Dublin Risks Driving U.K. Into No-Deal Brexit, DUP Says

(Bloomberg) -- The Irish government is pushing the U.K. toward crashing out of the European Union without a deal, according to Jeffrey Donaldson, a key lawmaker representing the Democratic Unionist Party, which holds the balance of power at Westminster.

The question of keeping the Irish border invisible has shaped the entire Brexit negotiation process, with the so-called backstop ultimately costing Theresa May her premiership. The DUP wants to kill the backstop, because they say it risks creating a border between Northern Ireland and the rest of the U.K.

“There is a seismic problem with the backstop,” Donaldson said in a speech in Dublin on Thursday. “The constitutional and economic integrity of the United Kingdom cannot be undermined.”

Donaldson accused Dublin government of using the border as “bargaining chip,” and warned its championing of the backstop could have a chilling effect on relations north and south of the border. His intervention is a reminder to Boris Johnson, and the other contenders to become Britain’s next prime minister, that the DUP will remain an obstacle to any withdrawal deal with the EU as long as the backstop remains unaltered.

To contact the reporter on this story: Dara Doyle in Dublin at ddoyle1@bloomberg.net

To contact the editor responsible for this story: Chad Thomas at cthomas16@bloomberg.net

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