Brussels will RIP Ireland APART: Peter Lilley BLASTS the EU for Irish border 'THREATS'
THE European Union has been 'threatening' to install a hard border between Northern Ireland and the Republic despite calls from the UK to avoid border posts, former Tory MP Peter Lilley claimed.
Mr Lilley dismissed claims suggesting the UK was trying to create a physical border between the two Irish nations after Brexit.
The former shadow chancellor said: "Britain has said we will not put up border posts.
"The only people that have been threatening to do so are the European Union."
GETTY/SKY NEWS
Discussing the Irish border issue with Dutch MEP Sophie in 't Veld, Mr Lilley said he would welcome the opportunity to discuss a new deal with Brussels to avoid the creation of a hard border on the Irish isle after Brexit.
Speaking to Sky News, he said: "I thought it was very good news to hear from Sophie that she is prepared to have a specifically tailored solution for the Irish border.
"What the EU has been doing so far is threatening to have exactly the same sort of border posts on the Irish border as they have on the border between Poland and the Ukraine, or between Sweden and Norway. We are not putting up border posts.
"The only people who are threatening to do so are the European Union. And it’s good news they are prepared to think of special solutions that would enable not to have border posts."
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Britain has said we will not put up border posts. The only people that have been threatening to do so are the European Union
Brexit talks broke down without a deal after a proposed solution for the Irish border issue met strong resistance from the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) led by Arlene Foster.
The border between the two Irish nations remains a key point of contention between Britain and the European Union during Brexit negotiations.
Reports suggesting Prime Minister Theresa May was on the verge of signing a deal on "regulatory alignment" between the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland spurred Ms Foster into action – warning the British Government the DUP would not support any agreement threatening the territorial integrity of the UK.
Mrs May was forced to ask for "more time" to try and reach an agreement with the DUP to ensure support for her plans for Northern Ireland without jeopardising the Tory-DUP alliance propping up her Government.
Following an ultimately inconclusive meeting with EU Commissioner Jean-Claude Juncker, Mrs May said she was "confident we will conclude this positively."
