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DUP’s Nigel Dodds silences House of Commons with powerful speech – ‘must leave EU as one’

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DUP Westminster leader Nigel Dodds insisted “weariness” should not be an excuse for “weakness” on Brexit or the Union. And he raised fears over the impact of the Prime Minister’s deal on Northern Ireland.

Mr Dodds told the Commons: “Weariness in this House over Brexit should not be an excuse for weakness on Brexit or weakness on the Union.”

He demanded that there must be “Brexit for the whole of the United Kingdom”, leaving the single market and customs union as one.

The DUP Westminster leader said: “This deal puts Northern Ireland, yes, in the UK customs union but applies de facto all the European customs union code – yes it does, read the detail.”

He voiced concerns over Northern Ireland’s involvement in the VAT regime and the single market “without any consent up front”.

Mr Dodds added: “It drives a coach and horses through the Belfast Agreement by altering the cross-community consent mechanism.”

He also brought up previous comments by Mr Johnson about how no British prime minister could agree to such terms, saying: “Will he now abide by that and please reconsider the fact that we must leave as one nation together?”

Responding to the DUP Westminster leader, Mr Johnson defended his deal.

READ MORE: Baker reveals THREE reasons ERG group are backing Boris’ EU deal

DUP MP Sammy Wilson also hit out at the Prime Minister’s agreement, saying: “Rather than a great deal, this will do a great deal of damage to the Union.”

Mr Johnson replied: “It is being done by consent, it is a very, very ingenious scheme that gets Northern Ireland out of the customs union and allows the whole of the UK to do free trade together with minimum, minimum bureaucracy.”

It comes as Parliament is sitting on Saturday for the first time in 37 years.

The Prime Minister called on MPs to get behind his deal, saying the agreement he struck with the EU would allow the UK to leave “whole and entire” on October 31.

The vote is on a knife edge after Mr Johnson’s former allies the DUP said they would not back it.

And the Prime Minister’s plan could be derailed by former Tory MP Sir Oliver Letwin’s amendment which would withhold approval for the agreement until legislation to implement it is in place.

If the amendment is passed, Mr Johnson would be forced by the Benn Act to ask the EU for a further Brexit extension.

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