Brexit news latest: Theresa May slammed by DUP for 'missing opportunity' to improve deal in Brussels

Jacob Jarvis22 March 2019
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Theresa May missed an opportunity to fix her Brexit deal and unite Parliament behind her plans in her recent trip to Brussels, according to the DUP's deputy leader.

Nigel Dodds delivered a fresh blow to the PM as he indicated his party will not be swayed to back her Withdrawal Agreement.

He said: "The Prime Minister missed an opportunity at the EU Council to put forward proposals which could have improved the prospects of an acceptable Withdrawal Agreement and help unite the country."

In regards to the agreement he said "nothing has changed", calling this "failure" from Mrs May "inexcusable".

Nigel Dodds has hit out at Mrs May's actions in Brussels
REUTERS

He said: "That failure is all the more disappointing and inexcusable given the clear divisions and arguments which became evident amongst EU member states when faced with outcomes they don't like."

"Nothing has changed as far as the Withdrawal Agreement is concerned. We will not accept any deal which poses a long-term risk to the constitutional and economic integrity of the United Kingdom."

His comments come after the EU agreed to a short extension to Article 50 to at least temporarily avert a no-deal Brexit on March 29.

Pressure: Theresa May in Downing Street today after being driven back from RAF Northolt in the early hours following the summit
REUTERS

Mrs May left the British residence in Brussels to return to the UK on Friday morning to try and persuade MPs to back her deal.

This followed EU leaders accusing her of not having an adequate plan in place if MPs reject her deal once again.

A compromise 'flextension period' was agreed to delay Brexit until May 22 should her deal be passed by Parliament, though a change of the mood in the Commons does not appear to have happened and a date for a third vote has not been set.

European Council President Donald Tusk and European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker hold a joint news conference during an EU leaders summit
REUTERS

If MPs reject the deal for a third time the UK will have until April 12 to set out its next steps, with the EU pushing for further clarity from the Government and Parliament.

A longer extension will only be on offer if Britain takes part in European Parliament elections in May, which has been described as a "farce" and is not something the Government wants to allow.

Nigel Evans, the pro-Brexit executive secretary of the 1922 Committee, said Mrs May had made a "big error" in agreeing to a delay, adding pointedly she needed to consider what would be her legacy if she failed to deliver Brexit.

"It has become a bit of a farce," he told BBC News.

German chancellor Angela Merkel has welcomed the decision to extend Article 50
Hannibal Hanschke/Reuters

EU leaders have said that the delay though agreed is only short and Britain needs to tell the bloc what it wants as soon as possible.

Asked if the decision to delay Brexit had allowed Mrs May to "kick the can further down the road", European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker said: "The road the can has in perspective is a very short one."

German chancellor Angela Merkel welcomed the decision on a Brexit delay but reiterated that time was of the essence.

The German chancellor told a press conference at the end of the Brussels summit: "We have for the time being prevented a no-deal Brexit for the 29th.

"But these are very short periods of time, so Britain will have to make clear yet again which path it wishes to pursue.

"With the debate we had yesterday night, we proved yet again that what we have done for the past two years will continue to apply, because as 27 member states, we work together and act together."

At the end of a two-day summit in Brussels, European Council president Donald Tusk said that "the fate of Brexit is in the hands of our British friends."

He said: "We are prepared for the worst but hope for the best. As you know, hope dies last."

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