British Prime Minister Theresa May denied "shafting" Northern Ireland in a visit to the province after she said she would seek changes to the Irish "backstop" border arrangements to secure support for her withdrawal agreement with the European Union. May, at a speech in Belfast Tuesday, was asked by a local reporter why business should believe her commitment to avoiding a hard border between the province and the republic when they may feel "betrayed and shafted" over her approach to the so-called backstop. "There is no suggestion that we are not going to ensure that in the future there is provision ... that ensures that ... we deliver no hard border," she said in response. May was in Northern Ireland to reassure communities that she can deliver an orderly Brexit that will ensure peace in a province that was riven by three decades of sectarian conflict until a 1998 accord. The Democratic Unionist Party (DUP), the Northern Irish group of 10 MPs that props up May's minority government, has asked that the European Union replace the "toxic" Irish border backstop she agreed to so the United Kingdom can quit the bloc in an orderly fashion. With the United Kingdom due to leave the EU in just 52 days, London and Brussels are arguing over whether the deal clinched in November can be changed, raising the possibility of a delay to Brexit, a last-minute deal or a no-deal exit. May, Foster to meet on Wednesday Since British lawmakers voted down the withdrawal agreement last month, Parliament has instructed May to replace its most contentious element — an insurance policy covering the possible future arrangements for the border in Ireland. The DUP which has propped up May's government through a confidence-and-supply arrangement they reached since she lost her parliamentary majority in a 2017 snap election, said it wanted to get an agreed deal, but made it clear the border backstop had to be replaced. "The current backstop, as I have said all along, is toxic to those of us living in Northern Ireland," DUP Leader Arlene Foster, who will meet May in Belfast on Wednesday, told BBC Radio. Democratic Unionist Leader Arlene Foster, right, seen with Theresa May in July, says the current backstop plan in the event of Britain's exit from the European Union is 'toxic.' (Clodagh Kilcoyne/Reuters) Foster laced her rhetoric with a call for a solution that would work for all sides, and refused to say whether the deal would have to be renegotiated or whether she would accept legally binding assurances. "If the backstop is dealt with in the withdrawal agreement then, despite the fact we may have misgivings around other parts of the withdrawal agreement, we will support the prime minister because we do want Brexit to happen in an orderly and sustained fashion," she said. Britain, Ireland and the EU want to avoid physical checks on the border between Ireland and the British province of Northern Ireland that ceased with the 1998 Good Friday Agreement. Ireland opposes hard border Where British soldiers once manned checkpoints in a reminder of Ireland's division, the border is open and frictionless with no controls as both the United Kingdom and Ireland are part of the EU. But when the U.K. leaves the EU's Single Market and Customs Union, the EU does not want the 500-kilometre border to become a back door into the bloc without customs and regulatory checks. As a way to prevent a hard border, Brussels and London agreed to a so-called backstop — basically a promise that unless the sides come up with a better idea, then the United Kingdom would remain bound by EU market and customs rules so that goods would not have to be checked. For many lawmakers in Britain, the backstop is by far the most contentious part of the rejected deal. The DUP say it could endanger Northern Ireland's place in the U.K., while Conservative Brexiteers fear being locked into EU rules long term. The European Union will not renegotiate the divorce deal and the Irish backstop, but alternatives could be worked on after Britain leaves, chief EU negotiator Michel Barnier said on Monday. The Irish government insists it will not countenance making contingency plans for the return of a hard border on the island, complete with customs checks, if Britain leaves the EU on March 29 without a deal. May will meet European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker and then European Council President Donald Tusk in Brussels on Thursday. Sinn Fein Leader Mary Lou McDonald, centre, Martina Anderson, left, and Michelle O'Neil, right, knock down a 'mock' wall on the Northern Ireland/Republic of Ireland border, near Newry on Jan. 26. Protesters angered at the prospect of a hard Brexit built a mock wall across part of the Irish border in a demonstration against future border checks. (Peter Morrison/Associated Press) "From a political point of view, there is still time," German Chancellor Angela Merkel told a conference in Tokyo. "That should be used, used by all sides. But for this it would be very important to know what exactly the British side envisages in terms of its relationship with the EU," she said. As Brussels waits for Britain to set out its plans, diplomats and officials in the rest of the EU are increasingly expecting a delay to Brexit. "It could only be a few weeks, until late May or early July. And not that we know that it would get us anywhere. But it would buy us some time," an EU diplomat dealing with Brexit said.<doc-sep>Theresa May has said she and her government are committed to avoiding a hard border in Ireland and protecting the Good Friday Agreement. In a speech in Belfast, the British Prime Minister said the commitment to avoiding a hard border on the island of Ireland was made "in good faith" during the Brexit negotiations. Mrs May said that she accepted that reopening the backstop negotiations was a real issue for the people of Northern Ireland. She said her commitment to avoiding a hard border was "unshakeable". "I'm here today to affirm my commitment, and that of the UK government, to all of the people of Northern Ireland, of every background and tradition," she told the assembled audience of business leaders and reporters. She said that she wanted to "affirm my commitment to delivering a Brexit that ensures no return to a hard border between Northern Ireland and Ireland, which is unshakeable". "Northern Ireland does not have to rely on the Irish Government or the European Union to prevent a return to borders of the past. "The UK government will not let that happen. I will not let that happen." She added: "I want to work closely with Taoiseach Leo Varadkar and the Irish Government to strengthen the bilateral relationship we have built." This evening, a spokesperson for the Government welcomed the British Prime Minister's restatement of the commitment to having no hard border. They said her statement about the need to recognise shared identities in Northern Ireland was especially welcome. "However, we still have concerns about unrealistic expectations regarding what can be achieved regarding the backstop. The EU position is clear and not for changing. There is scope to adjust the political declaration but not the Withdrawal Agreement," the spokesperson said. We need your consent to load this rte-player contentWe use rte-player to manage extra content that can set cookies on your device and collect data about your activity. Please review their details and accept them to load the content.Manage Preferences The backstop is effectively an insurance arrangement required by the EU to ensure the border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland remains open if no wider deal is agreed on future UK/EU trade. It would see the UK enter into a temporary customs union with the EU if no trade deal is sealed by the end of a transition period after Brexit, which lasts until December 2020 and could be extended to the end of 2022. Northern Ireland would also abide by EU single market rules on goods to avoid any need for regulatory checks of products crossing the border. Backstop changes a key issue - May Mrs May said that while she had tried to make the case for the Withdrawal Agreement, she had had to accept it would not get through parliament in its current form. "I fought hard to make the case for the deal as it stands," she said. "I believed it could command a majority in the House of Commons, but I have had to face up to the fact that in its current form it cannot and the need for changes to the backstop is the key issue. "While there were those in Northern Ireland who favoured it, it is also true that the backstop is not supported by the two main Unionist parties here and it also influenced MPs in England, Scotland and Wales in voting against the deal." We need your consent to load this rte-player contentWe use rte-player to manage extra content that can set cookies on your device and collect data about your activity. Please review their details and accept them to load the content.Manage Preferences Asked how she could convince the people of Northern Ireland to accept a Brexit deal that was stripped of the backstop, Mrs May said: "I'm not proposing to persuade people to accept a deal that doesn't contain that insurance policy for the future. "What parliament has said is that they believe there should changes made to the backstop." Mrs May also called for the return of the power-sharing government in Northern Ireland. She said: "I know this is a concerning time for many people here in Northern Ireland. "But we will find a way to deliver Brexit that honours our commitments to Northern Ireland, that commands broad support across the communities in Northern Ireland and that secures a majority in the Westminster Parliament, which is the best way to deliver for the people of Northern Ireland. "As we do so, I hope we can also take steps to move towards the restoration of devolution, so that politicians in Northern Ireland can get back to work on the issues that matter to the people they represent." May to meet Juncker in Brussels Mrs May is to meet European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker in Brussels on Thursday, the commission's spokesman has announced. The European Union wants to hear what Mrs May plans to do on Brexit, the spokesman said, before she holds the talks in Brussels. "The European Union's position is clear," the spokesman for the EU's executive Commission, Margaritis Schinas, told a news conference. "We are expecting, waiting once again to hear what the prime minister has to tell us." Taoiseach Leo Varadkar is due to meet EU leaders tomorrow. Taoiseach says he will travel to Belfast on Friday to speak with all the major political parties and businesses there about Brexit. @rtenews — Mícheál Lehane (@MichealLehane) February 5, 2019 MPs voted last week to say they would only back Mrs May's Withdrawal Agreement if the backstop was replaced by "alternative arrangements". Critics fear the backstop arrangements could lead to the UK being trapped indefinitely in a customs union, scuppering future trade deals with markets around the world. And the DUP, whose ten Westminster MPs keep the Conservative party in government, strongly rejects any measure that could lead to divergence between Northern Ireland and the rest of the UK, effectively creating a regulatory border in the Irish Sea. The party’s leader Arlene Foster has said Europe knows that the backstop is the issue with the Withdrawal Agreement and is "turning their face against that".<doc-sep>✕ Close Jeremy Hunt admits the government may need 'extra time' if a Brexit deal is agreed Theresa May has risked a fresh clash with Tory MPs after saying she is not planning to replace the controversial Northern Ireland backstop. The prime minister had agreed to consider "alternative arrangements" in a bid to win over Eurosceptic rebels but, speaking in Belfast, suggested she was focused on trying to change the backstop rather than replace it. It comes after Downing Street confirmed Ms May will travel to Brussels on Thursday to meet European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker in a bid to secure fresh compromises on the backstop, desipte the EU having insisted that it will not reopen negotiations. As it happened...<doc-sep>Tánaiste (Irish deputy prime minister) Simon Coveney said: "What Ireland is being asked to do by some in Westminster is to essentially do away with an agreed solution between the UK government and EU negotiators and to replace it with wishful thinking," he said.<doc-sep>
The Prime Minister will fly into Belfast today to begin a series of meetings with political and business leaders as she attempts to find a deal with Brussels to break the Brexit stalemate. Theresa May is set to deliver a speech this afternoon in which she will insist that an agreement with the EU is possible which "commands broad support across the community in Northern Ireland". She will acknowledge that it is a "concerning time" but that a way forward is possible which delivers Brexit and upholds all of the government's pledges to people here. Mrs May will hold talks with the political leaders at Stormont tomorrow, including Arlene Foster, who will reiterate her party's opposition to Brussels' proposed backstop. Sinn Fein leaders Mary Lou McDonald and Michelle O'Neill will tell the Prime Minister that the backstop outlined in the Withdrawal Agreement must not be removed or altered. Sources said that during her two-day visit Mrs May will stress the government's commitment to the Good Friday Agreement and will focus on reaching out to pro-Remain politicians. In her speech today, she will say: "I know this is a concerning time for many people here in Northern Ireland. "But we will find a way to deliver Brexit that honours our commitments to Northern Ireland... that commands broad support across the community in Northern Ireland and that secures a majority in the Westminster Parliament, which is the best way to deliver for the people of Northern Ireland." She will also express hope that steps can be taken to move towards the restoration of devolution, so that local politicians "can get back to work on the issues that matter to the people they represent". Mrs May will say: "The measure of this moment in Northern Ireland's history must be more than whether we avoid a return to the challenges of the past. "It must be how, together, we move forwards to shape the opportunities of the future." Mrs Foster is set to tell the Prime Minister that the backstop "drives a coach and horses through the Belfast Agreement's principle of consent" and would effectively create a new border between Northern Ireland and the rest of the UK. Speaking yesterday, she said: "Parliament has spoken. A majority has rejected the current backstop. The EU must now accept the need for the Withdrawal Agreement to be reopened. The toxic backstop must be dealt with." The DUP leader said her party wanted "an orderly exit from the EU which works for London, Dublin, Belfast and Brussels". She added: "It is possible but requires political will. "This is not a time for intransigence. It is time to respect unionists and nationalists alike in Northern Ireland and deliver a deal which is sensible and practical." The DUP leader said she was "encouraged" by comments from EU Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier and Irish Foreign Minister Simon Coveney suggesting "a hard border can be avoided in any circumstance". "It is important that the scaremongering about barbed wire and checkpoints is exposed as nonsense," she said. "Border communities should not have genuine fears exploited with such tall tales." Meanwhile in Westminster, the working group bringing together senior Eurosceptic and former Remain-supporting Tories will continue its efforts to agree alternatives to the backstop along the lines of the Malthouse Compromise. Talks involving Conservatives including Brexiteers Iain Duncan Smith, Theresa Villiers, Steve Baker and Owen Paterson - along with former Remainers Nicky Morgan and Damian Green - will continue in Whitehall, chaired by Brexit Secretary Stephen Barclay. The first meeting yesterday was described as "detailed and constructive" by the Brexit department. But in Brussels there was little sign of a willingness to reconsider the Withdrawal Agreement. Mr Barnier said the deal agreed by Mrs May and the leaders of the 27 other EU members "cannot be reopened". He said the EU was "ready to work on alternative solutions during transition", re-stating Brussels' position that the backstop had to remain in place unless and until a replacement could be agreed. German Chancellor Angela Merkel said the EU was ready to listen to proposals to solve the border "riddle", but needed to hear from the UK how it thought this could be done. Mr Coveney said alternatives to the backstop were "wishful thinking". He said: "The Irish protocol in the Withdrawal Agreement already allows for alternative arrangements or alternative solutions to the backstop and if they're there they can replace the backstop.