in inverted commas...instead of actually focusing on what we can achieve in the UK with the Brexit negotiations.

“What we want to see - and I’m not making a comparison between Boris and the Prime Minister - is belief.

“We want to see that spirit.”

Meanwhile, Mrs May is facing calls to clarify the UK Government’s policy on the border – after Chancellor Philip Hammond warned the Conservative Party conference that a ‘no-deal’ outcome was likely to lead to a hard border.

He said the border would have to be compliant with World Trade Organisation (WRTO) rules if the UK crashes out without a deal.

"We are depending on the WTO to regulate our relations with the rest of the world, we will have to comply with the rest of WTO regulations or we will find we can't enforce our WTO rights against others," he said.

It is the first time a senior British government minister has admitted a hard border may have to be imposed.

Sinn Féin Brexit spokesperson David Cullinane said it is a very worrying development.

“All of the rhetoric that has come from the British Government and the British Prime Minister up to now has been that there will be no border and there will be no inspections or checks at the border,” he said.

“That has been made clear time and again by Theresa May.

“So if there is a change in Government policy she needs to say it and she has to come out and be very clear and very honest with people.”

Meanwhile, reports in the UK this morning indicate that Mrs May’s new proposals on the border will involve the UK remaining tied to EU customs rules for as long as it takes to find a mutually acceptable technological solution can be found.

The Times newspaper reports that Westminster will also accept the need for regulatory checks between Britain and the North if the backstop comes into force.

The EU has previously warned that the backstop cannot be widened to include the whole of the UK.</s>DUP leader Arlene Foster has said the Belfast Agreement should not be considered untouchable in Brexit negotiations.

Speaking to the Daily Telegraph, Mrs Foster said it was not a sacrosanct piece of legislation.

She said: “It has been deeply frustrating to hear people who voted Remain and in Europe talk about Northern Ireland as though we can’t touch the Belfast Agreement.

“Things evolve, even in the EU context.”

Mrs Foster also said she wanted to see more focus on the positives of Brexit.

“I think the reason why so many people are turned off by Brexit is because they are being fed a diet of negativity - whether it’s infighting, Brussels, being disrespected by people over there.

“We haven’t been able to talk about the aspirations for the nation [because] we’ve spent so much time arguing about what’s happened, is it going to be a disaster for Ireland in inverted commas, instead of actually focusing on what we can achieve in the UK with the Brexit negotiations.”

Mrs Foster was speaking ahead of the Tory party conference where Boris Johnson will use his speech to issue a clarion call to activists to “believe in Conservative values”.

In what will undoubtedly be seen as a pitch to replace Theresa May as leader, Mr Johnson will not only restate his opposition to the prime minister’s handling of Brexit but call on Tories to focus on law and order, tax cuts and house-building in order to defeat Labour.

As Mrs May celebrated her 62nd birthday, Mr Johnson was pictured jogging through a field near his Oxfordshire home, in a photo apparently designed to mock the prime minister’s famous memories of “running through wheatfields” as a mischievous schoolgirl.

Mrs Foster praised Mr Johnson’s “belief” and “spirit” and said she’d be happy to work with him as prime minister.

“People want hope, they want to be positive,” Mrs Foster told the newspaper.

She also said she would look at any new offer to the European Union on the Irish border, but Northern Ireland must leave on the same terms as rest of Britain.

It was separately reported on Monday British prime minister Theresa May said she is preparing to make a new offer on the border aimed at breaking the deadlock in the Brexit negotiations.

“We should wait to see what the text actually says in relation to any offer that has been made to the European Union,” Ms Foster said.

“We always said that we have just the one red line - we cannot be separated from the rest of the United Kingdom, from a constitutional position and also from an economic reason as well.”

Meanwhile, the DUP’s Jeffrey Donaldson said fixation on the Irish backstop is getting in the way of a deal that would be good for everyone.

If people stopped being so pessimistic and put half as much effort into entering a trade agreement between the UK and the EU “then we would all be better off,” he told RTE’s Morning Ireland.

Responding to Mrs Foster’s remarks saying she could work with Boris Johnson if he became UK prime minister, Mr Donaldson said she had said there was “a lot of solidity in what he said,” but that did not necessarily mean she supports him.

It all depends on the outcome of the Brexit negotiations, if there is a no deal scenario, then there will have to be a change in how north/south institutions operate, he said.

Mr Donaldson said he wants to see the Belfast Agreement continue. Ms Foster had been reflecting the reality of what could happen in a ‘no deal’ scenario.

“We would be deluding ourselves if we think that (no deal) would not change the way we do business.”

He gave the example of the single market for the island of Ireland. If there is a no deal outcome then that will have implications and adjustments will have to be made.

In response to a Times of London report that Mrs May will put forward new proposals on the backstop which would involve the UK remaining tied to the EU’s customs rule book beyond the two-year transition, and until a mutually acceptable technological solution on the Irish Border could be found, Mr Donaldson said that such a proposal had not been put to the DUP.

“It is a speech from one paper. We are meeting the prime minister this afternoon, let’s see what she has to say today. But it’s not just a matter for the prime minister, it is for the EU and the Irish Government too.” – Additional reporting PA
DUP leader Arlene Foster says that extra border checks between Northern Ireland and Great Britain are the "one red line" for her party.