UK DUP Considers Backstop the 'Poison' in Brexit Deal - Reports

UK Prime Minister Theresa May said on 6 January that Parliament would be asked to vote on her proposed Brexit deal on either January 14 or 15 despite growing resistance from Conservatives and the Democratic Unionist Party, whose votes are needed to push the deal through parliament.

The Irish Examiner reported that a Democratic Unionist Party deputy leader has called on Prime Minister Theresa May to stand firm in requiring that the EU changes its "poison" backstop provision on Northern Ireland's post-Brexit border.

"The backstop remains the poison which makes any vote for the Withdrawal Agreement so toxic. The EU has shown in the past that it will move but only if faced with a resolute red line on the part of the UK Government. The coming days will show if this Government is made of the right stuff", the Democratic Unionist Party Deputy Leader Nigel Dodds said as quoted by the Irish Examiner.

The Democratic Unionist Party's statement followed a recent interview by the UK prime minister, where she expressed hope of solving the main issues surrounding the Brexit deal in the coming days.

“What we will be setting out over the next few days are assurances in three areas: first are measures specific to Northern Ireland; the second is a greater role for parliament as we take these negotiations forward into the next stage for our future relationship; and third – and we are still working on this – is further assurances from the European Union to address the issues that have been raised”, Theresa May told BBC1's Andrew Marr Show.

According to The Guardian, in the interview, May repeatedly sidestepped issues about whether she would keep putting the deal back to MPs if it got rebuffed.

“If the deal is not voted on, this vote that is coming up, then actually we are going to be in uncharted territory. I don’t think anybody can say exactly what will happen in terms of the reaction we will see in parliament”, she stated.

READ MORE: Second Brexit Referendum Impossible Before March 29 — UK PM Theresa May

May decided not to go ahead with the Commons vote in December after it became clear that the deal on the exit terms she had agreed with Brussels would not clear the parliament.

The United Kingdom is due to withdraw from the European Union on March 29 but the terms of the exit need to be approved by the UK Parliament, where many lawmakers have urged May to renegotiate some of the provisions.

EU leaders have made it clear they are ready to give May all the reassurances she needs but the deal is not open to debate. The Irish prime minister said earlier that his country had stepped up preparations for a no-deal scenario.