Brexit process has been ‘handled shambolically’, says UUP leader Robin Swann

Robin Swann warned that the Withdrawal Agreement could still slip through as the hard Brexiteer allies of the Democratic Unionists jump ship to rescue Brexit.

He made the comments on Monday night after MPs in Westminster rejected all four alternatives to Theresa May’s Brexit plan.

Mr Swann said the Brexit process had been “handled shambolically” from the beginning and the outcome of the votes were a symptom of “the pitiful negotiating position adopted by the United Kingdom’s Government and its ineffectual partners in the face of EU and Irish Government intransigence”.

“If we’re not careful there is the very real possibility of the UK leaving the EU without a sensible deal,” he said.

“The DUP can’t abdicate its responsibility in this farcical situation. They are attempting to close the stable door after the horse carrying the backstop has bolted.

“I hope for Northern Ireland’s sake and our place within the United Kingdom that the Withdrawal Agreement containing the backstop, which undermines the principle of consent, does not now slip through as the hard Brexiteer allies of the DUP jump ship to rescue their ideologically pure Brexit at the expense of the integrity of the United Kingdom.”

Mr Swann said it was time the DUP stopped putting their party first and put the Union first instead.