Brexit: Commons amendments do not change treaty’s fundamental flaws, says DUP

Ahead of tonight’s historic vote, MPs were asked to consider four amendments to the deal, selected by Commons Speaker John Bercow.

Among them were two tabled by Tory backbenchers, which sought to address the thorny issue of the Northern Ireland backstop.

An amendment by John Baron stipulated that the UK would have the right to terminate the backstop without the agreement of the EU.

Another tabled by Sir Edward Leigh aimed to limit the scope of the backstop by giving the assurance that, if it doesn’t end by the close of 2021, it would result in the termination of the withdrawal treaty.

A number of amendments were not selected by the speaker to be voted on, including one tabled by Tory MP Hugo Swire, which sought to impose a statutory duty upon the government to make sure the backstop is limited to 12 months.

A second, by NI Affairs Committee chairman Dr Andrew Murrison, called for the backstop to be time-limited to December 31, 2021. The government had hoped this would help win over some rebels Tory MPs and lessen the PM’s defeat, giving her some scope to wring concessions out of Brussels.

Speaking in the Commons, Mr Swire said the non-selection of these two amendments made it “harder” to convince wavering MPs to support the proposed deal.

But DUP MP Sammy Wilson said there was no amendment that could have been made that would have persuaded his party to back Mrs May’s deal.

He told the News Letter: “The important thing is to have this deal comprehensively defeated. The parliamentary games that are played with amendments really do not change the fundamental issue, which is that this deal is fatally flawed.

“The problem with all of these amendments is that it would be a commitment made by one party, ie, the British government. The only part which has been agreed by both the UK and the EU is the withdrawal agreement itself, and so that is the part that would be legally binding.”

A DUP spokesperson added: “The prime minister has known for many weeks what we require. Amendments tabled in Parliament will have no bearing on the legal status of what has been negotiated. What is required is for the prime minister to go and secure legally binding changes as she promised.”