Brexit: Jeremy Cobyn letter misrepresents DUP stance on no deal

Jeremy Corbyn has misrepresented the DUP’s Brexit stance, claiming that the party wants no deal taken off the table when in fact the DUP wants the opposite.
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In a letter to the prime minister yesterday in which he responded to her offer of talks on the way forward, the Labour leader demanded that she state that she would not let the UK leave the EU without a deal.

Mr Corbyn wrote that “the starting point for any talks ... must be that the threat of a disastrous ‘no deal’ outcome is ruled out ... I note that it is a position shared by all the opposition parties, including the DUP.”

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However, senior DUP figures have for months been endorsing the government’s no-deal contingency planning and urging the government to do more to make clear that it is serious about facing such a possibility.

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn mistakenly said all opposition parties were opposed to a no-deal BrexitLabour leader Jeremy Corbyn mistakenly said all opposition parties were opposed to a no-deal Brexit
Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn mistakenly said all opposition parties were opposed to a no-deal Brexit

In yesterday’s News Letter, DUP MP Sammy Wilson made clear that significant planning has already been done for no deal and that the UK can leave the EU on those terms.

On Wednesday night, DUP deputy leader Nigel Dodds told ITV’s Robert Peston that although he wanted to see a deal, Mrs May had to “show some mettle” in the negotiations and “tell people that we are prepared for a no deal – we don’t want a no deal; we want a deal, but unless you’re serious about making preparations for a no deal, then the other side simply won’t take you seriously”.

In a letter last night in response to Mr Corbyn, Mrs May said that ruling out a no-deal Brexit as a price for face-to-face talks was an “impossible condition” because it is not within the government’s power to do it.

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She said: “I note that you have said that ‘ruling out’ no deal is a precondition before we can meet, but that is an impossible condition because it is not within the government’s power to rule out no deal.

“Let me explain why. Under Article 50 of the Treaty on European Union and the Withdrawal Act 2018, we will leave the EU without a deal on 29 March unless Parliament either agrees a deal with the EU or the UK revokes Article 50 and chooses to stay in the EU permanently. So there are two ways to avoid no deal: either vote for a deal ... or to revoke Article 50 and overturn the referendum result.”