Theresa May has been dealt a huge blow after the Democratic Unionist Party announced that it will not support the Government if it tables a fresh meaningful Brexit vote because “the necessary changes we seek to the backstop have not been secured”. Downing Street had suggested the Prime Minister was keeping the open possibility of returning her withdrawal agreement to the Commons on Thursday or Friday if she felt it has a credible chance of passing. But, on Wednesday evening, DUP leader, Arlene Foster said her MPs could not back Mrs May’s agreement.

The DUP leader told Sky News: “I do want to pay tribute to the Prime Minister to her team and the way they have engaged with us through this process.

“However, significant gaps do remain. We have made progress in relation to domestic legislation, but, and it is a big but, it doesn’t deal with the treaty level changes that were required in relation to the withdrawal agreement.”

She added: “What we can’t agree to is something that threatens the Union, that has a strategic risk to the Union.

“For us in the Democratic Unionist Party, the Union will always come first and that has been the issue right from the beginning of all of this.

“You will remember this back in December of 2017 we warned about the dangers of the backstop.

“The Prime Minister made a call and went ahead in relation to that declaration. Then, of course, came last November, the withdrawal agreement. We warned her before she signed that withdrawal agreement…but she decided to go ahead.

“We cannot sign up to something that would damage the Union.”

Responding to a journalist, DUP deputy leader Nigel Dodds said the party would not abstain on the vote. He said: “The DUP do not abstain on the Union.”

What we can’t agree to is something that threatens the union, that has a strategic risk to the union

Arlene Foster

In a statement announcing they will not back Mrs May’s Brexit deal, the Democratic Unionist Party said: “The DUP and the Government have had good discussions in recent days and some progress on domestic legislation has been made.

“All concerned recognise the need to ensure that as we leave the European Union the economic and constitutional integrity of the United Kingdom is maintained.

“However, given the fact that the necessary changes we seek to the backstop have not been secured between the Government and the European Union, and the remaining and ongoing strategic risk that Northern Ireland would be trapped in backstop arrangements at the end of the implementation period, we will not be supporting the Government if they table a fresh meaningful vote.

“The backstop if operational has the potential to create an internal trade border within the United Kingdom and would cut us off from our main internal market, being Great Britain.

“We want to secure the United Kingdom’s departure from, and our future relationship with, the European Union on terms that accord with our key objectives to ensure the integrity of the United Kingdom.

“In our view, the current withdrawal agreement does not do so and the backstop, which we warned this Government against from its first inception, poses an unacceptable threat to the integrity of the United Kingdom and will inevitably limit the United Kingdom’s ability to negotiate on the type of future relationship with the EU.”

It comes following a turbulent day for the Prime Minister after she told Conservative Party colleagues she would step down as leader before the next stage of Brexit negotiations to try to get her deal over the line.

Mrs May spoke with the influential Conservative 1922 Committee shortly before MPs were due to take part in crucial votes to outline the next steps for the UK if the Prime Minister’s deal is rejected in the Commons.

Mrs May said she “will not stand in the way” of the party having new leadership.

She said: “I am prepared to leave this job earlier than I intended in order to do what is right for our country and our party.”

Mrs May added: “I have heard very clearly the mood of the parliamentary party. I know there is a desire for a new approach – and new leadership – in the second phase of the Brexit negotiations – and I won’t stand in the way of that.

“I know some people are worried that if you vote for the Withdrawal Agreement, I will take that as a mandate to rush on into phase two without the debate we need to have. I won’t – I hear what you are saying. But we need to get the deal through and deliver Brexit.”

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