South Down MP Chris Hazzard and his party colleague Michelle O’Neill, party vice president, met today with the Shadow UK Brexit Secretary Keir Starmer to make it clear there can be no renegotiation of the Irish backstop.
Speaking after meeting, Sinn Féin’s Chris Hazzard MP said: “We made it clear to the Shadow Brexit Secretary Keir Starmer that the backstop has already been agreed and is not open to renegotiation.
“We told him that the DUP do not speak for the people of the North and that the majority here did not consent to Brexit and do not want to be dragged out of the EU.
“The majority of political parties in the North continue to oppose Brexit and want to protect the Good Friday Agreement and prevent the return of a hard border. It is on that basis that the majority of political parties support the backstop.
“Keir Starmer acknowledged that a backstop is inevitable. We told him there can be no renegotiation of the Backstop and Withdrawal Agreement.
“That is the message the EU27 has clearly given to the British government and it is the message that we will be delivering to British Prime Minister Theresa May when we meet her later this week.
“We are standing firm with the EU27 and Irish government to ensure the backstop is protected and maintained,” added Chris Hazzard.
