Brexit: Irish Border

Lord Dykes Excerpts

Tuesday 5th December 2017 Lords Chamber

Asked by

[Lord Dykes]

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what response they have received from the European Union negotiating team to their proposals on the Irish border problem.

[The Minister of State, Department for Exiting the European Union (Lord Callanan) (Con)]

My Lords, there is much agreement between the UK and the EU on the proposals for how to address the unique circumstances of Northern Ireland and Ireland in the light of the UK’s withdrawal from the European Union. We remain firmly committed to avoiding any physical infrastructure on the land border between Northern Ireland and Ireland. We welcome the Commission’s commitment to this in its guiding principles paper.

[Lord Dykes (CB)]

My Lords, see how grateful the DUP is for the £1 billion of taxpayers’ money to keep Mrs May in power without any real mandate. Will the Minister please tell Mrs May what is now obvious: Brexit is becoming a total disaster and the PM must now save our country’s future and the precious Anglo-Irish agreement?

[Lord Callanan]

I congratulate the noble Lord on having the foresight to get a Question on this on the Order Paper for today. He will be unsurprised to know that I do not agree with him. There was a referendum on the subject. We feel we have to respect the results of that referendum.