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DUP MP Ian Paisley has defended Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s new legislation that could void the Brexit withdrawal agreement.
He said Johnson had “realized the serious threat he poses to the union.”
The EU has warned the UK that it could face legal action if it does not get rid of controversial elements of the Internal Market Act before the end of the month.
But Johnson said the bill is necessary to ensure there is no “large-scale trade border in the Irish Sea.”
In a Daily Telegraph column, he accused the EU of adopting an “extreme” interpretation of the NI Protocol, which is included in the withdrawal agreement, that could stop the transport of food from Britain to NI.
He has faced intense criticism from some members of his own party.
‘Use NI as a pawn’
Paisley told BBC 5Live that he was “furious” but “not surprised.”
“Throughout the negotiations we warned that there was an ulterior motive, that the European community was going to punish the UK,” he said.
“The best way they found to punish the UK was to attack the political, social and economic integrity of our nation and the best and easiest way they found was to use Northern Ireland as a pawn.
“Northern Ireland will not be used as a pawn; we opposed the withdrawal agreement, we warned about this protocol, we said it would damage integrity.”
“I’m glad, maybe at the last minute, the prime minister realized what a serious threat this poses to the union,” he said.
“If the prime minister has the mettle to finish the job, I welcome him, but this Wednesday we will know if he has a tin foil backbone and if he is not prepared to stand up to Europe, as the NI people do not deserve to be. “. treated differently from people in the rest of the UK, “he added.
‘The protocol is complicated but necessary’
However, the MP for the Alliance for North Down, Stephen Farry, said the bill was “false” and “nonsense”.
“The instability and uncertainty have been caused by Brexit,” he said.
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“Northern Ireland only works on the basis of exchange and interdependence. The tougher Brexit, the greater the challenge. Protocol is a messy but necessary means of managing the consequences,” he added.
Johnson is likely to face a rebellion over the legislation, as several of his MPs are unhappy that it would violate international law.
In a Zoom call with some 250 of them, he said the party must not return to “miserable squabbles” over Europe.
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Conservative supporter Sir Bob Neill, who chairs the Commons Justice Committee, said Zoom’s call from the prime minister did not reassure him.
He is submitting an amendment to the bill to try to force a separate parliamentary vote on any changes to the withdrawal agreement.
“I think it is a potentially damaging act for this country, it would damage our reputation and I think it will be more difficult to reach trade agreements in the future,” he said.
Around the same time as the prime minister was speaking, the European Parliament announced that it would “under no circumstances ratify” any trade agreement reached between the UK and the EU if the “British authorities violate or threaten to violate” the withdrawal agreement.
There is concern about this within the Conservative Party, with former leaders Theresa May, Lord Howard and Sir John Major urging Johnson to think again.
The two parties have less than five weeks to reach an agreement before Johnson’s October 15 deadline, after which he says he is ready to “walk away.”
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