Most Northern Ireland MPs will not back the trade deal

The majority of Northern Ireland’s 18 MPs are not expected to back the Brexit trade deal.

The DUP said its eight MPs will vote against the UK-EU Trade and Cooperation Agreement in the UK House of Commons when it withdraws on Wednesday.

An SDLP spokesman confirmed to the Palestinian Authority that its two MPs will also vote against the deal, while the Alliance Party’s sole MP, Stephen Farry, said he will not vote for the deal.

NI’s remaining seven seats are held by representatives of Sinn Féi who have historically never held their seats in the House of Commons.

In a statement, the DUP said its MPs will vote against the agreement “as a point of principle”, and “not because we support the no-deal option.”

DUP Leader Arlene Foster said: “While recognition of this agreement generates tariff and quota free trade between the UK and the EU and therefore reduces the impact on UK to NI trade flows , we still have many negative problems arising from the Protocol.

“On that basis we will vote against this agreement. We will continue to work to mitigate the worst excesses of the Northern Ireland separate agreements while exploring new opportunities for Northern Ireland.

“Our challenge going forward will be to pressure the government to do better in those areas where more work is needed.

“These arrangements stemming from the protocol are, of course, temporary in the sense that the Northern Ireland Assembly will have the opportunity to review the protocol and vote on it within four years.”

Farry said he will discuss the vote with other opposition parties, but confirmed that he will not endorse it.

“This is a tough version of Brexit, and this will have massive consequences for Northern Ireland in terms of lost opportunities and lost profits that we currently have,” he told the BBC.

“I am not going to give legitimacy to what is really a hard Brexit, a conservative Brexit.

“At this stage, I am going to speak with other opposition parties to see exactly what the best approach is to adopt legislation that we have not seen yet.”