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Irish border issue is being used as an 'excuse' to thwart Brexit, DUP warns

Nigel Dodds, the DUP's Westminster leader - PA
Nigel Dodds, the DUP's Westminster leader - PA

The Irish border issue is being used as an "excuse" to thwart Brexit, the DUP's Westminster leader has warned.

Nigel Dodds said critics who claim that Britain must stay in the Customs Union to retain an open border are "misconceived".

He told Peston on Sunday on ITV1: "Some people who are now using the excuse that because of the Northern Ireland open border situation, because of the need to avoid a hard border, because of the protection of the Belfast agreement, that somehow this all demands certain things like membership of the Customs Union.

"That is totally misconceived, they’re actually using the Belfast agreement to advance their own version of Brexit or indeed in some cases to actually thwart Brexit.

"The issue of Northern Ireland where we want an open border with the Irish Republic but we’re also very clear that there can be no border between Northern Ireland and the rest of the United Kingdom economically or politically and I think in terms of a customs union it is very clear... that you do not require membership of the customs union to preserve a frictionless border in Ireland."

Arlene Foster and Nigel Dodds
Arlene Foster and Nigel Dodds

He highlighted the fact that there are already different currencies and tax regimes operating on either side of the border. He said: "We already have currency differences, a different current in Northern Ireland to the Republic, there are different tax regimes, VAT regimes.

"The idea somehow that this will provide such a massive barrier, that it will not allow trade to continue is nonsense, it can be done.

The solutions are out there, some people don’t want to look at those solutions because they’re trying to force a political solution to keep the UK inside the customs union or using Northern Ireland in a way that is not conducive to good, good peace in Northern Ireland."

It comes amid an ongoing crisis in Northern Ireland following the collapse of the power-sharing agreement. Mr Dodds said that budget needs to be set for Northern Ireland within the next two weeks.

He said: "There needs to be a budget within the next fortnight, and there needs to be decisions taken in order to spend that money, not least the rollout of the money that was secured by the Democratic Unionist Party for all of Northern Ireland."

Asked who could take those decisions, he said: "The budget can be set here at Westminster and clearly Parliament can authorise ministers to take whatever decisions are necessary for the good governance of the province."

He added: "That's clearly what should happen and I confidently expect that it will happen." Responding to presenter Robert Peston's suggestion that the DUP was holding the minority Government to ransom on the issue, he said his party was taking a "common sense" approach by calling for ministers to make decisions and set a budget.

He added: "Sinn Fein, who complain about too much influence, well, they should take their seats in Westminster and I think they might find that they would have more influence than they currently have." Sinn Fein has warned that direct rule was not an option for Northern Ireland.