Question to the Department for Exiting the European Union :

To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, if he will ensure that in further negotiations with the EU that the UK will not accept a border down the Irish Sea which will separate Northern Ireland from the rest of the UK.

The original proposals put forward by the EU are ones we cannot accept. It would mean creating a customs border down the Irish sea and breaking the integrity of the UK. The proposals we have put forward for our future economic relationship would allow both sides to meet our commitments to the people of Northern Ireland in full. We are working hard to get a deal on that basis. While we remain committed to resolving the Northern Ireland border through our overall economic relationship, the backstop is a critical issue, and we stand by all our commitments including the safeguarding of the constitutional and economic integrity of the United Kingdom.