Addressing the House of Commons on Monday, the Prime Minister claimed her Government did not deem appropriate leaving the EU without a deal on March 29 as “the Northern Ireland civil service do not have the power to make the necessary decisions that would be needed in the circumstance of a no deal Brexit”. The statement sparked the furious response from the DUP’s Nigel Dodds, who accused Theresa May of being “entirely responsible” for the lack of preparation needed to leave the EU this month and claimed her justification for requesting a delay to the Brexit process was “entirely new” to the House.

Mr Dodds said: “The Prime Minister has known for some considerable time – and so has the House – that March 29 was the target date.

“So why hasn’t appropriate preparation been made?

“Why do we need another two weeks? What’s going to happen in another two weeks that couldn’t have happened up to now?

“This is a fundamental lack of preparation and the Government is entirely responsible for that.

“Because this is a new argument, I have to say, Mr Speaker. This is an entirely new argument that we’re hearing for the first time as to why we need an extension.”

Referring to Tory MP Owen Paterson’s question to the Prime Minister, he continued: “Can I ask the Prime Minister, further to the question that the former Secretary of State for Northern Ireland raised, someone with great experienced having served for four years in Northern Ireland.

This is an entire new argument that we’re hearing for the first time as to why we need an extension

Nigel Dodds

“He raises the point that Leo Varadkar has made it clear that in terms of a no deal that he is very confident there will be no border checks.

“Michel Barnier has said the same, Angela Merkel has said the same.

“She shakes her head but that’s what he said. That’s what he said.

“So the reality is that this backstop problem which has been elevated, one has to ask why is it that the EU insist on this when in the case of a no deal it doesn’t need to have any checks?

“And why is it that the Prime Minister ever agreed to this backstop in the first place, which is the thing that bedevils her agreement?”

The furious takedown of the Prime Minister’s position on Northern Ireland comes as DUP leader Arlene Foster claimed her Party had not changed its position on Mrs May’s deal after extensive talks with the Prime Minister on Monday.

Theresa May has announced she will therefore not present her Brexit deal before the House for a third time as she recognises she still lacks the necessary support for the deal to pass, after it was overwhelmingly rejected twice by MPs this year.

MPs will vote on a series of amendments on Monday evening that could see the entire process being stripped from the hands of Mrs May’s Government and delivered to Parliament.

If the amendments are voted in favour of by MPs in the House, a series of indicative votes will be held on different potential outcomes and ways forward on Wednesday evening. 

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